We all know that Vancouverites are proud supporters of the local food movement but it turns out that when it comes to expressing that pride, diners in other parts of the province have us beat.
In the We Heart Local awards, Vancouver makes it on the first-place winners list only once and thats for Edible Vancouver magazine as a Local Food Advocate.
I was surprised [by the results] because a lot of the promotion for the awards was in Vancouver, says Jennifer Warner, the program manager for Buy Local. Eat Natural, which initiated the awards. However, in the other communities, the businesses that were nominated really got out the vote.
Shes now looking forward to being able to taste her way around the province as she checks out some of the winners.
We Heart Local is designed to build momentum around the buy/eat local movement in BC and get people more excited about and invested in making local food choices while at the same time providing valuable recognition to those involved.
In this, the inaugural year for the online voting initiative, there were 238 suppliers and chefs nominated by the public and 10,395 votes cast.
The following are the winners and follow-uppers:
Favourite Store to Buy Local:
Natures Pickins, Abbotsford; Lepp Farm Market; Edible Canada at the Market
Favourite BC Famers Market:
Comox Valley; Abbotsford; Langley
Favourite Local Meat or Poultry Supplier:
Glen Alwin Farm, Courtney; Island Meat and Seafood; Parry Bay Sheep Farm
Favourite Local Seafood Supplier:
Bruces Country Market, Maple Ridge; 1 Fish 2 Fish Fresh Seafood Market; Codfathers Seafood Market
Favourite Local Cheese Maker:
Gold Ears Cheesecrafters, Maple Ridge; Little Qualicum Cheeseworks; Natural Pastures Cheese Company
Favourite Local Sweet Treat:
Kick Ass Cakes, Chilliwack; Maypenny Farm; Tree Island Gourmet Yogurt
Favourite Local Advocate:
Edible Vancouver Magazine; Jennifer Schell, Wine Trails; Eric Pateman, Edible at the Market
Favourite Local Brewery:
Howe Sound Brewing, Squamish; Fernie Brewing Company; Granville Island Brewing
Favourite Local Winery:
Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery; Tinhorn Creek; Quails Gate
Favourite Local Food Truck:
Locavore, Squamish; Purple People Feeder; Le Tigre
Favourite Local U-Pick Farm:
Krause Berry Farm, Langley; Driediger Farms; Cherrybrook Farms
Favourite Local Orchard or Fruit Supplier:
Klippers Organic Acres, Cawston; Davison Orchards; Cherrybrook Farms
Favourite Local Restaurant or Café:
Local Lounge and Grill, Summerland; Ignite Café; Nancy Os
Favourite Local Chef:
Lee Humphries, Summerland; Matthew Stowe, Cactus Club; Dan Trites, Ignite Café
Favourite Local Florist or Greenhouse:
Greenhouse Delight Foods, Abbotsford; On the Farm Country Market; Sun Select Produce
