If you’re a hardcore BC food-lover and/or longtime Vancouver Islander, then you very well may be familiar with Don Genova and his 2014 guide book to the region he calls “home”, Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Whether you are or not, though, now is the time to get (re)acquainted – with both the man and the Island area – since a newly revised and updated version of his publication, titled Pacific Palate: Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands (TouchWood Editions), is dropping on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025. Do that by reading our new in-depth interview with Genova below:

Okay, to begin with, for Scout readers who aren’t familiar with you and/or your work, please introduce yourself: who are you, where do you live, what is your background, and what is keeping you busy these days?

I’m a Victoria-based award-winning freelance writer and broadcaster specializing in food and travel. I’ve written for the Globe and Mail, National Post, enRoute magazine and many other publications, and created many food columns for CBC Radio and television documentaries for the Food Network. I also teach a food and travel writing course for UBC Extended Learning and I’m the co-founder of the Canadian Freelance Guild, a union for freelance media workers.

“Suddenly, in 2025, we are much more patriotic than ever before and many of us feel it is our duty to support local producers. With COVID, I think we were more ‘forced’ into looking local because supply chains were very suddenly cut off and we started looking to our immediate environs for food supplies… The key is that during this latest upheaval, people need to change their buying habits and adapt them for the long haul.”

The original version of Pacific Palate: Food Artisans of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, was published more than a decade ago (in 2014). What (or who) in particular inspired you to decide to revisit the volume and expand upon? And why now?

I always knew there should be a second edition. From the time of publication of the first edition, I steadily saw the expansion of more artisans across the food spectrum in this area. Of course, some have come and gone, but in general the past ten years have seen an explosion in the number of people interested in providing local food. Why ‘now’ was more an expression of ‘now I have enough time to work on it.’ I took a few years out of the freelancing business to get the Canadian Freelance Guild up and running and that was pretty much a full-time endeavour. I left that job a couple of years ago so that allowed me the time to devote to getting the second edition to the publisher, Touchwood Editions, who had always said that when I was ready to do it, they were ready to publish it.

What was the most surprising, “out-dated” thing that you uncovered while revisiting the original book edition?

There are a few things, but the most ‘out-dated’ thing is actually the most recent and that is the demise of the Victoria Public Market. On March 20th, 2025 the owner of the space announced that the remaining vendors in the market were being evicted and the interior space in the old Hudson Bay building on Douglas Street will be repurposed as a grocery store. When the market opened twelve years ago it was envisioned as a ‘mini-Granville Market’, where you would be able to pick up fresh produce, meat, and seafood, as well as other prepared foods and ingredients you needed to make a great meal or to take home to eat. I won’t get into everything that went wrong over the years in that space, but it’s really sad to see the original premise fail.

How is the process of writing and publishing a tangible book specifically rewarding for you?

It’s only rewarding when the book is finally out there, and you know people are using it. With the first edition some of the artisans told me people would turn up at their shops or farmgates or market stalls with the book in hand. I hope that happens again with this one. There’s also a satisfaction that comes from individual artisans who are thrilled to be in the book and to have their stories shared in a way that tells the readers what they are all about.

Please describe your writing process to me – generally speaking, on a day-to-day basis; as well as specifically pertaining to the revision and creation of Pacific Palate.

I won’t lie. Revision is hard. So much has changed in the past decade. The first book was based mainly on the many interviews I did for my shows on CBC Victoria, Food Matters, and Island Artisans. It was a lot of editing and finessing, but the process was quick. This time around I had to go through all the old material and update it, but also put together all the notes I had been keeping for the past ten years on new artisans. I had magazine clippings, labels from jars and packages, business cards, saved websites, and saved social media accounts from Facebook and Instagram. I sifted through all of that first and divided it in regions, and started making phone calls and sending emails to people for interviews, which would eventually become entries in the book. There was less opportunity and next to no budget to do the travelling to meet everyone in person this time around, which was frustrating. But the days I could climb in the car and meet five or six people in a day were extremely rewarding and served as inspiration to keep going. I’m pretty good at taking a lot of information and distilling it into the best ‘nuggets’, so the actual time spent ‘writing’ pales in comparison to getting all the details attached to the listings as well as either taking the photos, relying on some friends to take photos, purchasing some existing photos, or cajoling artisans into sending photos.

I know it’s unfair of me to ask you to pick “favourites” – especially since Pacific Palate is glut with awesome local businesses covering the spectrum of specialties/focuses – but if you had to choose just one out of each of the book’s categories for the entire region to highlight and for readers to hone in on, who would you choose? Think of it like the ultimate Vancouver Island whirlwind foodie roadtrip…

This IS unfair! And it can vary according to season and where I live. The first edition was published when I was living up island in Cobble Hill, so many of my favourites were in the Cowichan Valley. Now that I’ve been living in Victoria for the past ten years, favourites have changed. But here goes, I’ll try to provide some geographical representation:

Bakeries: GoodSide Pastry House in Victoria.
Butchers, etc.: The one-two punch of the Whole Beast Salumeria and Village Butcher in the same building in Oak Bay.
Chocolate: Denman Island Chocolate
Coffee Roasters and Tea Blenders: Drumroaster Café in Cobble Hill, and Westholme Tea Company in North Cowichan
Cooking Gear: The Worldly Gourmet Kitchen Store in Ladysmith
Dairy: Little Qualicum Cheeseworks
Farms and Farmers: Dan’s Farm and Country Market, Saanichton
Food Products: The Mustard Lady, Courtenay
Seafood: Finest at Sea, Victoria
Specialty Shops and Grocers: Gigi’s Italian and Specialty Foods, Cordova Bay

Looking back – like, waaaaay back – what initially sparked your interest in local food and its producers, and their stories?

When I was working as a producer at CBC Radio in Edmonton, we developed a regular food columnist for our show, and she brought a sense of excitement with her every time she came into the studio to share her recipes. It was also the first time, as an adult, that I had lived in a city with a wonderful farmers market within walking distance of where I lived. Although my parents had a large garden and nearly every vegetable I ate when I was growing up came from that garden, I didn’t really appreciate it. It was meeting other people in the food and wine media in Edmonton and meeting the farmers at that market that really started me going on local food.

What keeps your interest bubbling? What was the last thing you discovered and/or person you met that reignited your passion for regional Vancouver Island food? What do you do when you need a “reminder” of why you care, or an extra hit of inspiration and energy?

Too many examples to name here! I think I had a really ‘this is fantastic’ moment the last time I visited Salt Spring Island. There’s now a great hub of shops just outside of downtown Ganges that is filled with Island Artisans doing really good stuff with food. Francis Bread, Woodshed Provisions, and SaltSpring Kitchen Company are all in a row there, and then across the street is South End Sausage, where Morgain Cuddy and Ramona Reigel are putting out some amazing charcuterie and salumi. For another hit of why I care, I drive up the Malahat and visit my friends at Drumroaster Coffee, Hank’s Cowichan, True Grain Organic Bakery, and of course the Downtown Duncan Farmers Market, one of the very best on Vancouver Island.

You are a self-professed prolific palate. With that in mind, please name one underrated, or largely unknown or ignored, local ingredient that adventurous/curious eaters should seek out? And from where/who should they procure it?

The BC Honey Mussel. With a more golden-coloured shell, and a very high meat-to-shell ratio, it’s one of the best mussels I’ve ever tasted. But it’s hard to find. Produced primarily in the northern Gulf Islands, most of them get exported out of this area. I’m lucky enough to know a producer who I see at a party once a year who brings a big box to share. For something a little easier to source, try Salt Spring Island mussels. Much more readily available at good seafood shops (listed in Pacific Palate), these mussels also have a lot of flavour and are generally of good size.

In the foreword to the 2025 edition of your book, you speak about the positive impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on inspiring people to support local artisans/businesses and care “more than ever” about where the things they eat come from… Although I’m reticent about utilizing the “more than ever” sentiment myself – mostly, since the sense of urgency it implies seems to be prevalent, perpetually accumulating with new political, environmental, sociological, etc. developments – it would be remiss not to frame a question around the Trump government and its imposed food and beverage tariffs on Canada. What sort of compounded effect do you foresee this having on already existing attitudes?

When we have a big ‘event’, such as what we are experiencing now with the Trump presidency, or with COVID-19, there is always a quick reaction to those events that make us more aware of local food. Suddenly, in 2025, we are much more patriotic than ever before and many of us feel it is our duty to support local producers. With COVID, I think we were more ‘forced’ into looking local because supply chains were very suddenly cut off and we started looking to our immediate environs for food supplies. In the case of COVID, the effects have been positive and long-lasting for some of the artisans in the book. They implemented new methods in both software and hardware in connecting with their customers and built a consumer base that hasn’t yet eroded. Now that ‘pivot mentality’ that came to the fore in 2020 has the possibility of paying off again in the form of new customers and increased sales. But when I moved to Vancouver in the mid-1990’s, there was already a nascent ‘farm to table’ mentality being driven by professional chefs, who earned the cooperation of farmers, and then farmers markets started to come into style in larger cities like they never had in the past. The key is that during this latest upheaval, people need to change their buying habits and adapt them for the long haul.

How can we get even better at supporting local artisans/businesses, in your opinion? In particular, how can locals and visitors to the Vancouver Island region both best offer their support to the community?

Four years ago, I enrolled in a Community Supported Agriculture box program from Teto Farm here in Victoria, and I wouldn’t think of not doing it again. Four month’s worth of weekly boxes full of veggies and fruits at a very reasonable price and I’m supporting the farmers and their family directly. More of that is what we need. We’re with the farmer through thick and thin. If sometimes there is bad weather and our box is a little smaller…that’s okay. For visitors…what can I say, buy a copy of my book and get out there and explore! You definitely won’t go hungry and you’ll meet some fascinating people.

You give a brief rundown of the major changes that you’ve witnessed since publishing the first book edition, but I’d love it if you can spell it out for our readers a bit better: what have been the most significant changes in the Vancouver Island region that you’ve noticed since your book initially came out – both positive / for the better and unfortunately / for the worse?

Significant changes for the better:

E-commerce and mechanical vending. “It’s the way of the future.” Make it easier for people to buy local food. Almost every vendor at a farmers market has e-transfer or tap and pay systems. There is a cheese vending machine and an egg vending machine in the Cowichan Valley. Cowichan Milk Company and the Cow Op have online ordering systems offering hundreds of products from local producers.

The rise in Community Supported Agriculture and Community Supported Fishery programs and the greater number of farmers markets.

For the worse:

There are still some very unfair issues that occur with CFIA and other licensing and inspection bodies in the food and beverage world. And it is still very difficult for artisan distillers to sell their product and make a profit, which is a shame, because that is also one of the changes for the better, a positive expansion in the number of quality brewers and distillers all over the province and right here on Vancouver Island.

Please take a moment to think ahead and forecast a decade into the future: where do you see the Vancouver Island region headed ten(ish) years from now, and where do you hope that it’s heading? In the instance that you were to complete a third iteration of this book, ideally what changes would you like to include in the latest version?

If, and that’s a big if, farmers and producers get more government support and more support from the public that goes beyond our current predicaments, I’d like to see this region become more self-supporting by even 25% in the next ten years. In 2007, documentary producer Nick Versteeg of DV Cuisine and I produced a DVD called ‘Island on the Edge’. In 2007 only ten percent of our food was produced here on Vancouver Island. We discovered that one of the big inhibitions to increasing production was the cost of land. And that certainly hasn’t changed since then. The other barrier is the age of farmers, and also the age of meat processors (butchers at abattoirs), where many of them were ‘aging out’ of the industry. Lana Popham has been re-installed as the Minister of Agriculture and Food in BC, and she ‘gets’ farming and farmers. I hope she can work within government, especially when we are talking about weaning ourselves off American imports, to provide a funding boost to what we need most: Land for young farmers to start farming, and infrastructure built that allows for processing, and packaging, and storage of food products right here on Vancouver Island. I’d love to report on that in a third edition of the book.

You mention that you glean hope from the emerging new generation of family-run artisan businesses – young people who are willing to work long, difficult hours to carry on their heritage/legacy. How specifically have you seen young members of a family business rise to the challenge?

The vanBoven family at Cowichan Milk Company. Their farm has been in operation as a dairy farm since 1940’s. Herman and Ida vanBoven took it over in 1960, and their son and grandson now keep the farm running. The family launched their home delivery program just before COVID hit. They used it to help other farmers and producers who needed help connecting with customers when farmers markets had to close.

“In my dreams I’d like to be at the helm of a truly national food and beverage print magazine that is the ‘go to’ publication for people to know what’s happening with what we eat and drink in Canada and have it full of in-depth stories, recipes, and gorgeous photography…and I would pay the writers and photographers decent rates!”

Probably one of the most obvious pieces of advice you give is also the simplest/most obvious: when in doubt, “Talk to the farmer.” How can we facilitate a more open discourse between the “average” consumer and the small-time, local farmer?

Just show them that you’re interested in what they have and ask some questions about how things have been going this growing season. That’s usually enough to get you started. Ask what their favourite way is to enjoy what they grow…and talk about the price of anything from gas to seed to fertilizer, etc. Show some curiosity about what it is they do!

You pay attention to semantics and shifting vernacular – sustainability, locavore, foodsheds, “no spray”, “pesticide free”, “the 100-mile diet”, etc. What is your favourite word or phrase in current food vernacular? How about the word or phrase you wish would come to a swift and complete demise?

The phrase that has come back with a vengeance this year is, ‘Buy Local’. No surprise given the animosity President Trump has managed to create between our two countries practically overnight. But that’s okay. What I hate are stories I see about food and drink that are totally based on, “X company or producer posted on social media…” without any original reporting whatsoever in the rest of the story.

Radio show host, teacher/educator, activist, advocate, journalist, author – you’ve accumulated an impressive amount of titles/roles over the years! Is there anything you haven’t “dabbled in” – or, perhaps more accurately, “dived into” – that you’d still like to explore? Carte blanche.

In my dreams I’d like to be at the helm of a truly national food and beverage print magazine that is the ‘go to’ publication for people to know what’s happening with what we eat and drink in Canada and have it full of in-depth stories, recipes, and gorgeous photography…and I would pay the writers and photographers decent rates! Sadly, I think the days of being able to pull something like that off are slim to none unless you have very, very deep pockets. My one big regret, though, is that I was never able to convince the higher-ups at the CBC that there should be a national weekly radio food show. My syndicated program at CBC ran for ten years but it was only six minutes a week on the shows that picked it up across the country. There really hasn’t been a show dedicated to food that lasted more than as a summer replacement since The Food Show was canned in 1990. It’s such a no-brainer. And right now, it would be especially valuable as people strive to buy local but also have to pay attention to a budget. Maybe a podcast?

One nugget of advice or inspiration that you can offer for young, aspiring food journalists?

You need to be multi-skilled. Adept at production in audio, print, video, internet, social media. Listen to what people are saying to you and follow up on their answers. There aren’t too many real ‘jobs’ as food journalists these days, so you need to be able to develop regular columns or contributions with people who enjoy working with you and vice-versa.

Building a menu is a form of storytelling in of itself. With that in mind, please tell me your story, so far, in multiple courses: Entree (early childhood), First Course (adolescence), Second Course (20s), Third Course (30s), Fourth Course (40s), etc… and Dessert (of course).

Entrée: Grew up on an acre of land in Brampton, Ontario. Parents grew nearly everything we ate in terms of vegetables and fruit.

First Course: University of Waterloo. Discovered fast food and beer. Also good German food in nearby Heidelberg. First experience with dim sum in a Toronto Chinatown restaurant.

Second Course: Humber College, Radio Broadcasting. Totally consumed with learning the trade, but also diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Luckily got it under control with discarding eating habits learned at university! First job, Terrace, BC. A long way from home. Friends gave me a James Barber cookbook and I entered the world of simple cooking as taught by the Urban Peasant.

Third Course: While producing afternoon show at CBC Edmonton, widened the food and drink spectrum by meeting more chefs, cooks, wine experts, and farmers than in the rest of my life up to then. Edmonton a thriving multicultural city reflected in restaurants and food festivals. Was exiled to Newfoundland for a year, discovered scrunchions, salt cod, Jigg’s Dinner, and seal flipper pie. And moose. Started hosting my own food segment on radio and did a very bad (in retrospect) cable tv cooking show.

Fourth Course: Landed in Vancouver. Continued to do food segments while also working full-time at CBC. Eventually was dropped to job share, then casual employment, but at the same time started my freelance food and travel journalism career. Eventually stopped casual work at CBC but at one point had three different columns a week on CBC, two on radio, one on the TV news. Opportunities to travel abounded. Highlights: Japan, India, Hong Kong, France, and Italy.

Dessert: Wanted a bit of a quieter life. Bought a house on two acres of land in Cobble Hill. Radio shows on CBC Victoria, writing for wide variety of publications, immersing myself in food culture of the Cowichan Valley. Published first edition of Food Artisans book in 2014. Moved to Victoria in 2015 and kept learning more and more about the amazing food culture here. Had kind of a ‘real job’ as a union organizer and negotiator for freelance media workers for a while and still dabble in that today. Happily ensconced in Fernwood with my dream kitchen.

Imagine your penultimate Vancouver Island meal (or feast) – the menu that summarizes and celebrates the “best of” local ingredients and producers, right now. What is on it and who is contributing?

It starts with a vermouth aperitif from Esquimalt Vermouth Company and a charcuterie platter from Cory Pelan at The Whole Beast Salumeria. Dry cured sausages, chicken liver parfait, a hit of nduja (spicy meat paste). Then some seafood pasta. Clams and mussels from Finest at Sea, fettucine from Triestina Pasta and Provisions. A beautiful pork loin chop from Tannadice Farms in the Comox Valley or perhaps rack of lamb from Parry Bay Farm in Metchosin. Veggies from Kilrenny Farm in Cobble Hill. Wine? Perhaps a pinot noir from Averill Creek in the Cowichan Valley. Dessert? A selection of cheeses from Cowichan Station Creamery and a nice glass of Krupnik (honey-based liqueur) from Wayward Distillery in Courtenay.

The last thing you ate that blew your mind?

A piece of focaccia straight from the oven at Triestina Pasta and Provisions. Massimo and Suzy have a little shop in an industrial mall on the Saanich Peninsula where Massimo labours over his creations. He popped from the kitchen into the storefront to present a chunk of focaccia loaded with olives, and roasted garlic, and other hidden delights. My face was covered in juices but I didn’t care. Fresh bread with savoury toppings will get me every time.

Favourite thing(s) about Spring?

Asparagus. Fava beans. Spot Prawns.

Favourite thing to cook for yourself?

I cure and smoke my own bacon from Island-raised pork. To fry some of that up with free-run eggs (over easy) from a local farm for breakfast? Heavenly.

To have cooked for you?

I like most things that other people cook for me. But especially a thin crust pizza straight out of a wood-burning oven.

To share?

My wife and I love sharing a whole Dungeness crab. We make a mess and get butter all over our faces and fingers but we don’t care.

Best view in Vancouver Island, in your personal opinion?

It’s not the best-known view by any means. When I lived in Cobble Hill I often drove along Cobble Hill Road towards the TransCanada Highway. Cross the highway and you’re at Valleyview Mall and the Drumroaster Café. But before you get to the intersection, on the left, there’s a window of farmland, forest, and distant snowcapped mountains spread out in front of you. In the morning there is sometimes a mist hovering over the green fields to add to the mystique. While I got to see that view so often, I never tired of it.

Finally, what’s next for you? What events, workshops, projects, adventures, other endeavours can Scout readers look forward to participating in or hearing about from you in the months ahead?

Right now all of my energy is going into promoting Pacific Palate. “Make hay while the sun shines”, as my dad used to say. Beyond that, there will probably be a table at some farmers markets and perhaps some cooking classes and speaking appearances up and down island to promote the book. Watch my Facebook and Instagram accounts for details. Then there is my tiny garden at the house to plant and take care of. Never a dull moment!

Mark your calendars local food-loving readers: On Wednesday, May 7th, Don will be popping by Book Warehouse in Mount Pleasant (4118 Main Street) for the launch of Pacific Palate. Doors at 6:30; event from 7-9pm. Show up – it’ll be fun and it’s free! Find out more.