5 Ways to Find "Food Gems" When Traveling

There used to be a time in my life when I traveled. Of course this was all pre-marriage, pre-babies and pre-adult life. I relish the days when my trips around the globe consisted of me eating my way through an unknown land, drinking like it was 1999 and having no responsibilities. Well, that has all changed.

Fast forward a few years and now my only "big" trips are those yearly trips down South to visit my folks; in the land of white shoes, Bermuda shorts and early bird specials. Long gone are the trips to Italy, where the wine, cheese and meat consumption was almost pornographic.  Now, we are pretty pumped to even go out past 7pm to grab a beer on the beach.

I know you probably don't feel sorry for me, nor do I expect you to. And I know that you will definitely not feel sorry after I tell you about my latest trip.

Barbados; the land of rum, sun and Banks beer. Yes, I got to spend a leisurely week on this gorgeous island thanks to one great husband who let me tag along on one of his business trips, and to my loving parents who took both of our kids.

I will admit that right off the bat, I was a wee bit leery of the food as all we could find near our hotel was super touristy fare, but luckily with my nosy and feisty demeanor, I was able to wrangle my way into getting some hard core Bajan food. Fried chicken, plantain fritters, macaroni pie, flying fish and pickled hot peppers soon became my staples. Hitting up the local market in Bridgetown also proved to be fruitful as I returned to the hotel bearing custard apples, fresh turmeric root and some house-made pickled Habanero peppers.

Not only did the market have tons of local produce, meat and fish, but above the main hall you were able to find food stalls that served delicious food geared towards the locals, not the tourists. We opted to try the Rastafarian stall that served us some cheap, fast and delicious food and drink. I had the anise-infused tamarind juice; sour and thick with pulp, while Doug tried a local juice made of Golden Apples. Our vegan fare was pretty damn good too, considering I am a huge carnivore. We ate fried breadfruit, cou-cou, Bajan rice and beans, okra stew and much more.

Overall, this trip packed a much needed punch. I can now boast that I have had the "Worlds Best Rum Punch", ate barracuda, and got to meet some amazing chefs and farmers.

This trip was a success on the food front because I decided to follow a few simple rules. Here they are:

5 ways to find "food gems" when traveling:

1 - Get to know the local cuisine.

Do research ahead of time on the local food and what they produce. Knowing ahead of time what it is and what you're looking for makes it easier than guessing.

2 - Get off 'the strip'.

Stay away from all the tourist traps on the main drag. Mosey down a side street or hop in a cab or on a bus a find a place away from the crowds.

3 - Talk to the locals.

Ask them where they like to eat and what the best items on the menu are. Only the locals know where the best kept secrets are!

4 - Hit up a farmers' market.

Here you can purchase fruits and vegetables at a fraction of the price of the grocery store and you can mingle with the farmers and artisans who often run the stands themselves.

5 - Be adventurous!

Remember, you never know what gems are out there unless you get out and explore.

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Rice Noodle Salad

It seems that as my days get busier and the weather gets hotter, it is a huge challenge for me to whip up a meal. We all have things we have as "go-to's", and my go-to is always a simple cold noodle salad.

I know that many of us may not keep such ingredients in the pantry, but for me, rice noodles, fish sauce and sambal olek are always floating around. And in the fridge, you will always find cilantro, carrots, cucumbers and a piece of meat.

On this particular day, as the temperature rose and the humidity became almost unbearable, I made my go-to salad and enjoyed it immensely. The crunch of the carrots and cucumber with the salty peanuts, the spicy vinaigrette, and the tender slices of striploin, filled the void on this day.

I started by soaking the rice noodles in warm water while I julienned my vegetables and chopped my cilantro. A vinaigrette of lime juice, ginger, fish sauce, sambal olek and sesame oil awaited the noodles and vegetables. To finish the dish off, I topped the noodles with some thinly sliced striploin steak from the night before and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

In less than ten minutes I had a delicious and fresh dinner that would also be great as leftovers for lunch the next day. Quick, simple and fresh; it's that easy.

Chefs' Congress Dinner

It isn't very often that chefs can get together to enjoy an evening of fun and frolic, but on Monday, June 20th, at Chives Canadian Bistro, it happened.

What kind of event could bring together the well known Canadian chef from Toronto, Michael Stadtlander, Craig Flinn of Chives, Michael Howell of Tempest Restaurant, Ray Bear of Mix Fresh Kitchen and myself, the "Feisty Chef"? Well, it was non other than a fundraising dinner for the upcoming Canadian Chefs' Congress taking place in Nova Scotia in 2012.

Each chef had the chance to showcase their talents and personalities with the preparation of one course for the 85 excited diners. I was assigned the cold appetizer course, so I was extremely happy to be able to use gorgeous razor clams, courtesy of my friend Nick Budreski of CANSEP. Each clam had been hand harvested in Pictou County by his father, Paul, and brother, Matt.

In order to let the clams do the taking, I decided to keep this dish fresh and simple. I steamed the clams open, then placed them ever so gently on a bed of chervil from Riverview Herbs, shaved Jerusalem artichokes, Jona Gold apples, asparagus, lemon and a walnut and avocado oil vinaigrette. Nothing more, nothing less.

It was a great evening, a great event, and included some great company! A special thank you to all the staff of Chives, who helped us make the evening a success.

2012 Canadian Chefs' Congress Dinner Menu

Michael Stadtlander

Cookstown White Asparagus Soup With Atlantic Lobster​

Renee Lavallee

Chilled Nova Scotia Razor Clam Salad With Jerusalem Artichokes, Apple, Chervil And Walnut-Avocado Oil Vinaigrette 

Michael Howell

Nova Scotia Arctic Char, Spring Pea, Haraki Turnip & Eigensin Farm Bacon Fricassee, Chive Beurre Blanc, Roasted Beet And Dulse Coulis, Celeriac Hay

Ray Bear

Nova Scotia Prime Rib Stuffed With Salt Cured Egg Yolk Marrow Brioche Crust, Dark Bone Jus, Seared Rib Cap With Kohlrabi Puree, Red Wine Gastrique, Butter Poached Radish and Carrots

Craig Flinn

Rhubarb Toffee Sticky Pudding, Stewed Valley Cherries, Maple Creme Brulee, Lavender Honey Whole Milk Ice Cream, Berry Liqueur Whipped Cream

For the Love of Liverwurst

After a busy morning at the farmers' market today, I sat down and had a snack of Boulangerie la Vendéenne bread and some liverwurst from Roselane Farm. It was so damn good that I had to immediately write a post about it.

My love of liverwurst started many moons ago on a trip to London, England, where I sat down in a pub and had a pint of cider and a liverwurst and onion sandwich. Odd combination? Hardly!

These days, my love of the 'wurst comes in the form of the smooth and unctuous liverwurst from Roselane Farm (aka Bavarian Meat Shop). This is by no means mind blowing information, but the product itself certainly is.

Like clockwork, every Friday morning I pack the kids into the car for our weekly lunch trip to the Seaport Farmers' Market. First stop - Roselane Farm where Zoe, my ever knowing 2 year old, dictates to the vendor that she must have, without a doubt, some liverwurst. We then make a stop at Boulangerie la Vendéenne for a loaf of bread, and the kids and I snag a corner seat to start feasting on our meat products. Torn bread slathered with the liverwurst is the perfect way to start my weekend.

Praise be to the liverwurst.

Green Thumbs - Big & Small

[/caption] Every year I make the promise to start a garden, and every year I do, but by mid-August, there is usually nothing left but a few burnt looking bushes and some sad looking herbs. It seems that I often bite off more than I can chew. This year I decided to start off slowly and only plant a few choices items: tomatoes, ground cherries, and a few herbs. I also decided to involve both of my lil' monkeys.

It was the first sunny day of the summer season and both of my kids were as happy as pigs in (well, you know), playing in my planters, digging up the dirt and squishing the worms. A few ants were eaten by Zoe, and Philippe was in a zen-like state putting his pudgy little hands in the warm earth.

This year, despite Zoe and I planting some "special" seeds from Annapolis Seeds in the winter, I ended up buying a few tomato and ground cherry plants from the Dartmouth Farmers' Market. We planted yellow and red grape tomatoes and a whole bunch of ground cherry plants. As for herbs, a quick trip to the Halifax Seaport Market to ransack Riverview Herbs, and we planted a large pot with rosemary, thyme, basil and Italian parsley to start off the season.

To keep things interesting, I have decided that I will plant a second series of herbs in July. I am looking forward to some chervil, cilantro, savory and sage. Though our yard still needs a lot of work before I can have the dream garden that I want, a few pots of vegetables and herbs are a great start for kids and non-green thumbers.

Luckily enough, I am taking part in a school garden program at Shubenacadie Elementary School this year as part of a Slow Food Nova Scotia initiative, so all my dream vegetables will be planted there for me to help take care for during the summer and help harvest with the kids in the fall.

Slow Food Spring Supper

I was lucky enough to be one of the chefs included in the Slow Food Nova Scotia Spring Dinner which took place last Saturday night (May 7) at the Christ Church in Dartmouth. What made this evening so special? Perhaps it was the fact that I got to spend some time with an old sous chef whom I truly miss (Johnny!) or the fact that I got to hang out and gossip with some of my peers...Dennis of Fid Resto, Paolo of jane's on the common, Michael of Tempest Restaurant, Craig and Darren of Chives Canadian Bistro, Graeme of Brooklyn Warehouse and Chris of Ryan Duffy's.

With my mug full of red wine and a few slick jokes ready to be unleashed on the boys, the evening began with a bang! A full house of anxiously  awaiting guests kept us all on our toes, but what went on behind the scenes was the best part of the night. A little camaraderie and a lot of teasing went on upstairs where Michael, Paolo, Johnny and Betty Bartel (aka The Bartelatron 3000) plated over 300 plates, while we laughed and joked with one another. Our gorgeous plates all went out without any major glitches and at the end of the night, we found ourselves making promises to hang out more often and spend more time together.

I am thankful for my fellow chefs in this province. We are a motley crew, but we are always willing to help each other out and always ready share some real laughs together! My Slow Food Spring Supper report may not talk about the amazing food we all served and ate - but for me, good times, good drinks and good friends are what made the evening memorable. This for me is conviviality!

Ding-a-ling, I Think it's Spring!

[/caption] When I see the crocuses in my backyard starting to flower, I know that there is a light at the end of this very cold and miserable tunnel. What is the bright light I see? Why, it's spring!

This past Saturday, I had an early morning wake up call before a much needed trip to the Halifax Seaport Market to gather goods for my impending dinner at Sugar Moon Farm later that night. It was just what I needed to awaken my inner beast from hibernation. As I perused the "old" market (also known as the Historic Brewery Market)  I was over the moon to find four bunches of ruby red radishes grown by Ted Hutten of Hutten Family Farm. I quickly grabbed all four bunches (to the dismay of the woman behind me) and made the decision right there and then that those beauties, one of the first true sign of spring, would be turned into an amuse-bouche for my dinner at Sugar Moon Farm.

How could I do these radishes justice? Well, for those of you who know me know my motto: I like to keep it simple. Keeping it simple is exactly what I did.

The thinly sliced radishes were placed ever so gently on a crostini that had been slathered in salted butter and sprinkled with a smidge of maple sugar. Perhaps it was just psychological, but these lil' treasures tasted like spring (at least what I think spring is supposed to taste like)! They were pretty to look at and equally delicious to eat. It is no surprise that this amuse was a big hit with the guests on Saturday night.

My quest for more tastes of spring continues. What will it be next? Fiddleheads, rhubarb or maybe some ramps? I'm not entirely sure, but I'm anxiously waiting to find out on my next trip to the market! What are your favourite tastes of spring?