Local Eats – The 100-Mile Menu
Eating seasonal and regional food has long been a priority of many British Columbians. With our temperate climate, our local farms are a cornucopia of sun (and rain)-kissed fresh produce during the summer and autumn seasons, our waters overflow with an abundance of seafood and our winery cellar barrels brim with aging nectar from local vineyards.
Eating local, and even more precisely, eating food grown and produced within a close regional boundary, 
C's exquisite salmon comes from Vancouver Island (Photo by Hamid Attie Photography)was documented last year in the award-winning book The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating (Canadian Edition: Random House, 2007) by Vancouver authors J. B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith. Stranded in their secluded summer cottage in the Canadian wilderness, the couple turned to the land around them for sustenance. Upon their return to urban life, they began researching the origins of the items available in their local supermarket. They were shocked to discover that a typical ingredient in a North American meal travels roughly the distance between Toronto and the Yukon before it reaches the plate, not to mention the carbon footprint created by so many “food miles”.
Vancouver is fortunate to have a majority of restaurants that feature seasonal and regional ingredients on their menus, but a few restaurants have really stepped up to the plate in adhering to the MacKinnon-Smith 100-Mile-Diet philosophy. Harry Kambolis’ celebrated trio of urban restaurants are well-known for their close-to-home menu options.
Raincity Grill (Photo by Hamid Attie Photography)
Raincity Grill’s chef, Peter Robertson, knows about seasonal and local cooking, considering he is Australian born and bred, and the restaurants Down Under are famed for their refinement of local dishes. Raincity’s intense heirloom tomato tea is sublime sitting amongst delicate summer vegetables, baby basil leaves and Agassiz hazelnuts. An interesting new breed of guinea fowl called a Tinamou is simply roasted and set upon sinfully rich whipped potatoes from Helmers Organics in Pemberton. An ending of fresh local blackberries, bursting to their prime with juice and flavour are garnished with a local blueberry sorbet and a heavenly light sabayon made with Merridale Cider from Vancouver Island. Besides the kitchen, one of the strongest elements of this outstanding restaurant is their extensive wine list, established by their award-winning sommelier and General Manager, Brent Hayman. His knowledge and dedication in serving local wines places Raincity Grill at the forefront of BC wine culture.
The 28-years-young über chef de cuisine Quang (Wang) Dang, controls the helm at C restaurant, and along with executive chef Robert Clark, has made this stylish eatery a North American leader in not only serving local ingredients, but more importantly, showcasing sustainable seafood. “Serving produce within the one hundred-mile limit can be a challenge especially in the colder months, but we aim for one hundred percent of our meats and seafood to live within these confines.”
C’s Alberni Inlet Spring Salmon from Vancouver Island has just a hint of delicate infused hot smoke and is accented with a mild fresh basil and house-cured salmon roe vinaigrette. Chef Quang accents the delicate flavour of the Qualicum Beach Scallops with artichokes (Glen Valley Farms, Langley), heirloom tomatoes (Sapo Bravo—okay a bit out of the 100-mile radius but Lytton is still regional), and Venturi-Schulze Balsamic (Vancouver Island) with subtle spiced chorizo sausage from the artisan Oyama on Granville Island. Crisp seared pork belly (Sloping Hill, Cowichan) is garnished with honey-roasted potatoes (Helmer Farms, Pemberton) and adorned with house-made fruit preserves. And yes, all the paired wines come from within the 100-mile confines.
Nu's heirloom beetroot salad
(Photo by Hamid Attie Photography)
The youngest of owner Kambolis’ triplets is Nu, which rests some 15 metres away from C, overlooking False Creek and Granville Island Market. Chef de Cuisine Joseph Sartor also works with local products, creating dishes that reflect the relaxed restaurant approach with farm to table cuisine. This autumn Nu’s 100-Mile Menu includes a Chanterelle Fricassee, Yarrow Meadows Duck Confit, Saltspring Island Mussels and Crisp slow-braised Fraser Valley Pork Belly.
In Vancouver, ethical eating just got easier.
