Covert tomatoes in the Okanagan

OLIVER, BC---Hiding in plain sight among the tomato plants, as it were, is Mike Covert (yes, Covert is his name). We're on a plateau above the lake, a thousand miles and then some from the tomato fields of central California where Mike's dad, George, was growing tomatoes in the 1960s.

Nowadays, Covert Farms grows a laundry list of fruits and vegetables, and the porta-potty signs aren't just in French, Spanish and English, but--recognizing the newly diverse labor force in this privileged corner of Canada--in Thai and Indian as well. (A detailed history of the property is here.) Wine grapes, too, of course.

Should you find yourself in the neighborhood at the end of October, Covert even has a maze.

Cornichon visited the Okanagan last year as a guest of Tourism BC

Interacting with BC Tourism

"Paint by Numbers" view of Vancouver

The real thing, on the Vancouver waterfront

BC Tourism, which has a $65 million budget for tourism promotion and an inviting web site, HelloBC.com, brought its road show to Seattle this week for an "interactive" afternoon with travel writers. The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Assoiciation, for example, featured chef Dana Ewart of Joy Road Catering to make strawberry-rhubarb tartelettes. (We wrote about Chef Dana last year in a post about the Okanagan wine country.) Tourism Victoria featured its most exciting new product, Victoria Gin, infused with tea from Silk Road Tea. Tourism Richmond had lots of stories about its new food blogger, Lindsay Anderson, who's going to write a post a day for a year about Richmond's vibrant restaurant scene. Tourism Vancouver asked the travel writers to help paint its photogenic harbor. Oops, sorry, harbour. See you soon in Canada!

Poutine at Wendy's!

 

Yes,  mes amis, la poutine she is coming to Wendy's. She is probably already at a store near you.

Here is the official word:

Canada has a national sport, a national animal and two official languages. But we do not have a national dish, until now. Wendy's is bringing a Quebec classic across our nation by adding poutine to its menu. To highlight Canadians' love affair with this favourite delicacy, it is launching an online "Poutition" to make it the national dish of Canada.

Building on its iconic fries, cut from whole potatoes, cooked skin-on, served hot and crispy with a sprinkle of sea salt, Wendy's poutine adds fresh Canadian cheese curds (a poutine must!) and is covered in the brand's rich poutine sauce. The delicious marriage of flavours melts together to create a truly Canadian favourite.

"Poutine is a dish that has symbolic importance for many Canadians," said Ron Baugh, Senior Vice President, Wendy's Restaurants of Canada. "So we're asking people to join the conversation. Poutine is perfect when you want to indulge in a hearty, truly Canadian dish."

To show just how much poutine is enjoyed across the nation, Canadians can now visit Poutition.ca or Wendy's Canada Facebook page to virtually sign the petition to make it Canada's national dish. These poutine lovers will also get a free upgrade coupon that can be redeemed at Wendy's stores nationwide with the purchase of a combo. Once 100,000 signatures are received, the "Poutition" will be submitted to Parliament for consideration just in time for Canada Day.

"Many Canadians have grown up enjoying poutine and continue to seek it out as a treat. That's why we wanted to showcase the love of poutine across all provinces in an interactive campaign," said Baugh.

The "Poutition" launched online on April 23rd and runs till July 1st. In addition to the Facebook page and YouTube video, national radio and TV spots will begin airing on April 30th in most Canadian markets. Revamped in-store graphics and merchandise promoting the new dish will also accompany the media launch. Poutine devotees can buy the branded merchandise on CafePress.ca. Items include buttons, bumper stickers, mugs, yard signs and t-shirts.

The mouth-watering new poutine is available now at Wendy's locations across Canada for $3.99 and is also available for $2.20 as a side upgrade in a combo. Wendy's continues to sell its classic fries, chili and oven-baked potatoes as other side options, and is also pleased to offer its new chili cheese fries.

 If you want to see more pictures, go here. There's also an online petition (for Canadians only) here.

Restaurant Month

Hey, tis Restautant Month in Vancouver!





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Location:Vancouver BC