Giant Purdy’s chocolate eggs to benefit charities
As if Easter isn’t a busy enough time, Rachel McKinley, a chocolatier at Purdys Chocolate, has goodheartedly put a lot of hours into sculpting three giant themed eggs for charity. The eggs, with ocean, cherry blossom and Parisian spring themes, are each about four feet tall and weigh about 30 kilograms. The eggs will be auctioned off and proceeds from each sale have been pre-assigned to Canuck Place, Pacific Autism Family Centre and B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation. The giant eggs will be displayed at Willowbrook Shopping Centre Easter display area (the chocolate shop in Paris egg), Coquitlam Centre Easter area (the cherry blossom egg) and the Kingsway factory at 2777 Kingsway, (ocean egg) until Saturday, when the highest bidders will be announced. (Purdys will deliver the giant eggs.) If you want a shot at one of the enormous eggs, bids are open at purdys.com/easter-gift.
Humble beginnings
Chambar, which has had a lot of accolades over the years, had a very modest beginning. It germinated in Whistler when owners Nico and Karri Schuermans, newly married, sold waffles at the Sunday farmers’ market from a cart her father made them for their wedding gift. Their sign said Belgian Waffle Shop below a rooster logo and they bartered waffles for blueberries with the folks at Sturdy Farm (now called North Arm Farm) for the toppings. They moved to Vancouver to open Chambar 12 years ago, where you will find his Liege-style waffles this Friday, National Waffle Day. These days there are a lot more topping options — dark chocolate, caramel, raspberry caramel, bacon caramel, white chocolate pistachio rosewater, fig orange marmalade, and mixed berry compote. Waffles are available from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.