Noted chef is keeping it fresh
Gabriella Meyer’s latest venture takes her to Harvest Community Foods as founding partner
Chef Gabriella Meyer’s culinary journey is a who’s who of iconic Vancouver fine dining, from C Restaurant and Raincity Grill to Bishop’s and Burdock & Co.
Her interest in seasonal and sustainable cooking led her down a slightly unusual path.
Today, she is the chef and founding partner (with Chef Andrea Carlson) of Harvest Community Foods.
An eatery, yes, but also a grocery and a supplier of chef-crafted, farm-direct Community Supported Agriculture shares that allow people to sign up for an entire season of local produce.
Those weekly boxes include Meyer’s own recipes.
Q What motivates and inspires you as a chef? A
I’m always inspired by all of the beautiful local and organic produce we get to use here at Harvest Community Foods. I’ve been very lucky to work with chefs like Andrea Carlson that have always supported local farms. Working with her all these years has motivated me to know where my food is coming from. Q How would you describe the type of food you like to cook? A
Simple food that tastes good, definitely using seasonal and local ingredients and pasta, all the pasta! Q What might diners not know about you? A
I was the chef of a Mexican restaurant in Goa, India, for two years. Q Describe a couple of your most recent creations. A
During the summer, I do a cold soba noodle salad special at Harvest, it’s so simple but full of flavour and we get to use all the great veggies from our local organic farmers. Another favourite was the stinging nettle and miso pesto tossed with udon noodles, roasted tofu and fresh B.C. corn.
Q What’s your favourite local product and how do you use it? A
We’ve been using a lot of tempeh made locally by Tempea. If you haven’t tried fresh tempeh yet, do! The taste is so different from the frozen stuff you see in all the supermarkets. They also make a chickpea and lentil tempeh, which is my favourite; I just sauté it and sprinkle on salads.
Q If there’s one important piece of advice you might have for home cooks, what might that be? A
Eat local and seasonal, go to your farmers market or local shop (like Harvest) and buy what’s fresh and in season. It’ll always taste better!