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The clout that Hanks *A Restaurant caries in our fair city is unmistakable.  For years they have been creating innovative and exciting dishes that have sparked a buzz throughout the food scene in Victoria.  And it's not just the regular dinning clientele either.  The crew behind Hanks and Nowhere have been the talk of industry professionals for as long as we can remember.

There is a sort of deep respect and reverence, maybe even envy, for the way in which they've always been a "take us or leave us" sort of place.  A place willing to openly celebrate their mistakes as much as their wins.  A place to play and have fun.

Join us and our new friends Clark, Laura and Devon as we discuss their two restaurants, the wins and the misses, how they got where they are today and why a good goose roast is severely underrated.

Thank you all for being good sports and finding time to talk with us.

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Part 2 of our conversation with Shawn Soole!

We talk travel, mentorship, craft cocktail culture, BC spirits, 14 different style of ice & why gin is awesome.  We might have even fallen down a comic book rabbit hole...

Join us as we wrap up a phenomenal podcast together.  Please don't sleep on this one!

Thanks again and again Shawn!

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Victoria Bartender and hospitality entrepreneur Shawn Soole is arguably the city's best-known bar and beverage expert.

Since arriving from his native Australia, Shawn's impact on the Victoria bar scene has been epic.  His involvement as bar manager at Clive's Classic Lounge helped grow cocktails culture dramatically in our city.  After that, his resume grew to include names such as Little Jumbo, Foxtrot Tango Whiskey Bar, OLO, Café Mexico & Pagliacci's.  And it didn't stop there.  Shawn now runs Soole Hospitality Concept, a full service consulting firm whos services range from concept creation to full operational strategies for the entire hospitality industry including distilleries, breweries and wineries.  And as if that wasn't enough, he also runs two podcasts, has written three books, has helped open bars in several different parts of the world and still finds time to continue to bartend 30 hours a week!

This conversation was so good, before we knew it, it effortlessly slipped past the three hour range.  We can't thank him enough for giving us so much of his time.  

Please join us for part 1 of 2 of our chat with Mr. Shawn Soole.  Episode 2 will come out next week.

Enjoy!

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Have you ever thought about visiting Italy, but there's a global pandemic getting in your way?  We all hate it when that happens.  But lucky for you, Matty and Janel from Papooch's Truffles are here to bring beautiful flavors of Italy to you.

Bringing delicious products from Abruzzo Italy, where Matty's family comes from, to local chefs in Victoria has been an amazing way to share the love they have for both areas.  They have a network of talented local chefs who have the privilege to work with wonderful truffles and get to create amazing dishes they wouldn't be able to without the help of Matty and Janel.

Join us as we discuss their love of Italy, their passion for fresh food, giving a voice to local talent and the real meaning behind "dog wood".  This episode is filled with cool information and good laughs.

Thanks again to Matty and Janel for hanging out with the ITW crew and teaching us a lot.

Enjoy!

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Some keen observers might have noticed a missing component in our podcast over the past few months.  And no, before you say it, not our social media presence... that's always been bad!!

I'm referring of course to the Athos to our Three Musketeers, the Dusty Bottoms to our Three Amigos, the Larry to our Threes Stooges, Mr. Andrew Johnson.

In January, after years of pondering, AJ found the courage to strike out on his own and opened Bicycle Pizza, a cross between New York and California style with little Mediterranean flair thrown in for good measure.

His partner and better half (the marketing lady) were able to turn the traditional restaurant service model on its head.  Operating out of Beauregard Café & Provisions in Brentwood Bay BC, the two are running a "ghost" kitchen which is a good service business that serves customers exclusively by online food ordering.  It is a separate food vendor entity that operates out of an existing restaurant's kitchen.

As hard as it was for him to take a step back from the podcast, it was well warranted.  He's been busy!  But, never say never.  The ITW crew is like a bad mafia movie stereotype in the just when you thought you were out, we pull you back in!

Thanks for all the laughs AJ.  You're more than welcome to join us any time!

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Dallas Harwood is half of the team behind The Vic Food Guys, a podcast and social media team dedicated to supporting the YYJ food scene.  And "dedicated" is definitely not an overstatement.  Especially because he does not work in the industry.  The ITW crew were struck by Dallas' passion and deep care for the people that nourish us.

The Vic Food Guys have been selflessly shinning a light on restaurants through their podcast, Instagram, CFAX and even CTV.

We went into this episode as fan boys and came out... with a new BFF?

Thanks for a fantastic conversation Dallas!

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Some people are just naturally talented.  Enter Andrew Paumier, co-owner of Indecent Risotto.  He and his partner Shannon, both in life and business, have been slingin' arancini balls all around the CRD since 2016. 

Aside from being obviously charming and a delight to speak with, Andrew has dedicated his career to supporting the community.  Whether it be bringing people together one arancini at a time, sharing his advice and experience with fellow entrepreneurs or mentoring the next generation through Growing Chefs! which connects chefs, kids and communities to foster systemic change towards healthy, sustainable, just food practices.

Learn more at https://www.growingchefs.ca/

Thank you Chef!  This conversation was a blast and by far the least amount of editing we've had to do...

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This week on In The Weeds, Franz & Remi spoke with Brian Tesolin, Executive Chef for The Courtney Room at The Magnolia Hotel & Spa. 

Brian has worked for a number of very highly respected restaurants in his career, most notably but not limited to Sous Chef for for Hawksworth Restaurant in Vancouver and Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario.

Lucky for us, he's found a home here in Victoria where he has become a champion for our blossoming food and beverage offerings from across the island.  In fact, rather than focusing on himself, Brian spent the majority of our conversation singing the praises of the people that offer him the most inspiration.  From farmers to brewers, he has created contacts and friendship with nearly everyone you can think of.  Not surprising considering how much fun we had talking with him.

Thank you for your time Chef.  Let's do it again real soon!

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We've all experienced a terrible veggie burger haven't we?  You know the earmark; dry, under seasoned and completely lacking in any semblance of love.

Michell Scott and business partner James Davidson were tired of the type of veggie alternatives you reheat in a toaster.  So they decided to do something about that.  Michell is the business-brain behind product development at The Very Good Food Co.

From humble beginnings, testing their products at local Victoria farmer's markets to emerging as a plant-based food technology company, these guys are BLOWING UP!!  Research & development teams, manufacturing facilities, retail & restaurant locations... they even recently listed their IPO on the TSX!  Get in while the getting is good.

Join us for a great discussion with Mitchell!

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A little under 13 months ago, we embarked on this podcast journey.

While Covid was certainly on everyone's mind, we soon realized that the real focus needed to be on the beautiful characters that have dedicated their lives to food & beverage.

Meet Chef Dan Bain.  Again.

For the second time, ITW's first repeat guest talks us through some of the challenges and innovations he's experienced in the past year.  From staffing and supply shortages to exciting G-Panda "pivots" to hot sauce stories that'll make you sweat.

This episode had us falling out of our chairs in fits of laughter.  NOT to be missed.  Seriously!

If, like us, you need more Dan Bain in your life after this episode, make sure to listen to our first conversation in season 1 episode 15.

Enjoy the show, we certainly did!