Eating Local: B.C. Coast

Going local is all the rage right now, from eating only locally grown food to supporting local businesses. When you travel, you might fear it's more difficult to live a locavore lifestyle. Perhaps you don't know the culture well enough, or don't have time to be diligent in knowing where your food comes from. For me, traveling is about discovering what is unique to an area and that includes food, so I'm always on the look out for what's local be it the current season's produce or a locally roasted coffee. However, a recent trip to the islands off the coast of Vancouver, BC proved to me that you can go locavore without even trying.

Local Businesses
You know, you never can go wrong with fresh, local bread, and the South Gulf Islands know how to do the art of the baked good. At Pender Island Bakery we had breakfast paninis with funny names like "egganini" or the "bacon butty." On Galiano Island at the Sturdies Bay Bakery & Cafe we snacked on freshly baked bread stuffed with pesto and feta and a chewy peanut butter cookie. And that's just barely scratching the surface on the baked goods we saw there. We're talking walls of baked breads, cases full of pastries, pies and cookies to choose from. All baked locally.

Even the local pubs offer fresh, handmade favorites. In the Pacific Northwest, it's not difficult to find fresh fish, so the standard fish and chips is likely to be a local treat. When we visited the Old City Station Pub in Nanaimo I sampled homemade, handcut kettle chips and washed them down with a Canadian brew.

Local Specialties

Seasonal specialities are some of the most exciting foods to try when you're traveling. Seafood is king in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia is no exception. One local delicacy, the BC spot prawn, is only available six to eight weeks out of the year, from May 1st to the end of June. If you're hoping to sample this local treat, you'll have to plan accordingly.

A year-round treat can be found with the Nanaimo bar. I hadn't heard of this sugary concotion before I visited the city of Nanaimo. It's reportedly the recipe of a local woman in one of those great local cookbooks that permeate small towns. You know the ones, sold as fundraisers by the local fireman's wives, churches or civic associations. This one is a local treasure and it's made it's way onto the menu of every coffee shop and grocery store bakery. It's made of a crumble base, layered on top with something yummy, usually buttercream (but the flavor combinations are endless) and topped off with chocolate. A teeny homemade candy bar that tastes better than any mass produced one, hands down.

Local Producers
The one regret I have from my recent trip is not being able to take advantage of the season and pick up some local produce for dinner every night. At every bend on the two islands I visited (Galiano and Pender) there seemed to be a handwritten sign for fresh tomatoes or corn or a farm stand. We even spotted a self-serve refrigerator on the side of the road, full of local goodies. If you're thinking about heading to the islands, be sure to do it during the summer months (or head out in September to avoid the crowds) to take advantage of the season's harvest. But, if you want to partake in the freshest local cuisine, you'll need a place to cook, so be sure to find a cabin or a campground so you can cook to your heart's content. Be sure you've got an island friendly vehicle or bring along a bicycle so that you can easily hop around. If it's off season, there's still lots of local treats to try. Local microbrews (I tried some from Granville Island Brewing in Vancouver) or baked goods are year round specialties.

While it may prove difficult to be a strict locavore in your travels, I challenge to seek out the local specialties on your next trip.

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  Sturdies Bay Bakery and Cafe. Don't skip dessert.
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  Pender Island Bakery and Cafe. Try the bacon buddy.
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  Pioneer House Restaurant. Go for breakfast, served until 4pm.
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  Old City Station Pub. Handcut chips and beer.

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  Hummingbird Pub. Offers bus service from the Marina and Montague Campground (where we stayed.) If we had only known....
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  La Berengerie Restaurant. Global inspired cuisine
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  Max & Moritz Street Car. German brats or Indonesian, you pick.
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  When they're in season, spot prawns can be found locally on the islands. A Spot Prawn Festival is held at the False Creek Fishermen's Wharf in Vancouver every year.