British Columbia Magazine

To say that Whistler is a place that knows how to have fun is an understatement. It could grant PhDs in it. And there’s no better time to take a few lessons than during their annual Cornucopia. 

This is the 14th year of the food and wine celebration, which takes place November 11 to 14. Highlights include “wine flights,” which are intended as affordable introductions to wine tasting, or for those who want to sample offerings from different regions. For example, a Regional Walkabout, at $35 per person, allows tasters to meet vintners and to try wines and appetizers from South Africa, Australia, and the Okanagan’s own Golden Mile. Sommelier Kurtis Kolt returns this year to host a Mini Tasting Series featuring B.C. wines from the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys ($30 per person).

And if you like a good food fight, check out the Whistler Chef’s Challenge. The free event will see the area’s culinary magicians vie  for the King of Cooks title. See the Whistler Cornucopia website for full details on all the events.

Be still, my beating heart. Seriously. After all the sugar I consumed last night at Rogers’ Chocolates 125th anniversary celebration, my heart is happily skipping a beat or two today!

The Vancouver-Island based company celebrated their big day in style at Victoria’s Fairmont Empress Hotel, where they offered guests delicious treats like gooey sea salt caramels, light-as-air Victoria creams, chocolate-covered strawberries, and chocolate-inspired libations. Heaven!

The City of Victoria paid tribute at the event to the founder of Rogers’ Chocolates, declaring October 25 Charles “Candy” Rogers Day.  (Here’s hoping they’ll have a party next year, too!)

Rogers made his first chocolates in the back of his grocery store in Victoria in 1885, and many of the goodies we tasted last night still use his original recipes. The company also introduced a delightfully rich ice wine truffle and a new line of organic chocolates last night.

Congratulations, Rogers’ Chocolates!

It was a declaration typical of two-year-olds: “I not going to daycare anymore, I only going trick or treating.”

“Really?” I asked my daughter. “Every day?”

Saying my two preschoolers are keen on Halloween is like saying Steve Nash can kinda handle the ball. My son (above) and daughter looove the holiday. We’ve been debating costume choices for weeks (a princess and a macaw parrot, as of the moment). So, I am definitely planning to herd them to the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan for the special Halloween Train, which runs October 29, 30 and 31. Spooky+train ride. What could be better?

The train, Samson, is a 1910 steam locomotive, and will leave the station every 30 minutes from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (although there is no 4:30 p.m. train).  Samson will chug past ghostly scenes and scary characters at the museum. Trick or treating, festive crafts, a torture chamber, and a haunted house will round out the fun. Adult admission is $11; children aged five to 12 are $7; seniors/students are $9. Children under five are free.

The BC Forest Discovery Centre is a 40-hectare open-air museum off the #1 Highway in Duncan. Displays at the museum tell the story of province’s forestry industry through exhibits, artifacts, and heritage buildings.

See you there!

I admit it.  I’m a foodie.  So when I received an invitation to attend the live, red carpet premiere of a new culinary travel television show last Sunday night, it didn’t take me long to RSVP.

I actually met the producers of Flavours of the West Coast, Karen and Dai Davies of Cedarwood Productions, last year, when they won our Meet Nick Bantock contest.  (Small world, this province of ours!) In their new 13-part series, which airs Sunday nights at 6.30 p.m. on CHEK-TV, host Steve Walker-Duncan, executive chef and owner of Victoria’s Ambrosia Conference and Event Centre, travels across the province to profile local food and wine producers.

After enjoying a tasty selection of hot and cold hors d’ouevres, B.C. wines, and ciders from Saanichton’s Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse, guests settled in to watch the live airing of the first episode, which focussed on Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley area.  We travelled with Steve, who is also a chef-instructor at Camosun College, to Cobble Hill to learn about Venture Schulze Vineyards and their fine, aged balsamic vinegars from owner Marilyn Venturi.  Then we tromped through a meadow near the Cowichan River with First Nations chef Jared Williams to pick stinging nettle, of all things. Williams prepared a mouth-watering meal of stuffed local pork chop, served over mashed potatoes, with the cooked and pureed nettle.  The audience sighed when the meal was plated. (Many of us, in fact, couldn’t help but murmur, “YUM!”)

The episode wrapped with Steve showing “Rookie Chef” CBC/CHEK news anchor Tony Parsons how to prepare one of the simplest, tastiest, late summer dishes of all time — bruschetta — using fresh local ingredients.  Finally, the show’s wine expert, Tony Phillips, stepped in and offered suggested pairings with B.C. wines. Then the credits rolled, and the live audience erupted in applause.

Food has a way of building community, whether it’s around a kitchen table, or at a gathering like this one in a conference centre.  Last Sunday in Victoria, media, program sponsors, guests from the first episode, chefs, and the folks who created Flavours of the West Coast all came together in the name of great B.C. food.  Just thinking about it is making me hungry all over again!

Watch excerpts from the first episode here.  Tune into episode two this Sunday at 6.30 p.m. PST on CHEK-TV.

Bibliophiles and magazine junkies will descend on downtown Vancouver this Sunday, September 26, for The Word on the Street, a nation-wide celebration of the written word–and British Columbia Magazine will be there to join in the fun! Will you?

Look for our booth in the “Mags BC Tent” at the Homer Street side of the Vancouver Library for a special subscription offer. Then, step up to our prize wheel for the chance to win great British Columbia Magazine swag. All proceeds go to Raise-a-Reader, and every spin wins.

And don’t miss contributing photographer Gary Fiegehen’s presentation “The Power of a Picture: My Work with the Lil’wat Nation” in the Magazine Life Tent at 1 p.m. Fiegehen recently received special permission to attend a traditional Lil’wat naming ceremony for the feature story “A little girl gets her name,” appearing in our Fall 2010 issue. You can get a sneak peek at some of his images here. Everyone who attends the presentation will receive a free copy of the Fall 2010 issue, while supplies last!

The Word on the Street, taking place at Library Square and CBC Plaza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., also offers more than 100 author events, exhibits, and performances, and a marketplace. Admission is free. For more information visit www.thewordonthestreet.ca/vancouver.

History and art will mingle this weekend in the historic Cariboo gold-rush town of Barkerville and neighbouring community of Wells (featured in our Fall 2007 issue). The ArtsWells Festival, dubbed the “festival of all things art,” features everything from music, to film and ballet, to drumming, puppetry, stilt walking, and a whole slew of varied artistic disciplines in between. Take in concerts and performances, participate in workshops, peruse artisans’ wares, poke around Barkerville’s mining-era buildings — there are plenty of interesting options to occupy your August long weekend.

ArtsWells — which was recently named one of Canada’s top ten music festivals by CBC Radio 3 — runs July 30 to August 2nd, 2010. See www.artswells.com for more information.

The British Columbia Magazine team will be appearing at some exciting events in Vancouver and Victoria this weekend. Stop by and see us for valuable tips, travel ideas . . . and FREEBIES!

Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show
Saturday April 24 and Sunday April 25, VANCOUVER
Convention Centre, 1055 Canada Place, West Building

British Columbia Magazine will join 300 other exhibitors promoting outdoor adventure and recreational pursuits at the very popular annual Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show. Visit our booth (#209) and be the first to check out our new Survivor Bonus Offer. For only $20.00 you’ll receive a one-year subscription and your pick between a coveted, flashy red, limited-edition, British Columbia Magazine multi-tool and our stylish new sling bag. Plus we’ll throw in a checklist on how to correctly pack a backpack for all of your springtime adventures!

And for inspiration on where to venture in the province, pick up a complimentary copy of British Columbia Magazine.

Click on the image below and print your complimentary 2-for-1 admission coupon. Regular ticket price is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and youth 12-17, free for children under 11.

Chapters bookstores Read Local, Buy Local Earth Day events
Sunday April 25, 12:00 p.m., Chapters at 1212 Douglas Street, VICTORIA
Sunday April 25, 12:00 p.m., Chapters at 788 Robson Street, VANCOUVER
Sunday April 25, 3:00 p.m., Chapters at 2505 Granville Street, VANCOUVER

Get your family ready for their hiking adventures! British Columbia Magazine teams up with ActNow, The North Face (Vancouver), and Robinson’s Outdoor Store (Victoria) to teach children what they need to know about the sport. Topics covered during this free event will include how to stretch properly, how to prepare a healthy lunch, and how to pack a backpack. Audience members will receive a bonus surprise giveaway.

The Spring 2010 issue will be available for sale at the event. See our feature article on “Kootenays: 4 treks, 4 seasons” for great ideas on where to go for your next hiking adventure!

–Katie Knox

Wondering what to give this year to the person who has everything? How about the entire province of British Columbia—neatly wrapped inside the covers of British Columbia Magazine.

Order online (www.bcmag.ca) or by phone (1-800-663-7611) for stress-free holiday shopping. Let our customer representatives  set up gift subscriptions for your friends and relatives, with your personalized message going out on every copy.

We also have a Holiday Gift Pack, for those who like to put a gift under the tree. The Holiday Gift Pack includes one copy of British Columbia Magazine and our 13-month scenic 2010 Wall Calendar for you to give NOW, and a certificate entitling your recipient to a full year of British Columbia Magazine—including a second scenic Wall Calendar for 2011!

You can purchase our Holiday Gift Packs in person this weekend at the West Coast Christmas Marketplace, at the Fraser Valley Trade & Exhibition Centre on 1190 Cornell Street in Abbotsford.  Tel: 604-850-1533 or 1-866-853-1533.

Hours are:

Friday, Nov. 27, 12 noon to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Save $2 on adult admission prices for the West Coast Christmas Marketplace by ordering advance tickets online: www.christmasshow.eat-vancouver.com/info_ticket.html

British Columbia Magazine will be just one of dozens of exhibitors at the marketplace, which features holiday decor, gifts, food, celebrity stage presentations, live music, and a maze of decorated Christmas trees.

The zany artist behind this vegetable creation—which debuted in the Zucchini 500 at Saltspring Island’s fall fair last weekend—is none other than Susan Rybar, former director of publication at British Columbia Magazine. She and her son Kje fashioned their pirate ship to race in the fun annual event, profiled in “Zucchinis on wheels” in our Fall 2008 issue.

“The design started simply with what we could scavenge from around the house. The wheels were the only ones we had,” says Rybar. “I thought it would be good to put something on the front and found the ‘aerodynamic’ corn-cob holders, which reminded me of the mermaids at the front of pirate ships (a bit of a stretch, I know), which led me into our Lego collection where I found the crow’s nest and skeleton crew.”

Stylish looks may not equal great performance, as it turns out. In the practice run on the steeply inclined racetrack, the pirate ship blew a wheel at the halfway mark, finishing last.

Here are just a few reasons why you shouldn’t miss The Word on the Street book and magazine festival this Sunday, September 27, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Vancouver’s Library Square.

GET GREAT STUFF.

MEET COOL MAGAZINE PEOPLE.

LAUGH AT COMEDIANS.

SUPPORT LITERACY.

ATTEND AUTHOR READINGS.

What’s more . . .  British Columbia Magazine staff will be on site with loads of goodies and our giant Magazine Prize Wheel. We attract crowds every year with our $1 spin-to-win offer, and all proceeds go to the Raise-a-Reader program. We’ll have collector’s issues, magnets, posters, tote bags, T-shirts, and more to give away!

Other special deals of the day:

* 2 YEARS FOR THE PRICE OF 1. Purchase a one-year subscription to British Columbia Magazine, and we’ll give you the second year for FREE! Two years for just $20—and you’ll also get a FREE copy of our Summer 2009 50th-anniversary collector’s issue.

* 5 FOR $5 GRAB BAGS: Snap up one of our British Columbia Magazine tote bags filled with five assorted collector’s issues for just $5.

Don’t miss this fun, annual celebration of the written word. Look for the tents along Hamilton and Homer streets and around the library building.