Fernwood Bites: Local Fare in an Urban Square

The Parsonage Café's local Berkshire pork, green apple slaw with salted watermelon. Credit: Maryanne Carmack

Sunday June 26th, Fernwood Bites returned for a second year of good eats, sips and treats. Fernwood Bites is a food and drink tasting event featuring local eateries, chefs, microbreweries, wine, live music and a silent auction. The event is a fundraiser for Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group.

As the clock struck 5:30 pm, a punctual mass of people spilled into Fernwood Square to the sold out event to explore local eats and drink. Fortified with a tasting glass, I made my way around to each stall sampling some of the best culinary fare Vancouver Island has to offer. The highlight for me was the grilled ‘ octobob’ prepared by Stage – local Pacific octopus with housemade chorizo sausage. The spice from the sausage and the tenderness of the octopus exploded in my mouth. I paired my ‘ octobob’ with Afraid of the Dark Viognier from Moon Curser Vineyards – the pairing made my palate sing.

Aubergine offered a sizzling pork and beef sausage with South African spice, the smell alone attracted meat lovers from across the square. Conveniently, Phillips Brewery was a skip away to help quench my thirst with a taste of Blue Buck –a deep amber coloured beer with a crisp finish and a delicate hop aroma. Moving onto something a bit lighter I sampled Hilary’ s goat cream cheese with smoked salmon on endive. It was crisp, fresh and delicious. The Parsonage Café presented a clever pairing of local Berkshire pork, green apple slaw with salted watermelon. The watermelon cleansed my palate after inhaling the rich pork. Craving something a little sweeter, I raced over to Paprika and snatched up a delectable strawberry rhubarb mini pie. My evening was not complete without an expertly poured espresso from Rob Kettiner of Fernwood Coffee Co.; the dark rich crema excited my senses and helped my overwhelmed belly digest.

The event was a huge success and my taste buds looks forward to next year…