Since the first two installments of my Vancouver History: Before and After Photos have been a big hit (1, 2) it has become a weekly feature. This week is a bit of a hodge podge, featuring landmarks and views.
Carnegie Library, Main & Hastings
190?
2005
We pulled up to Venturi-Schulze Vineyards and were greeted by Marilyn Venturi who was about to introduce us to her family’s legacy. For 22 years she and her husband have run the winery at Venturi-Schulze, to which they have an undying commitment.
As we walked through her dozens of acres of vines, flanked by evergreen forests up on Cobble Hill, a member of our group asked Marilyn which grape would she grow if she could only do a single varietal. “That’s like asking which one of my children I’d like to keep,” she said with a chuckle.
At Venturi Schulze they have never irrigated, never used fertilizer, never sprayed with anything harsh (or that you couldn’t eat), and the run a fully sustainable operation. They encourage natural weed cover and use resources from the surrounding woods, such as nettles for the wines and making tea.
Standing between rows of pinot grapes, we had a discussion about Vancouver Island wines, and cooking as of late. “Chefs here don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk,” said Marilyn with regards to eating and preparing food with local ingredients. With Vancouver Island being under 50km away from Vancouver, it’s a great resource for cooks and foodies.
Being so used to taking wine tours operated by guides in enormous architectural facilities, it was refreshing to walk in the dirt alongside Marilyn and get a true sense of her work, dedication, and creations. “This isn’t a business, this is our life,” she told us. “This is just what we want to do.” She told us some great stories about her children growing up with the vineyard, problems with pesky rabbits, and how she’d go as far as camping out overnight among the vines to catch grape robberies in progress. Most of the time the culprits were raccoons although she said she’s always know the best grapes of the bunch because the animals would go straight for them.
We walked back towards the house and stopped in at the vinegary where they produce four varieties of traditional balsamic vinegar, of Modena style. We learned about the different types of barrels used, the five types of wood, the process of simmering over an open flame, and the 7-20 years it takes to age.
The room was crisp and the air was sweet with the smell of aging balsamic. There were separate barrels for each one of her children, containing their own special vinegar that has been aging their entire lives. Marilyn’s husband Giordano was born in Italy and she noted, “for him, it’s a legacy.” All of it — the vineyard, the wine making, the balsamic, and passing this on to his children and one day grandchildren. The family has invested so much into the operation that you can truly see it is a labour of love.
Heading into the house for some tastings Marilyn said for her it’s also about making things happen in an organic, environmentally-friendly, and sustainable manner. “I just want to prove it can be done, especially on Vancouver Island.” We sampled their Brut Naturel, their Pinot Noir, and the Brandenburg No.3. We also had some amazing sorbet made from Ver Jus (from unripened grapes) a little corn syrup, grapefruit peel and lemon peel (see all recipes here). The Ver Jus has a strong citrus taste and it would make the perfect lemon substitute for cooking with local ingredients. “When you taste this, it’s pure here,” noted Marilyn motioning to the land and region that surrounds the vineyard.
You can stop by Venturi-Schulze for tastings which are $5 but fully refunded should you make a purchase in the shop. Calling ahead to inquire about a tour is recommended as the family is out in the vineyard most days. They would like the heads up so they can come down and greet you. All of their contact information, including a map, is available online.
If you can’t make it over to Cobble Hill, Venturi-Schulze wines are served at Spinnakers in Victoria, online, and some are available (along with the balsamic vinegar) in specialty shops around Vancouver Island and around the Lower Mainland. You can also catch them at various events, including the annual EAT! Vancouver festival.
I recently toured the South East portion of Vancouver Island with Tourism BC. You can read all of my posts from the trip under the tag: ‘Cowichan‘.
Workspace, shared work environment in Gastown, has officially closed its doors for good. The sudden move has left many flabbergasted as Workspace had become an institution of sharing, learning, networking, and to-die-for coffee over the years.
The concept was simple, create a big open membership-based space with optional offices where those without actual office space could conduct meetings or do work in a professional setting. It was the brainchild of Bill McEwen who has since moved on, leaving the reigns in Dane Brown‘s hands. “It definitely hurts to have to close the doors,” he told me. “We had an amazing 3 year run. It doesn’t seem that long ago that Bill MacEwen and I were pulling all-nighters, trying to make sure everything was ready for the opening party.”
My first social media event was BarCamp at Workspace in 2006 and since that time I’ve had the pleasure of participating in and hosting events in this unique atmosphere. Dane’s sentiments regarding the connections and relationships formed at Workspace probably hit close to home for many. “I can’t count the number of true friends I’ve made working here or the number of friendships between others I’ve seen form over coffee or good-hearted debate. My favourite part of all this has always been the people and how they connect with one another.”
Greg Andrews, one of Workspace’s recent acquisitions, first learned of Workspace while living in Alberta. “I likely read [about] it on a chunky CRT in a windowless office deep inside an Edmonton office park that wasn’t within walking distance of anything meaningful except a smelly meat processing plant.” He moved to Vancouver and became of a part of the community almost instantly, thanks to DemoCamp which was being held at Workspace. “Not only [was I] amazed by the environment of an open concept minimalist loft, I was also amazed by the community and the event, that they would really just let some nobody kid who just moved here stand up and speak in front of the room. Met a handful of people that night and at following WorkSpace events that I’m pleased to still be acquainted with to this day.”
To many, Workspace has always stood out. If not due to its amazing office space, artwork, and panoramic views, but for the people. “There are many options for shared offices in the city, but the key feature they successfully cultivated (and even advertised on our cards) was community,” said Greg. “That was a bigger perk than the coffee.”
Who knows what the future will hold, as many businesses and individuals take on “virtual” office spaces but this is truly the end of an era in Vancouver.
“While the physical space will cease to exist, the community that made WorkSpace great is going stronger than ever,” said Dane. “I look forward to seeing members, friends, family, and anyone else who cares to celebrate at the party we’re planning next month. Details will be released in the coming weeks. It was an absolute pleasure to be of service.”
Update December 11, 2009: In a tweet from Greg Andrews: “In case you missed the subtle mention yesterday, the space formerly known as Workspace has a worthy new tenant: Pixar.”
My only up close and personal experience with a Vancouver Island marmot is toying with a stuffed plush MukMuk at the Olympic store. The endangered species, which is a recently upgraded Olympic mascot for 2010, is now facing another challenge; the Vancouver Island Marmot Foundation‘s funding has been cut by the BC government.
According to the Globe and Mail, “Viki Jackson, executive director of the Nanaimo-based Marmot Recovery Foundation, said last week that her organization is battling a $133,000 shortfall after a Ministry of Environment decision to chop its annual funding from the 2009-10 budget.”
The Foundation operates a Marmot Recovery Centre, manages the captive breeding program, assists the wild population and conducts research. The marmot, known as the “most endangered species in Canada” is down to a population of 200, which is up from 30 just a few years ago.
Without sufficient funding, the Foundation would be left high and dry by next year, right when we are welcoming the world and showcasing the species-inspired MukMuk.
You can educate yourself by reading up on the Foundation or by checking out this post by Vancouver Island blogger (and my good friend) Keira-Anne, which is a part of her Island Profile series.
You can also donate to the Foundation online, purchase a plush toy or sign up for the Adopt-a-Marmot program.
As our little tour van rolled up the dusty gravel road toward Fairburn Farm, I knew we would be in for a treat. I hopped out and had to let the scenery soak in a bit. We stood in front of a lovely farm house surrounded by pastures, mountains, and lush green hues that sprouted up from the ground and hung over our heads under a canopy of fruit-bearing trees.
Mara Jernigan met us just off the porch and picked some white alpine strawberries for us to taste before we even finished making our introductions. Growing right along the house these sweet, melt-in-your-mouth berries (that resembled little bright white LED Christmas lights) were the first of many treats in store for us that day.
Since it was established 115 years ago, Fairburn Farm has only had two separate owners. Although the products, business, and land have evolved, the same down to earth goodness and values still exist today. The 130 acres are maintained by the Archer family who run the Cowichan Water Buffalo Dairy, while the Culinary Retreat and Guest house are under the direction of Mara Jernigan.
Mara offers culinary getaways, cooking classes, education in eating local, and was a driving force behind the slow food movement in the Cowichan region. She founded the Vancouver Island Feast of Fields, which is an annual fundraising event that connects farmers and chefs as well as farm folks and city folks — all through food.
We were treated to breakfast on the porch, which consisted of a free range egg frittata, a chicken sausage (pasture-raised chicken from Cowichan Bay Farm), chicken of the woods mushrooms, fresh greens, and coffee. Mara pulls in everything from corn and mushrooms, to garlic, lavender, and kohlrabi into her cooking. “When the vegetables are fresh, you don’t have to do a lot to them,” she noted adding that ideas for delicious meals just come that much easier when you have resources like these.
Throughout our Vancouver Island tour, at each farm house, vineyard or artisan shop, everyone spoke so highly of everyone else in the community. Hilary’s Cheese served bread from True Grain, and the milk from the Water Buffalo at Fairburn Farm goes into Natural Pastures Buffalo Mozzarella (which we had on the frittata). Mara is a proud member of this community who joked, “if you marked the dollar bills [around here] you’d just see them going around and around.”
She also orchestrated the Slow Food movement in Cowichan, helping it gain status as the first-ever North American city to be designated Cittaslow. To become a Cittaslow city you need to be approved on many levels, from sustainability and environmental impact, to signage on the roads. With an influx of big box stores in the region, Mara thought it was vital to showcase local businesses in a positive light, instead of being negative about the economic and industrial changes in the Cowichan Valley.
Fairburn Farm is a guest house with several rooms and Mara offers cooking classes such as Field to Table, and Culinary Boot Camp. At the Boot Camp participants will learn skills such as harvesting from the garden and making home made pasta. She teaches classic French and Italian techniques but with local ingredients. Mara also runs culinary tours to Italy several times a year.
Out on the farm, Darrel Archer tended to Water Buffalo who during our visit, who were out in the oat field. He’s got such a great relationship with the animals whom he refers to adoringly like children, joking about their characteristics and quirky traits. We walked around back to visit with some of the baby water buffalo, who came bounding out of their barn like school children when we approached.
We met a few more water buffalo and also got a tour of the milking operation for the production of the mozzarella cheese.
We washed our hands after petting all the baby water buffalo and piled back into the van to head to the next stop on the tour. Rolling down the winding gravel passage that took us away from the farm a member of Tourism BC that was on the trip said it best, “at the end of every dirt road in BC there is a fantastic story.” I must agree, and the story of Fairburn Farm is definitely one I’ll continue to share.
I recently toured the South East portion of Vancouver Island with Tourism BC. You can read all of my posts from the trip under the tag: ‘Cowichan‘.
