Follow the ongoing adventures of food and travel writer Cinda Chavich as she savours the world. Find her published food, drink and travel stories, and regular blog here at TasteReport.com.

seen

It was almost a decade ago that I joined Canadian chef David Wong and his apprentice Grace Pineda, with their team of supporters, in Lyon, France for the 2009 Bocuse D’Or. It was an amazing story to cover then for the Globe and Mail, and this month, I wrote another story for EAT magazine, recalling all of the excitement of that iconic competition and its namesake, Paul Bocuse, the Lion of Lyon. I asked other Canadian chefs who competed at Bocuse for their memories, too, all in anticipation of the next competition in January 2019. Read it here.

tasted

The latest trend in the locovore movement is organic, heirloom and heritage grain - locally grown and freshly ground into natural, whole meal flour. It started with young bakers who wanted to create the best bread with the simplest ingredients, completely from scratch. Learning old skills — from milling grain to building traditional wood-fired ovens and slowly fermenting breads with wild yeasts — became the benchmark for this new breed of craft-driven bakers. They understand what’s removed from flour in industrial milling and how that affects the nutritional value and flavour of our daily bread.

Now Victoria is ground zero for artisan bakeries where local and organic grains are milled daily to create hearty, rustic loaves by innovative bakers like Erika Heyrman of Wild Fire Bakery, Cliff Leir of Fol Epi, and Byron Fry of Fry’s Bakery.

I take a look at the trend and the people behind some of the best bread in the city in this story for EAT Magazine. Read it here.

TASTE, n. & v. : flavor, morsel, relish, sip, savor, enjoy, learn, experience -  the ability to discern the best quality.

slept

Have you ever dreamed of owning a sexy, vintage #Airstream trailer? We had a chance to live the dream with a weekend at WOODS on Pender Island. It’s a curated camping experience for that gets you into the great outdoors, with all of your creature comforts intact. This boutique hotel-style camp offers high thread count linens, French press coffee, Apple TV and wifi, along with your own private deck, gas firepit and barbecue, a hammock for relaxing in the sunshine, and even a glamping tent alongside The repurposed resort has several vintage Airstreams and other retro-style trailers, comfortable cabins and a funky minimalist motel. There’s even a cafe serving wood-fired pizzas and morning lattes. It’s definitely one of my favourite spots to stay in the Gulf Islands!

Cinda’s new book

IACP Finalist!

Food waste is a major, global environmental problem. We waste 40% of the food we produce,1.3 billon tonnes globally. It’s the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, after China and the US, a huge contributor to global warming. Half of the wasted food is discarded from our own kitchens and this new book is designed to help you stop wasting food. Learn how to use up your fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy and meats before they go into the compost bin. Hundreds of recipes and practical tips.

Learn more......and follow me on Facebook

Check out this list of 2016 IACP nominees

fighting food waste

I’ve been working hard to tell you more about the global issue of food waste, and its impact on the environment. It’s the topic of my new book, The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook (TouchWood Editions) and what I’ve been talking about a lot since it was published this spring.

I spoke on a food waste panel at the national Zero Waste Conference in Vancouver, I did several sessions with authors at LitFest, the annual non-fiction literature festival in Edmonton, offered ideas about how to reduce food waste at home on several CBC radio programs (including the new CBC radio food show The Fork), and was interviewed by other journalists writing about food waste in Canada and the U.S. 

I’ve been writing about the topic for magazines and newspapers myself, too. So I’m happy to revisit this story for any publications, or speak on the topic of food waste, reducing waste at home, up-cycling leftovers into delicious dinners, and how it can all help stop global warming, at cooking schools, markets and other events.

Read about the latest food waste and sustainable eating news, recipes and inspiration on my Facebook page, The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook by Cinda Chavich.

Here’s a link to my feature story in Maclean’s magazine and some of the many other stories and reviews featuring my book:

Treehugger.com

The Vancouver Province

Western Living Magazine

canada.com

San Francisco Book Review

The Albany Times Union

BC Farms & Food

takepart.com

Foreword Reviews

View the Vibe magazine

The Vancouver Sun

sweetsugarbean.com

sipped

If the Okanagan Valley is Canada’s Napa North, Vancouver Island’s wine region is our little slice of Sonoma, a bucolic area that invites exploration, weekend drives down pretty back roads to small, family wineries, carved into forested slopes with ocean views. Summers are short and dry, with hot days tempered by cooling breezes off the surrounding sea. Read my story about touring island wineries here - in the fall/winter edition of Vitis Magazine