Just a few days before the holidays my assistant extraordinaire and I packed the car full of gear in the wee hours of the morning and headed over to LOCAL Public Eatery to photograph some food, some drink and some people enjoying it all. Who says you can’t enjoy beer and pancakes at 8.30am? We did! (Oh, not the beer - we left that to the boys). Here are some shots from the day.

LOCAL Public Eatery (belonging to Joey Restaurants) is right on the corner of Cornwall and Yew in Kitsilano (where Malone’s used to be) and their big focus is beer. They’ve got what they call lightweight lagers, middle weight ales & brews, and their heavy weights with more flavour. Their mantra from the kitchen is common food done uncommonly well and they have tons of options for all meals of the day.

A big thank you goes out to Ashley, Chef Chris, and all those people who showed up (for beer and pancakes) that morning!

• To connect with LOCAL Public Eatery: twitter • facebook • website • location •

Luxurious dining, the best black truffle pizza I’ve ever tasted in my life, and a spectacular view is truly what you get from MARKET by Jean-Georges at the Shangri-la Hotel in downtown Vancouver. I photographed one of Justin Tisdall’s cocktails, and five dishes prepared by Executive Chef David Foot and his team for their general restaurant promotion & advertising use, as well as for a trio of breakfast, lunch and dinner images that are hanging on a banner at the Alberni Street entrance to the restaurant (below).

view of the Alberni Street entrance to MARKET

The goal of these images was simply put: up close and personal. No props, white plates & linens, make it all about the food! Here are a few of the images to get your tastebuds going…and do stop by for the black truffle pizza, I’m not even exaggerating the tiniest bit, it’s heavenly.

I’ve written about the wonderful place that is Au Petite Chavignol before; I photographed the owners being inducted into the cheese hall of fame (technically called the Guilde de Fromagers) and I hosted the 2 year anniversary for my business there with a group of about 40 friends and clients. Needless to say I recommend it to anyone looking for a hoppin’ place on the weekend, the very best mac n’ cheese, or for the best cheese in town (because their cheese shop, Les Amis du Fromage, is right next door).

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve photographed some of this fabulous cheese, a few gewurztraminers, and a full leg of a pig, just to name a few things. Here are some of the shots…I hope you enjoy.

Have you been to Pourhouse yet? My other half is scheming to steal a bar stool and imprint his name on it before returning it he loves it there so much. Ok so he’s kidding (kind of) but last week I photographed food, cocktails and the interior for them and I was thrilled because not only are they dear friends, but also because they’ve done such an impressive job at, well, everything.

© 2009 jackie connelly

Gold Fashioned. © 2009 jackie connelly

Dining area. © 2009 jackie connelly

Shortribs. © 2009 jackie connelly

Key Pourhouse players are also catching on to the social media world:

• • check out Jay Jones’ blog for a lot of the backstory to the Pourhouse getting up and running (love the story about the actual piece of wood that makes up the bar) and of course the cocktail side of things which he is known for
• • have a boo at Brian Grant’s blog to become familiar with his recent experiment into making bitters
• • also visit Chef Chris Irving’s blog
• • If you’re a tweeter, follow Jay here, and Pourhouse here

What to eat? I would suggest the Pourhouse Salad (pictured above), the Pork & Beans and the chocolate cake for dessert. Don’t leave without ordering the chocolate cake, I’m serious. My other half enjoys partaking on a variety of tasty items from the cocktail menu, and he’s told me the Grilled Cheese is pretty darn delicious.

Pourhouse Salad. © 2009 jackie connelly.

Prospector. © 2009 jackie connelly

Centennial. © 2009 jackie connelly

Congrats Jay, Brian, Chris, Nick & Jen ~ so proud of you guys. See you for dinner soon!

Campagnolo is a somewhat new restaurant just a short jaunt away from where I live, in the Main Street neighbourhood. Recently Chef Rob Belcham and I had the most efficient food photography session ever, producing some new shots for their restaurant promotions. I would officially like to welcome Campagnolo as a new food photography client, it was a pleasure.

One reason I like Campagnolo (besides the delicious fried chick peas from the appy menu) is because they’ve involved themselves with the new Main Street Farmers Market that happens every Wednesday from 3pm-7pm across the street in Thornton Park. Executive Chef Rob and Chef de Cuisine Alvin Pillay purchase from local farmers every Wednesday, from which they create a feature menu item. Combined, this definitely makes for a quaint Wednesday outing: stroll through the market and pick up some local veggies, flowers, free range and grass fed chicken, and whatever else your fridge might be lacking; then cross the street to get some inspiration from what Rob and Alvin have done with the menu for the day. How very locally minded of you.

I hope you enjoy the photos, and Campagnolo’s creations.

Here’s to tasty Summer cocktails.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Cheers,

Jackie

In May I wrote about the food event Defending Our Backyard, put on by the Island Chefs Collaborative at Fort Rodd Hill, and I wanted to share just a few shots from the event.

There was great food, amazing initiatives and groups, and of course very tasty local beer and wine (yes, my mother and I tracked down a glass to share and sampled a bit at the tail end of the event, once my work was done).

Enjoy!

Wheat from Makaria Farm in the Cowichan Valley

The folks from Ragley Organic Farm

My two favorite things about Summer, besides the sun itself: barbecued anything and strawberries. Without a doubt. No question. End of discussion. There is something pleasant about my childhood that comes screaming back to me like that scene in Ratatouille when the evil food critic Anton Ego tries Remy/Linguini’s ratatouille for the first time; in a split second any stresses, all time constraints and my adult responsibilities just fly right out the window. I’m a kid again. I love it.

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The Oliver Osoyoos wine region is  hosting their 2nd Annual Kitchen Party May 26th at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Granville Island in Vancouver.

Their thinking:

” We’ve noticed the best parties end up in the kitchen, so why not start there?”

We couldn’t agree more.

From 6:30pm-9:30pm you will get to sample limited releases and specialty wines from the regions’ 19 wineries including Dunham & Froese Estate,  Gehringer Brothers Estate, Road 13, and Stoneboat Vineyards to name just a few.  Local restaurants including our friends O’Douls, The Salmon House and Terra Breads, among many others, will complement the wines with their fabulous nibbles.

Tickets are available here, and they’re on sale already so you’d better hup to it!

Vancouver Island is my home. Yes, I currently reside in Vancouver (”the big smoke” as my Uncle calls it) but being born and raised on the Island will always be part of me, and I hope to end up back there one day. I also look for any excuse to go back, and when I heard about the Island Chefs’ Collaborative 2nd Annual Local Food Festival Defending Our Backyard I got excited. I’ll be shooting the event for the organization, which is happening at Fort Rodd Hill in Victoria on May 31st, just a few weeks away.

What to expect?

” Chefs from some of the finest restaurants on Vancouver Island are working together to raise public awareness of the importance of local food and supporting local farms. Defending Our Backyard celebrates Island food, farms and flavours.

Defending Our Backyard is aimed at the growing audience of people interested in food issues and increasingly seeking local food. In the first year, Defending Our Backyard brought together over 600 people. This year we’re expecting over 1,000 to attend.

We have expanded the event to feature more local food, information and activities. Defending Our Backyard focuses on personal experience and, in addition to sampling some tastes of the Island, participants will also learn about growing more of their own food, composting, the ethical harvest of seafood, local wineries and breweries, the work of food-related special interest groups and farmers’ markets.”

Anyone interested in tickets can call 1-250-888-2047 to buy over the phone and they will be held for pick up at the gate.

I’ll certainly post photos after the event, but I hope to see you there!