Buy BC: EAT DRINK LOCAL Hails the New Era of BC Cuisine

Buy BC: Eat Drink Local? Sounds like a plan! Although, hard to believe now but there was a time when the last thing anyone wanted was to ‘eat local.’ And don’t even get me started on the wine thing.

Or maybe you should.

I’m truly pleased to see the return of Buy BC, especially with a dining focus. In fact, I never understood why one of the province’s most successful promotions ever met its demise. A few years back, I guess someone felt it had run its course and was no longer needed.

Wrong! One thing I’ve learned is to never take anything for granted. And that goes for the incredible local bounty that we enjoy. It’s a drum I’ve been beating for a while now.

We need to constantly remind ourselves: our local food (and wine) scene is far more than just a happy coincidence. It’s the sum of achievements by countless visionaries. Our dining scene has flourished thanks to farmers, growers, winery owners small and large, and many others, all willing to take the risk.

There was a time when Vancouver was bordering on a dining wasteland. Yes, there was a handful of better. ‘Continental’ dining rooms. But it was just a handful. And God help you if you didn’t know which knife to use …

Not to belittle any of those plucky (mainly Europeans) who brought ‘serious’ dining to Terminal City. To a great degree, they laid the groundwork of what we have today. But for me, there really was no such thing as ‘regional cuisine’ until the birth of the modern BC wine industry.

A few early ‘BC first’ pioneers come to mind. There was ill-fated Cherrystone Cove. And Sinclair and Fredérique Philip trail-blazed truly local foraging at Sooke Harbour House. Sinclair was already actively promoting the wonders of the BC coast in New York.

Yet, I’ll never forget the astonishment that greeted the opening of Janice Lotzkar’s The Raintree. It was arguably the first Vancouver restaurant to embrace all things BC. And not only survive but flourish. But the consensus in 1989 was: who in their right mind would even consider serving only BC wine? And why would anyone care whether their lamb was from Salt Spring or New Zealand?

Lotzkar proved the critics wrong. She was in that small vanguard. Also, among the first in Vancouver to identify on the menu the source of every main item. She figured a handful of BC wineries were about to blossom. And bravely vowed to support them.

Let’s not forget some of the other pioneers—like (also gone) Raincity Grill—often confused with the Raintree.

The original Buy BC was actually born of those early food and wine promotions. They brought the idea of regional cuisine to Vancouverites back in the early 1990s. The first that I recall was the BC Wine Institute’s Salmon & Pinot Blanc: A Marriage Made in BC.  Yes, it was a long time ago. So long ago, in fact, that Pinot Blanc was still the most planted white variety in the Okanagan.

That program was significant. (It was the brainchild of then BCWI executive director Christine Coletta.)  Important to this day, it was the first Vancouver promotion that paired BC food and wine. Restaurants teamed up with wineries and prepared special salmon dishes. A novel idea, it was a struggle. But in the end it proved successful—and the forerunner to many more.

Buy BC Redux

Agathe Mathieu and Daughter Chrystelle from Tao Organics

Buy BC: EAT DRINK LOCAL comes hot on the heels of BC Wine Month, which make total sense. The promotion runs throughout May. It’s intended to reinforce the community of local chefs, farmers, wineries, breweries and distilleries.

Restaurants of all kinds around the province are participating. You can check them out at EatDrinkLocal.ca

They range from all organic, plant-based Tao Organics to Fishworks, Bridge Brewing and Provence Marinaside, in Vancouver, as well as establishments around the province, from Raudz Regional Table in Kelowna to Prince Rupert’s Ocean Wise Fukasaku, among many.

Buy BC Tacos and brews at Bridge Brewing

 The criteria to get involved in Buy BC vary but overall add up practical support of BC products.

“It’s about celebrating the diversity of BC offerings at different price points and in different styles,” says BCRFA president and CEO Ian Tostenson.

“Depending on the restaurant, the offerings will differ. But the commitment to buying BC and showcasing local flavours is at the core of every participating venue,” he says.

“When we hear of unique partnerships or BC crops you never knew about, Buy BC: EAT DRINK LOCAL will share those stories through our @EatDrinkBuyBC social media and website platforms.”

Buy BC: EAT DRINK LOCAL adds up to a great way to celebrate our regional cuisine.

The campaign is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Agriculture and the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association (BCRFA). For more information visit eatdrinklocal.ca

This is a year round resource for those who support BC farmers, producers, harvesters and growers.

This post is supported in part by Buy BC

#BuyBC #BCTastesBetter