I have never been to the Fraser Valley Food Show at the Tradex in Abbotsford (last day is tomorrow, Sunday Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). This morning I dragged my sister and her husband out to see what it was all about. Certainly their website made it seem exciting ( http://www.fraservalleyfoodshow.com/ ); but I thought to myself, how good could it really be?
I was going to write a single entry regarding this food show, but after having spent a delirious afternoon eating and drinking, I discovered that, like the chip, you just can't have one post. This is going to take a few. For those of you who can't make it to the food show tomorrow, remember it for next year. It's a foodie PNE--even better, because the parking is cheaper (five dollars), the entrance is cheaper (nine dollars for adults), and you get way better samples to try. Delicious samples. And the booths are amazing. It's foodie heaven.
Take, for instance, LB Emporium, our number one favorite, a boutique spice company that presses all the right gourmet buttons. The owners are a couple of can-do, charming women by the name of Vivian Belbeck and Donna Stuart.
"We're high school sweethearts," Vivian joked (they've known each other since grade eight). I said I might put that in my blog.
Donna asked me not to. I promised that I wouldn't...
Their spice mixes are amazing, complex and versatile; although each mix is recommended for certain meats, I would put them on anything and everything. They have a new retail-warehouse in Port Kells at Unit #12-19889 96th Avenue, Langley. You can get all the information you want by checking out their website-- http://www.lbemporium.com/
One of the really interesting things Donna mentioned is that they generally prefer to use fruit powder in their spice mixes instead of sugar, powders that are high in antioxidants and bought locally. "The fruits are fresh-picked and the process for turning them into the fruit powder begins that day," she explained. "Most people think spice rub blends are a simple thing, but the background is really interesting." They even have one rub sweetened with carrot instead of sugar. How guilt-free can you get?
These two entrepreneurs also named their spice rubs. We bought Hot Daddy, African Queen, Put Me Anywhere, and Last Tango in Paris. All four were chosen on the basis of the spices that were in them and the intoxicating scent (they have samples of the spice out so you can see and smell them). Plus, how can you not buy a spice named after your favorite Bogart movie? How can you say no to the flavor of Marlon Brando?
Who has the time these days to mix and try different spice combinations? In this day and age, when you never have time to mix, taste and tweak spice combos for your food, these girls do it for you, and do it brilliantly.
Check 'em out.
I was going to write a single entry regarding this food show, but after having spent a delirious afternoon eating and drinking, I discovered that, like the chip, you just can't have one post. This is going to take a few. For those of you who can't make it to the food show tomorrow, remember it for next year. It's a foodie PNE--even better, because the parking is cheaper (five dollars), the entrance is cheaper (nine dollars for adults), and you get way better samples to try. Delicious samples. And the booths are amazing. It's foodie heaven.
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| Vivian Balbeck (L), and Donna Stuart (R) |
"We're high school sweethearts," Vivian joked (they've known each other since grade eight). I said I might put that in my blog.
Donna asked me not to. I promised that I wouldn't...
Their spice mixes are amazing, complex and versatile; although each mix is recommended for certain meats, I would put them on anything and everything. They have a new retail-warehouse in Port Kells at Unit #12-19889 96th Avenue, Langley. You can get all the information you want by checking out their website-- http://www.lbemporium.com/
One of the really interesting things Donna mentioned is that they generally prefer to use fruit powder in their spice mixes instead of sugar, powders that are high in antioxidants and bought locally. "The fruits are fresh-picked and the process for turning them into the fruit powder begins that day," she explained. "Most people think spice rub blends are a simple thing, but the background is really interesting." They even have one rub sweetened with carrot instead of sugar. How guilt-free can you get?
Who has the time these days to mix and try different spice combinations? In this day and age, when you never have time to mix, taste and tweak spice combos for your food, these girls do it for you, and do it brilliantly.
Check 'em out.
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