B.C. farmers and chefs gather in Vancouver to grow local food networks
Think speed dating, but with seaweed farmers and sous chefs.
More than 300 people working in the food industry are meeting Nov. 12 at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver to build relationships in order to bring more B.C. food to plates around the province.
The event — called Every Chef Needs A Farmer, Every Farmer Needs A Chef — is part of the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture's Buy B.C. program and features more than 40 displays from producers and organizations for chefs and restaurateurs to visit.
Attendees say the matchmaking event, which also features panel sessions from leaders in B.C.'s farm-to-table movement, is a fruitful opportunity.
"It's a beautiful event and it couldn't come at a better time,' said Abdul Majid, owner of B.C. Garlic, on CBC's The Early Edition.
Majid, who grows more than 45 varieties of garlic in the Fraser Valley, said he just finished planting next year's crop Monday, so now is the perfect time to find some buyers interested in the "superior flavours and health benefits" of his products.
The garlic he grows is both hand-planted and hand-harvested, which he says makes for a better-tasting product than cheaper, imported garlic that he says are machine-planted and picked.
Majid said he started by selling his garlic direct to consumers at farmer's markets, where some chefs also discovered what he offers, and the ministry's event is a chance to continue expanding his restaurant clientele.
She sells seaweed from the seashore
Amanda Swinimer, owner of Dakini Tidal Wilds, is looking forward to expanding her seaweed business at the event.
She currently sells four species of wild seaweed that she harvests off the coast of Vancouver Island and said demand has grown in about the last five years.
At first, "there wasn't much demand outside of health food stores," said Swinimer on The Early Edition.
But she said a "new wave" of chefs have started to seek her out — ones that are "not at all afraid of using a food that has a really unique flavour."
Swinimer, who spends five months of the year harvesting so she can commit to a year-round supply for her buyers, participated in the event last year and said she made some great connections last time.
"It's very rare to be able to get together," said Swinimer, who harvests some of her product by actually snorkeling out to gather it.
"It's a delicate balance of selling out and getting back into the harvest season in the nick of time."
Majid also participated at last year's inaugural event and both he and Swinimer will be at Tuesday's event, which runs until 3 p.m. PT at the Pacific National Exhibition.
To hear the complete interview with Abdul Majid and Amanda Swinimer on The Early Edition tap the audio link below:
