First Bites: December 2021 - Stocking Stuffers

FIT FOR A DUCHESS
“It’s our take on a classic — slightly sparkling so it’s a bit more refreshing,” says Olivia Lovenmark, founder of Coupe Beverages Corporation, the makers of Duchess cocktails’ bottled Cosmopolitan. The idea came to Lovenmark when she was returning from New York, where she had spent some time enjoying the classic beverage. On the flight home, she says she thought to herself, “How nice would it be to have one right now?” And so the idea for a premium bottled cocktail using real cranberry and lime juice and local ingredients was born.

Now working with a co-packer in Burnaby and packaging the product in East Vancouver, Lovenmark develops the initial flavour ideas herself and then works with a food scientist to scale and refine the recipes. Packaging in glass was very important to Lovenmark and the product is aimed unapologetically at women, with a strong brand and Instagram presence featuring a definite high-fashion vibe.

The company, run by Lovenmark and her business partner, Leighton Hay, launched in December 2020 with the Cosmopolitan and recently added a second product based on a Lemon Drop, with new flavours expected early in 2022.

Lovenmark says there have been challenges with getting some of the people around her to understand the initial concept. “I had a guy say to me, ‘Do you really think there is a market for this?’” What do you say ladies? Shall we pour another?

Duchess cocktails
duchesscocktails.com | @duchesscocktails

Find it at: Angry Otter Liquor, Everything Wine (River District), Legacy Liquor Store and online

NOT JUST FOR THE DOGS
When thinking about starting a business, Nathalie and Tim Harris looked to mustard. Canada produces much of the world’s mustard seed, but as Nathalie explains, “there isn’t much mustard made out here.” She is referring to the company’s home base of Qualicum Beach, B.C. The couple started selling mustard in August 2020 with seed grown in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and now has product in more than 45 stores across Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and as far away as Revelstoke. The couple chose a name that plays on the word Dijon — as in “Deer Jaune” — a nod to Tim’s Québec roots. Speaking of specialty mustards, Nathalie admits, “it’s not something people buy everyday.” But with flavours such as Creole and Whisky Maple, Yellow Deer’s mustards are hard to resist. The Berbere mustard, made with an Ethiopian spice blend that Tim, a chef who trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York, selects and roasts himself, is sweetened with brown sugar and “the flavour is really surprising,” Nathalie says. She admits it’s not the first flavour people go for, although those who do end up really liking it.

The couple offers lots of ways to use the mustard in the recipes that appear on Yellow Deer’s website and Instagram. Nathalie suggests making salad dressing or painting a chicken with it before roasting.

“Our goal is for people to get creative with our mustard and not just put it on their hotdog,” she says. Although if that’s your choice the Ol’ Yeller is a modern take on a classic yellow mustard with a good dash of celery seed that will do the job just fine.

Yellow Deer Mustard
yellowdeermustard.com | @yellowdeermustard

Find it at: Jackson’s General Store, Harvest Community Foods, Les Amis du FROMAGE, Road 7 Country Fruit Market (Oliver)

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE
“I want everyone to try this,” says Danni Liu about Lan’s Szechuan Chili Sauce. The sauce is derived from a recipe from Richmond- based Shun Xin restaurant, owned by her parents and in operation since 2004. The recipe has been passed down over a few generations. “It’s complicated and takes over 20 steps to make over two days,” Liu says.

Liu says that at first it was difficult to explain her business idea to her mother, who holds the most expertise in making this sauce and wasn’t sure about seeing hers in a jar. “She loves to feed people, so for her that’s the most satisfying part.”

The sauce is made from lantern chilis and contains a mixture of herbs, which Liu says aid digestion and counteract inflamma- tion, offsetting the effects of the heat. In the restaurant, the sauce forms the cornerstone of a signature spicy crab dish, but it can be put on almost anything, from stir-fries to noodles and buns. It can also be used as a soup base.

Liu, whose background is investing in tech startups, understands the irony of her position as she finds herself starting up her own business.

“I have a new appreciation and am definitely looking at it from a new angle,” Lui says. “It’s definitely not as easy as I thought. There’s an unseen staircase you need to take. Each step requires a different set of hands.”

Liu has had lots of help and advice along the way, primarily from friends who pushed her to keep her idea moving after things temporarily stalled early on in the pandemic.

“I feel so blessed,” she says. “There are people all around who are willing to help.”

Lan’s Szech an Chili Sauce
@lan.sauce