The Nosh Vancouver

Solving puzzles, surprising takes on chicories, the many definitions of Pacific Northwest cuisine, tastes of home, being an ambassador for B.C. wine, salsa macha (not the tea), spice levels, cooking hyper local on a grand scale, and so much more. Anya chats with Executive Chef Hector Laguna and Wine Director Matt Jacobson of Botanist Restaurant at the Fairmont Pacific Rim about it all.

From cooking in Alsace to winning Iron Chef to taking over the reigns at Le Crocodile, Rob Feenie's career has spanned many styles and situations. Anya chats with the renowned chef about growing up in Burnaby, travelling as a teenager, cooking and drinking in Russia (really), mentors, traditions and legacies, cracked glass (the kind you eat), and future plans both in and out of the restaurant.

From talking to the fish (really) to defining a new Kyushu style of omakase infused with West Coast ingredients and sensibilities, Chef Hiroshi Hoshiko and owner Yuki Aida have turned a quiet corner of Lonsdale into a small retreat that transports you to Japan. Anya chats with the pair about Sushi Mahana, the omakase experience, brulee on eggs and more.

The Philippines are a group of 6,000+ islands and more than 200 languages and cultures. The idea of Filipino cuisine as being a monolith of steam-table cafeteria-style fare is one that has persisted too long and is now slowly being replaced with the understading that what we know about Filipino cuisine represents only a tiny fraction of the whole story. A group of intrepid Filipino-Canadians are launching a collaborative dining series that explores the essence and evolution of Filipino cuisine, its diversity of regions and flavours, and what it means to be Filipino in Canada. Anya chats with the group behind Indáy to learn more.

It's all about community building, great coffee, continuing a Strathcona legacy, and becoming a gentrifier for a cause as Anya chats with Union Market owner Aman Loodu.

His pâtés and terrines became a byword when he was working at the city's best French restaurant and now he is striking out on his own with a venture that it sure to 'spread' in popularity. Anya chats with Chef Colin Johnson of Le Petit Chapeau about pâté, kitchen culture, cooking for pleasure, working in restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic, and more.

This chef and restaurateur has done everything and pretty much seen everything in his time in the industry, ranging from fine dining to cooking on the downlow. Anya chats with DownLow Chicken founder and chef Doug Stephen about fried chicken, confit bacon, creating safe spaces for kids—and snacks, the sepia-toned restaurants of our youth, going from cork dork to slushie nerd, playing Tetris with walk-in fridges, and more.

His professional background has gone from deep sea bomb detection to butcher to chef and a whole lot in between. Now, he cooks and collaborates in Whistler at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre. Anya chats with chef Steven Fecho about hooshum berries, cooking with local and seasonal ingredients, the perils and positives of smoking fish (even in summer), switching from fine dining to casual cookery and back, and more.

Her breads and baked goods have been a byword in restaurant kitchens for years, as has her Commercial Drive storefront. Claire Livia Lassam, owner of Livia Bakery, Pasta and Wine Bar, joins Anya to talk about bread, baking, kitchen culture, food as community, the ups and downs of potato bread, feeding kids, the dreaded "P" word, embracing the slow life, eating together, the importance of carbs, and so much more.

In a remote town on the northern west coast of Vancouver Island lies a small but mighty restaurant that has become of one of the best in Canada. Pluvio in Ucluelet is run by a husband-and-wife team who have turned this tiny town into a dining destination. Anya chats with them about their love of rain, cooking, hospitality, fried chicken, fine dining, doughnuts, adventures with bears, and more.