I cooked and baked alongside my mom and grandmas from the time I could stand on a stool and reach the counter. I cooked breakfast (eggs – scrambled, poached or coddled – bacon, toast and OJ) with my dad every Sunday for the greater part of my youth.

My family ate out a lot. My dad had an appreciation for GOOD food that was unusual in the 70’s. My mom, two brothers and I were happy to tag along to his newest find – sometimes fine dining – sometimes not. My dad’s enthusiasm for food sparked a passion in me. To this day, I spend most of my free time in the kitchen by choice.

So, given that passion, one may wonder how (or why) I ended up at business school, and eventually working as an operations manager at FedEx?

I’ll skip over the tediousness that was my life back then to bring you up to date. In 2003 we quit our jobs and my husband Howard and I moved from my hometown of Vancouver to Pender Island, a small island on the west coast of British Columbia, population approx 2000 — an amazing place to call home.

Two years I went to culinary school, where, (Howard insists that I tell you), I won THE medal. That is, I finished at the top of the class. How’s that for a confidence booster?

So now it’s time for me and my medal to talk about food.

Before I start, there are some things you should know: Foraged foods are some of my favourites, I default to my countertop convection oven when possible, and the idea of Chorizo Fried Rice – even under the guise of fusion cuisine – makes me feel queasy.

Fifteen years ago, Howard moved to Canada from his birthplace in the UK just to be with me, and that makes me feel pretty special. His resume includes zookeeper, safari guide and tour director — all before I even knew him! He is now a realtor here on Pender — check out his website at Homes On Pender.

Despite being English, Howard has a naturally discerning palate. That makes him IV’s chief taster, along with assistant photographer and occasional bottle washer. A multi-tasker if there ever was one.

The third member of the team is Koda, or the Dooze, as he is mostly known around here.

He’s a 6 year old Shiba Inu that we adopted from the SPCA this past year. Although we’re still getting to know each other, we’ve determined he likes cheese, sourdough bread and walks on the beach. He turns his nose up at mass produced dog biscuits and all things potato — chips, fries, pancakes, etc (you get the picture).