The series La Vida Local is aimed at connecting you with some of the best foods and goods within Vancouver while raising awareness of how buying local benefits everyone. I'm very excited to be able to introduce you some of my favourites around the city that I may or may not even know about yet!
My next La Vida Local experience took me on an adventure with Bonnie of Off The Eaten Track Culinary Tours around Hastings Sunrise, also known as it's newly rebranded name of East Village. Bonnie and her partner, Alexis offer culinary tours in different areas of Vancouver and Victoria emphasizing various spots you may otherwise have missed. I don't find myself too often in the Hastings-Sunrise area but my curiousity has piqued in the last year with new spots such as Tacofino Commissary, East Cafe, and most recently Platform 7 Coffee Brew Bar. What I really appreciated about the tour was Bonnie's complimentary balance of community and culinary history as we visited each spot. The tours are a great way for tourists to experience more hole in the wall culinary delights - which based on my travels are always the ones you rave about - and for locals to venture into places they otherwise may miss if it's not within walking vicinity from them. Based on what I tasted on this tour I'll be back for more.
Here's a recap of the places we saw and tasted along with quick descriptions by Bonnie, as well as a Q&A with her:
"This amazing bakery is owned and run by two fantastic ladies who make everything from scratch. Housed in a former spelt factory, this bakery makes delicious sweet and savoury treats. We love the open, airy, and casual feel of this bakery. Plus their coconut cream pie is pretty much to die for."
Hi Bonnie! Please tell us about yourself and your partner, Alexis and how Off the Eaten Track tours started?
Alexis and I started the company in 2012 because of a love of food and travel. I have a background in tourism (I worked as a tour guide for Rocky Mountaineer for 6 years) and Alexis worked in the food and beverage industry for over 10 years. So truly we combined both our backgrounds to start a culinary tourism company. Our aim was to create a culinary tour company that brought people to unique local neighbourhoods that no other tour companies were visiting. We lease a 12 person vehicle so we also have the added bonus of private transportation to some of our tour sites such as the Main Street tour and the East Village tour. We were both avid travelers (before we started a business!) and what we both had in common was a passion for the local food scene in whatever country we were in. We both found ourselves asking the locals “yes, but where do you go to eat?”
What is it about the Hastings-Sunrise/East Village area that you were drawn to feature in one of your tours?
When Alexis first moved to Vancouver she lived in this neighbourhood so she was very familiar with all the amazing culinary options that were available. We knew we wanted to explore the east side of Vancouver and originally thought we would focus on Commercial Drive. But we just fell in love with all the unique businesses that are in the East Village and so we decided to open the tour here. This area is a great multicultural mix so the diversity of the food is amazing. Italian, Polish, Korean, Bolivian, Thai, Japanese, and even Palestinian food culture is all represented in just a few blocks.
"We love this butcher shop because they locally source a lot of their products and they make a lot of their own marinades and sauces. They have a great selection of free-range, all natural, and local meats which they toss on the grill for us when we pop in for a tour. They are new to the neighbourhood and we are stoked that they are here!"
What do you hope others take away from their Off the Eaten Track experience?
First we hope that people are full and satisfied with delicious food! Each 2 hour tour has 5 stops so it really is a lot of food! We also want people to have an intimate experience, so we keep our groups small (maximum between 10-12people) and we really encourage our guests to interact with the chefs, owners, and staff that make our tour stops unique. Our tours are a chance to visit small locally owned businesses that are serving delicious food & beverages that locals might miss and tourists might not know about!
"Nolan, the owner of the shop, is so passionate about tea that it makes this stop a lot of fun. Tucked into the Donald Market, this 70 square foot shop can be easily missed but shouldn’t. Nolan sources a lot of very interesting teas including single estate teas and blends from all over the world."
You provided a lot of history of East Village during the tour. Why do you feel it's important to expose others to the history of the areas along with the food they're tasting?
Did you know that the East Village had the city’s first road, hotel, museum, post office, and ferry? I find that fascinating. Obviously the food is the star of the tour however we are also showcasing the various different neighbourhoods in the city and history plays a big part of what makes the area unique. In the East Village, some of the shops have been there since the 1940's and the types of people who settled there really had an impact on what food was available. Our tours are part culinary adventure, part history lesson, and part sight-seeing.
"We love this family run shop that celebrates Bolivian food and culture. The family is so passionate and lovely it’s hard not to have a great experience in this new shop. Here we sample their amazing saltenas, the Bolivian version of the empanada."
What do you look for in the food spots that are featured on your tours?
We are looking first and foremost for taste. The stops must be serving delicious food and beverages in order for them to be considered on the tour But we are also looking for uniqueness. We want our guests to experience something different so we take them to places that might not be so obvious. Lastly we are looking for local-ness. We truly think some of the best places are hidden gems, hole in the walls, and family run businesses that are passionate about what they serve and make. Chain restaurants have their merits but it is not something that we want to promote on our tours.
"This award winning restaurant serves delicious Italian fare and we are always treated to a wonderful family style meal. They are always updating their authentic menu and using locally sourced ingredients."
Tell us what eating locally means to you.
We are lucky to live in such an abundant growing region so sourcing food that is grown “locally” is particularly easy in Vancouver. Eating local also means supporting the young small businesses that are passionate about food, whether that’s eating at a downtown food cart, drinking beer from one of the many amazing craft breweries, or purchasing a local product such as honey, ice cream, or bread that is made from a local artisan food producer. I also love that our city has embraced interesting and environmentally friendly trends such as wine on tap and urban gardening.
What's in the future for Off the Eaten Track?
We have so many ideas it is more a matter of reigning ourselves in! We are currently about to launch our holiday tour that will run from November 20-December 22nd. This tour will feature 4 delicious culinary stops with a “holiday” twist in the very festive Cambie Village neighbourhood. We are also putting together some fun tours for Dine-Out Vancouver for January and February. We are going to partner with some really fun companies such as Vancouver Brewery Tours and Vancouver Photo Walks for some truly unique culinary adventures during the 2 week festival. And lastly we will be putting together a very cool chocolate tour for April…but that one is a surprise!
Off The Eaten Track also offers tours in Railtown, Main Street, and another on food carts. Visit their website for more details and their current and upcoming tours.
