The Monday morning Intelligence Brief is our weekly compendium of food and drink news sourced from outlets all over the world.

A gourd for your melon: how one man in the Philippines is fashioning hats out of the vegetables he grows.

With the launch of Scout’s new sister website Islandist came the beginnings of Victoria’s Restaurant Graveyard, which kicked off with remembrances of this popular late night hangout and a long forgotten tiki bar.

Christine Charlebois of Montreal’s Want Les Essentiels takes her fashion-forward creativity and bakes it in a cake.

How three LA entrepreneurs created an organization to support women of colour in the restaurant industry.

“Across Our Kitchen Tables (AOKT) was created two years ago from this mutual desire to share skills and connect at an annual symposium, where founders Velazquez Duenas, Ramirez, and Claudia Serrato invite food entrepreneurs to connect. Their initiative was to make business resources accessible to women chefs of color who, without an institution-centered education, might miss out on such insights.”

The double edged sword of tipping. Eater explains the challenges faced by restaurants trying to go tip-free while also highlighting some of the spots that have experienced success with the innovative model.

“It’s incredibly tricky to change a restaurant’s tipping model. If staff ends up earning less than before, they might revolt and leave. And as Downtown’s Pez Cantina can attest, adding unusual service charges to the bill can result in customers feeling cheated.”

DoorDash’s recent data breach begs the question: Is privacy the cost of convenience?

The countdown to BC’s own Cooks Camp 2020 is on. Check this out:

During the final week of summer in 2020, hundreds of cooks will venture up the Sea-to-Sky corridor for two days and nights (September 15-16) of hands-on learning, once-in-a-lifetime feasting, and the rare camaraderie that comes with sharing cool experiences outside the chaos of the kitchen. Presented by the Chefs’ Table Society of BC in support of its upcoming, highly anticipated Culinary Library project, Cooks Camp will be the first event of its kind in Canada, a special outdoor jamboree designed for some of the country’s hardest workers.

Better late than never! McDonald’s will test plant-based burgers on their menus in 28 restaurants in southwestern Ontario.

Eating to extinction: BC author and research chair Lenore Newman explores what happens when our appetites are no longer sustainable.

Did you know that Victoria had a good fried chicken thing going on? Islandist eats it all and invites readers to rank the best.

Eating via Instagram honours this week go to @yvr.alana for capturing the vibrancy of Fraserhood’s Egg and Co.:

 

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A post shared by Alana (@yvr.alana) on Sep 26, 2019 at 8:52pm PDT

Wentworth Hospitality Group’s JS Dupuis shares his favourite spots to dine and drink around Vancouver.

Wolf in the Fog chef Nick Nutting does the same around Tofino with delicious results.

Further evidence that the ocean never forgets, these microplastics are causing some macro problems for certain types of fish.

Strathcona is home to Vancouver’s newest wine bar. Take a good long look inside VV Tapas Lounge which opened on East Hastings St. earlier this month.

If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, then just shake the branches real hard. Apparently it can get you upwards of $27,000.

To draft or not to draft, that is the question. Punch explores the great divide when it comes to cocktails on tap.

Bon Appetit shares their picks for the best new restaurants in America and Matt’s BBQ Tacos in Portland cracked the top ten.

Gefilte fish made from canned tuna!? Let’s face it though, if you already like the stuff it’s probably not going to change your opinion.

An upcoming expansion for Victoria’s Hey Happy Coffee means there will be that much more to love.

Avocado toast may have jumped the shark but researchers may have just found the key to saving every hipster’s favourite fruit from the perils of climate change.

“Last month, a team of scientists in the United States and Mexico announced that it had mapped the DNA sequences of several types of avocados, including the popular Hass variety. That research is likely to become the foundation for breeding techniques and genetic modifications designed to produce avocados that can resist disease or survive in drier conditions.”

It was the best of wines, it was the worst of wines. Atlas Obscura details the recent sale of Charles Dickens’ liquor log.

Remember the shower orange? Well, it looks like the ritual just got a bit of a boozy upgrade.

Whisky making is a lesson in patience and the folks at Shelter Point Distillery are no stranger to booze-based anticipation.

The Vancouver Sun rounds up some of BC’s most anticipated fall festivals including the Okanagan’s Wine Fest, Cowinchan’s Eat. Stay. Play. and Whistler’s Cornucopia.

Looking for work in the industry? Check out who’s hiring on the mainland and on the island.