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Food Industry

LIFT Podcast with Sandra Viney, talking about Atlas Café – and Sandra Viney

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In this episode, we feature Sandra Viney, co-owner with her husband Trent McIntyre, of Atlas Café. 20+ years ago Sandra and Trent opened Atlas Café in downtown Courtenay and changed the way we enjoy food in the Comox Valley. As well as creating one of the best dining venues on Vancouver Island, at LIFT we appreciate Sandra and Trent for being solid LIFT Community Partners since 2015.

Find out more about Atlas Café at atlascafe.ca and on Facebook at facebook.com/AtlasCafe.ca.

Subscribe to LIFT Podcast on iTunes here.

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Sandra talks about McLintock’s Water Buffalo Yogurt: A #WeAreYQQ Local Food Profile

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Food entrepreneurs are changing the face of farming in the Comox Valley. It’s a commonplace: the Comox Valley is an agricultural hot spot on Vancouver Island. What’s often overlooked is that we’re home to a growing number of “young agrarians,” farmers with vision. One of these is Sandra McClintock.

Sandra studied agrology and came back to the family farm determined to create a career in dairy. Gary Ralston, the former agriculture consultant who played a role in many farm ventures before his untimely death in 2015, suggested Sandra try something unique: a water buffalo dairy. It was Gary’s idea. But, as so important with any innovation, it’s the person who executes, who makes the idea become a reality, that’s so important for our economies. In this case, it was Sarah. That’s why we call her a #WeAreYQQ star: she’s innovating, creating a new business and a new market, here in the Comox Valley (YQQ) region.

Although new to the Comox Valley, water buffalo dairies are part of an emerging food trend. On the epicurean side, Italian-style mozzarella and bocconcini are traditionally made with water buffalo milk. On the health side, water buffalo milk, while higher in fat, is much lower in cholesterol than cows’ milk.

When the dairy first starting producing, Natural Pastures in Courtenay was buying all the milk. With other dairies coming on stream on the Island, and with the McClintock herd having grown to over 50 head, Sandra has launched a new product: water buffalo yogurt.

Because the milk is naturally rich and white it produces an outstanding product: mild in flavour, and creamy in texture. Unlike the cheeses made from their buffalo’s milk, the yogurt is branded as McClintock’s Yogurt.

How important is the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market to McClintock’s Water Buffalo Dairy?

The Market is the number one startup incubator in the region. Sandra says it’s been extremely important to their business. This was especially the case when launching something out of the ordinary like water buffalo yogurt. “Being at the Market gave us an opportunity to let people try it and give us feedback.” And people responded extremely well. “We were expecting more resistance, but people at the Market are adventurous. They have lots of questions about the animals. It’s great to be able to talk to customers, to fill them in.”

Where to buy McClintock’s Water Buffalo Yogurt?

Besides the weekly Market, you’ll find McClintock’s Water Buffalo Yogurt at Edible Island in Courtenay, Courtenay Country Market, Natural Pastures, John’s in Comox, the Island Bison store in Black Creek, and Country Grocer outlets down-island. Transportation of local food products from the Comox Valley is an ongoing issue for all local producers, but Sandra says there is interest in several lower mainland markets.

For more information about McClintock’s Water Buffalo Yogurt see the McLintocks Farm website. Or visit the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market on Saturday’s!

Remembering that innovation happens where you are

Much of the talk about “Innovation” focuses on technology. But here in the Comox Valley, innovation is happening in many quarters that don’t see themselves in any way as “tech.” Sandra McLintock’s dairy is an example. But there are many more, and we’re featuring these stories here on our blog, and with the help of our media sponsors at Comox Valley Record, 98.9 The GOAT, and The Island Word – and wherever else we at LIFT Comox Valley can get a chance to tell the story of entrepreneurs making shift happen in our region.

The important thing to remember is that innovation happens – or can happen – where you are. One of our LIFT mentors, Jayesh Parmar, encourages Canadian entrepreneurs to “think BIGger!” Whatever you’re doing, how can you tweak it to have a bigger impact, reach a bigger market? Another mentor, Boris Mann, says that today, “every business is a tech business,” if only because we’re using marketing and sales technologies (from Facebook and Instagram to Square and Shopify and more) to make our businesses happen.

What can you do in 2017 to grow your business BIGger?

How can technology help make that happen?

If you’ve got a story, if you’ve got a business you want to grow – tell us about it. We can help make that happen. And we’re currently wanting to engage startups and entrepreneurs in the Qualicum – Comox Valley – Campbell River corridor to help grow our “startup region.” Be in touch! Check out our events (they’re fun, and they’re super useful).

hpm
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter and Instagram
December 29, 2016

Note: This post was originally produced in a different format for the Comox Valley Farmers’ Market. Please support local food entrepreneurs and food innovation in your community by supporting your local market.

 

 

From culinary tourism to comfort food: the new Toscano’s Mediterranean Grill

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It was so good, we went back for more…

Last winter the venerable Toscano’s Trattoria in Comox changed hands. When Chef Kevin Frisch (formerly of Atlas Cafe and Locals) took the helm in the kitchen he told me he was moving beyond “Italian-type” food. His vision: to create a warm, social culinary experienced rooted in the ethos of the slow food movement that animates the “Italian culinary approach.” That means: freshest, closest-to-home ingredients. It means honouring the locale, not a fixed idea of what an “Italian” menu should be.

Six months after our conversation, with lots of time to put his plan into play, Chef Kevin invited me to sample a tasting menu. I brought friends, and we spent the better part of four hours enjoying the 10 items he’d prepared for us.

Culinary tourism

Tasting dinners are special events, culinary tours. The kitchen pulls out the stops. Some highlights from our tour: Roasted local beets with Qualicum goat cheese. Chilean-inspired crudo featuring BC tuna. House made spaghetti with carbonara sauce featuring Tannadice bacon. More Tannadice pork. Then some Glen Alwin lamb. Lots of “local” cred. On the wine side, an Okanagan Gamay Noir.  

At the end, we faced – and finished – a platter of Island cheeses. Throughout our tour we were smacking our lips and telling each other how much we loved this, or that.

Comfort foods

The tasting menu was fun. But that’s not how I usually eat. I have my comfort foods. The spaghetti carbonara, for example, it touched all of our sweet spots. To the extent that after our Sunday afternoon walk Jenny I had only one thing on our mind: Toscano’s carbonara.

As luck would have it, it was Chef Kevin’s day off. If the kitchen could echo our earlier experience, I’d be impressed.

I was – but not just by the carbonara. All of our comfort food choices, including the roasted red pepper tapenade with house-made bread to start, through to the dessert, was impressive.  

Let’s start with the Caesar salad. Toscano’s set a new standard for me. Crisp, but dressed, with “edges” of the garlic, capers, anchovies, lemon all present and accounted for in a creamy base. It’s the Caesar salad I didn’t know I was missing.

Then – the carbonara! Yes, it’s a simple dish. I’ve made it many, many times. But never like this. We all raved about it during the tasting dinner. Jenny and I raved about it again. Rich, creamy. So bacon-y. “It’s the best carbonara that I’ve ever had – since three days ago!” Jenny said.

To finish, a compromise dessert. Because, Jenny told me, “You like chocolate more than than I do, and I like puddings more than I like chocolate.” So: chocolate mousse. And it was good. Dense. Rich. “Almost like pudding,” she said.

A new favourite

This meal was all about comfort food. It didn’t explore new culinary territory. It stayed closer to home. And, it confirmed what the tasting dinner suggested: that Toscano’s Mediterranean Grill is now on my short list of best places to eat good food, local food in our region. And that’s a lovely thing to discover.

hpm
@hanspetermeyer on Twitter

September 26, 2016

Disclaimer:
Toscano’s is a client of hanspetermeyer.ca. While our tasting dinner was paid for by the restaurant, the regular dinner was not.

Qualifier:
I only write publicly about food and venues I like. That’s been my policy since 2004 when I started writing for EAT Magazine, because that was the publisher’s policy: to elevate that which deserves attention. In my opinion, publishing critical reviews doesn’t help good restaurants get better, it often just flaunts the writer’s ability to complain and be witty.

When I have complaints about the food – or any other service or product – I like to speak directly to the server, the manager, or the owner. Every venue has bad days and moments. We can help build a better, more successful food sector (and local economy), by celebrating what’s working. That’s what the #WeAreYQQ brand is all about.