Really excellent products and knowledgeable staff. I have shopped there 3 or 4 times have spent a…read morelot of money there. I cherish retail, know times are hard, and wish the manager (owner?) seemed more aware that customer happiness is, kind of, pivotal. She is bitter and prideful - her own worst enemy. Suggest she find therapy, self-love, and forgiveness, or be bought-out. A friend I dined with recently said he found her (thinking it's the same person) to be "miserable". Peace.

After walking past this shop a few times not willing to risk the certain damage to my bank account,…read moreI could no longer resist the power of colourful Le Creuset pieces, and the shine of stainless steel. A retail space in the beautiful new Atrium it's bathed in light with high ceilings and almost floor to ceiling glass front windows. With cooking classes, and a full kitchen, this is sure to become a great spot to spend your time. They have a ton of excellent quality kitchen tools, a small but good selection of cook books (unless I maybe missed some?) and a lovely selection of locally produced food items. I chatted with a really friendly girl at the counter about how their new shop was doing and she was excited to tell me about their success and the things they offered. I somehow managed to leave empty handed, but this is a great new addition to the Victoria food scene, and sure to inspire curious cooks to be more creative, better equipped, and very well fed. They are embracing local food, seasonal ingredients, and looking to serve the local food community, which earns them a solid five stars.

I came here before the official opening and was warmly greeted by Shirley, the owner. A few hiccups…read moreas would be expected but nothing to speak of. The food was delicious, served simply and priced very well for the market. I would have taken a picture but forgot to and was half finished before I realized if forgotten. They are only open weekdays for lunch but the bistro will give you a very good window into their catering operation (the heart of the business). Well done.

Went for a great lunch today. Shirley had special Spanish…read moretapas, what a feast. And the fresh Bannock was fantastic. My wife also savored the lime cheese cake. Great little place with unique and very special food. Did I mention that the service was exceptional?

I had a wonderful time attending the Flatbreads of Italy class! In 3 hours, we got to make two…read morebreads: fougasse and focaccia. Both turned out absolutely delicious and instructions were very clear - I actually feel comfortable recreating these at home. Our instructor was Cat, who was extremely knowledgeable and kept the class going at a great pace. I also really liked her humor! I found her jokes super funny and she kept me engaged, never bored. We got to sample lots of the instructor's bread at the end of class and took home our own breads, which were HUGE. Plenty to share with family and I froze some too.

Took a baking class with my daughter and a friend. The project itself was engaging, and our cakes…read moreturned out well. The problem was the instructor, Leah Starr, who was consistently rude and condescending. On our way home afterward, my daughter asked, "what was wrong with her?" No idea - no one in class acted out of turn or caused problems. It was very unprofessional. Unfortunately, when I followed up with the school to ask, they said you're not able to find out the instructor's name in advance, which is enough for us not to take a chance on going back.

Ordered the jerk chicken, veggies, slaw and cucumber tomato sides. TA DIE FOR. Fresh, flavorful and…read morelooks amazing. Just how food should be!

I just had my 60th birthday at Ponderosa Bar and Calypso catered the event…read more I had so many compliments about the food! Sarah, the owner, was very helpful and quick to respond to my numerous questions. I will definitely be a returning customer!

This guy is a complete joke. He is a gun owner, and takes his guns in for work at a relative's…read morehouse. He took a gun in last week. When he came to pick it up, he was handed an agreed upon bill of $75.00 for work completed. He said ok, went "back to his car to get his wallet." A few minutes later, he returns with a cheap bottle of wine and some duck eggs. He quickly handed them to the gunsmith, leaving him bewildered, and then scurried off to his car like the little cockroach he is; leaving without paying. Three people witnessed this. Next time you sign up for one of this guy's 100$ cooking classes, make sure you pay him in Play-Doh.

The London Chef has a won a big ol' place in my heart. Well, stomach really. This recently opened…read moreunique new concept in the Victoria food scene is the work of Dan and Micayla, who have a very romantic story. The London Chef is part cooking school, part cafe, part catering, part dining room, and all heart. My first visit was prompted from a tweet proclaiming the best breakfast sandwich ever. Off I marched with a friend in tow. The cafe front has a selection of baked treats, muffins, croissants, and quiche nestled in between fresh salads and sandwiches for lunch. The breakfast sandwich was warm ciabatta topped with aioli, three layers of slice meat, cheese, two eggs, and homemade tomato sauce that doesn't deserve a lowly name such as ketchup. $10 with a cup of Discovery Coffee, this creation changes weekly and I think is only available on Saturdays. They're using local seasonal ingredients and have a great selection of ready made items to go, including soups, stocks, dips and specialty items from other local food producers. Peek beyond the cafe front and you'll find a beautiful open kitchen filled with stainless ranges for their cooking classes. They do lunch and learns for $25 where you can stop in for lunch, learn to prepare what it is you'll be eating, skip the work, and enjoy the lunch. I haven't done this yet, but I'm really looking forward to taking some of their classes. Beyond the kitchen is a communal dining table made from a single piece of reclaimed Fir that's over five hundred years old. It's stunning. Friendly conversation, while encouraged through the communal seating arrangement, is hard to do until the food is gone. Talking is too distracting and the food is too good. Excited to watch them grow, this gem is sure to be around for a long time to come.

Victoria is a master cook and teaches in a very hands on method. Her commercial stove serves as a…read morecenter point next to her large butcher block island. Each student gets her recipes, a pencil for notes and an apron. She explains and then guides you through the preparations. Participation is expected but not required. When ready we move on to the huge stove where we cook the main dish. She usually adds an accompanying side dish with possibly a sauce. The finale is we all sit at her extra large table and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Each student can get direct supervision if the need arises, or asked for.

Victoria is a great teacher of all types of cooking. I have taken the Ramen Noodle class and Dry…read moreRub for meats. Both were loads of fun and left the attendees with a new set of knowledge and skills. I will be signing up for more!

I've been a fan of Marie's Bees for so many years now! Marisa has built an amazing business not…read moreonly selling honey-based products from her own bees, but providing education about the importance of bees. It's always a joy to see her booth set up at a local vendor show or farmer's market. And it's easy to order products from her website if I run out between shows! My favorite to order is one of her creamed honeys (my favorite is the Cinnamon). And at a recent Christmas craft show I bought her Gardener's Wax salve which has been wonderful on my dry skin this winter! I also love to grab a bottle of her fabulous Honey Oxymel as a gift for my mom, who uses it to make lovely salad dressings. I even took a cheese-making class from Marissa once, and hope at some point to have time to do it again! Marie's Bees is a wonderful, local, women-owned, family-owned business that I hope to "bee" able to support for years to come!

I attended a special Yelp cheese making class with Marisa at the Chuckanut Center. What a fun…read moreclass. Marisa is such a great teacher and host. During our class we learned the basics of making mozzarella cheese. Repetition always helps me learn, and in this case we were able to repeat the process a couple of times which really helped me feel confident in home-made cheese making. We learned how to check the process as we worked through to make sure things were progressing as they should. Knowing the steps and how the cheese should be looking was a big help. We learned how adding honey to some cheese varieties can provide an unusual and tasty addition. It was eye-opening to see how much milk makes this much cheese (no wonder cheese can often be expensive!) During our class, we made a couple of batches of farm cheese with fruit and herbs (from the on site garden) as well as a batch of mozzarella (some in balls and some in string cheese form). These are highly interactive classes with lots of opportunities to take part in the process. If you like learning and doing, Marisa's classes are the best!

I had a staff team building with Lindy. It was a great afternoon. The recipes were challenging…read moreenough to have everyone work together. The food was fabulous and she was an amazing hostess. Her dining room was set to perfection. She allowed us to linger. I would highly recomend this as a special treat.

She was fantastic and welcoming to our group that came in! She had everything set out for us to…read moreuse (and those things she didn't, she quickly retrieved). At the end of the meal, she took our plates and did all the dishes! This was a great event for our group.