Pasta Primavera
HOMAGE TO PASTA
Pastaggio is a new company offering fresh pasta and sauces — all made at Coho Commissary. “It’s a made-up word — a cross between pasta and homaggio, the Italian word for homage. It’s our homage to pasta,“ explains chef Daniel Jafari, who founded Pastaggio together with his partner, Rebecca Lee Andersen, whose background is in events management.
Jafari and Andersen participated in Vancouver Farmers Markets 2021 Bootcamp earlier this year, and the votes they received helped secure a coveted market spot for the 2021 season. The duo say they look forward to opportunities for direct customer interaction that the farmers’ market has provided, especially during COVID, when it has been harder to reach out to people. “When you are in the kitchen at 2 a.m. before a market, the positive feedback we’ve received keeps us going,“ Andersen says.
“We literally have people coming up to us asking to buy 12 portions at a time,“ Jafari says, and while he is grateful for the support, he often finds himself encouraging people to buy less because of the fresh nature of the product. “I’d rather you come back next week,” he says to his customers.
The pasta is made with Canadian flour and organic Maple Hill eggs. Shapes such as linguini and casarecce made with spinach are formed with the help of a pasta extruder while other shapes, like pappardelle and cavatelli, are formed by hand.
After the farmers’ market launch, Pastaggio has turned to setting up its online store, which will allow customers to order for weekly delivery or pickup at Coho Commissary. In the future they plan to offer ready-made sauces, meal kits and seasonal offerings.
Pastaggio
1370 E. Georgia St., Vancouver, B.C.
pastaggio.ca | 604.722.5848 | @pastaggioyvr
Find it: Riley Park Farmers Market, Port Moody Farmers Market, Neufeld Farm Market (Abbotsford), Jarr Package-Free Grocery Delivery (online)
FRESH FROM THE FARM
The sight of freshly packed b gs of Glorious Organics braising mix at the Riley Park and Trout Lake markets is a sure sign that spring has arrived. The mix contains a variety of mustard greens, mizuna, tatsoi and kale with leaves bigger and heartier than those of the farm’s traditional salad mix, which makes it perfect for tossing into fresh pasta.
“I like the kale to have a bit of crunch,” says Mark Cormier, who, in addition to managing Glorious Organics Co-operative, is no stranger to handing out cooking advice. He recommends that the greens be allowed to wilt gently, using just the heat of the freshly drained and cooked pasta.
Glorious Organics has operated as a certified-organic collective of five farms since 2006. Its salad mix is sought out by restaurants and local farmers’ market shoppers alike and has formed the heart of a successful CSA box program.
At Vancouver Farmers Markets, it sells its produce from the Organic Farm Connection stand, in cooperation with neighbouring Friesen Farms. “This allows us to collaborate and sell larger quantities than we could do by ourselves,” Cormier says.
Like many farms that supply restaurants, the co-operative was hit pretty hard financially and logistically early in the pandemic. “Our seeds had already been bought and planned,“ Cormier says. The success of its CSA program has been an important revenue stream for the co-operative, putting money into farmers’ pockets when they need it. Cormier believes that the popularity of the CSA program shows the extent to which customers are concerned about food security. Even with recent challenges, he’s positive about the future. “Every season, farmers get better and more innovative.” True indeed.
Glorious Organics
gloriousorganics.com | @gloriousorganics
Find it: Vancouver Farmers Markets (Vancouver) and online
Stock up on this
To add some zingy flavour and creamy richness to a spring pasta, look no further than a dollop of crème fraîche. A Granville Island institution, The Stock Market has a perfect local option, sold in refillable, returnable jars, which are so cute and useful you may just want to keep them.
“We’re an extension of your kitchen,” says Ashley Jongsma, owner of The Stock Market. She’s been selling soups, stocks, sauces and stews since 2010, when she bought the business from the original owners Georges and Joanne Lefebvre, but her relationship with the company started long before. Jongsma, who grew up in Ontario, describes how her family used to enjoy the soup of the day “sitting between the Granville and Burrard bridges.”
“Whenever we were in Vancouver visiting family, Granville Island, and more specifically The Stock Market, was always one of our first stops,” she says. Later, while working as a night manager at Urban Fare and looking to start a small grocery or café of her own, she jumped at the chance to buy The Stock Market.
To make its crème fraîche, The Stock Market chefs mix sour cream and whipping cream and let it set in a low-temperature oven for 12 hours. The result is a thick, creamy texture, with a slightly sour taste that goes with everything from strawberries to tacos to caviar.
If you can’t pop in to their Granville Island location, fear not. For those looking for tasty and delicious meal solutions, The Stock Market has a fully functional online shop featuring all its products with home delivery on Tuesdays and Thursdays, making it especially convenient.
The Stock Market
thestockmarket.ca | @thestockmarket_granvilleisland
Find it: Granville Island Public Market and online
