This is the first in what will be a continuing look at products or dishes made by local shops and restaurants that Coast Culinary Collective can get behind. Items that might represent a “signature” item for that party or just a creation we think they’ve knocked outta the park.

As is the case with anything that’s being awarded a distinction, there’s the potential to be contentious. “Coast Culinary says this X is great, but I think Y is better”. Sure, no problem. Maybe we haven’t had a chance to sample “Y” yet. We can’t get everywhere nor can we afford to. Or we just have to agree to disagree. This is more about sharing an experience.

Coast Culinary Collective is here to promote the food and drink industry on the Coast. We’re not going to like everything but we prefer to stay silent rather than talk down from a pedestal. After all, diversity makes the world more interesting. We won’t employ a rating or point score as taste is personal and that 90pts won’t have meant anything if you didn’t enjoy it. None of these recommendations were done so with sponsorship either. Yes, there are some logos pasted on but that’s for aesthetics.

We have a stockpile of tasty items to herald the Coast about so we’ll likely be posting one of these each week for the next while. Other topics of discussion may come up and give “CCC Recommended” a bump till the following week but a great thing about this theme is it’s ongoing. Try a few new things or visit a few new places and then send something out over the wire.

We absolutely welcome tips so if you think there’s something we need to know about, please send the info our way. For that matter, if you try something we write about, let us know what you thought.

The Gibsons Butcher’s Mexican Chorizo is our fave of the line-up of in house made sausages they do. In fact it’s probably our top pick of all their creations as they really nailed it. Good bit of spice and very authentic flavour.

Serving suggestion: create your own Mexican rice dish, grill them or our preference; chorizo omelette with cheese, mushrooms and green onions.

Lone Wolf Provisions. Two locations, one each in Sechelt and Gibsons.

Lone Wolf is a true artisanal bakery. Run by a trio of highly motivated Vancouver ex-pats, Jacob, Jenna and Steph, their Euro style Coastal Country Bread is the real deal. Slow baked to achieve a caramelized crust, it’s dense and chewy. There’s heft to these loaves.

Serving suggestion: when bread is really good, I’m totally happy with just slathering on butter with a sprinkling of sea salt. But we also put fried chanterelles on a toasted slice and it was superb.

You should also try their Pain au Chocolate. As good as the best I’ve had in France.

Like some other uber cool businesses I’ve come across over the years, they’re very low key. Lone Wolf prefers to let the quality of their work do the talking. No signage on either shop to let you know they’re there nor any great effort at marketing. Word of mouth has been working just fine though not everyone on the Coast gets their approach. People; try thinking outside the box.

Lunitas “Mexican Steet Corn” is simply the best corn I’ve ever had, bar none. I could sit down to a triple serving plate of it exclusively. I had this from a street vendor in Oaxaca 3yrs ago and threw it in the bin. This is entirely a different story. Brushed with chili lime aioli, sprinkled with chopped cilantro, crumbled Mexican queso and finished with a chili lime sprinkle, it’s the BOMB!

Pub fare has never really been part of the game plan for Coast Culinary to talk up. While burgers and wings are a happy part of my diet, it’s not exactly food that breaks boundaries. That said, searching out the best bowls of chowder have been part of my road trip itineraries for years. Grammas version is in my top 5 I’d say so very worthy of the nod. Key things to a great chowder besides quantity of seafood? Not too heavy on the cream or flour. “You’re not applying wallpaper”. Grammas gets it just right in terms of consistency plus there’s a good mix; prawns, clams, mussels, halibut and salmon. I fully expect to have people comment on “Well have you tried so and so’s chowder?” If I haven’t, I’ll likely get there at some point. But I’ll put the same question to that person; “Well have you tried Grammas?”