Chef Heidi Fink cutting vegetables

Cooking Resources

My favourite resources for food & cooking, collected in one place. Where to find international ingredients, farm fresh produce, sustainable meats and seafood, and other food items of interest.

If you have any resources to add, or find any that need changing, please let me know via my contact page.

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Greater Victoria Farmers’ Markets

BC Farms & Food Guide to Vancouver Island farmers Markets

Full guide to farmers markets in Victoria, Vancouver Island, and Salt Spring Island. Local produce, food products, artisans, live music, and more!

Esquimalt Farmers Market

Mondays and Thursdays 4:30pm - 7:30pm | April to December

Three different locations, depending on the day and the time of year. Check their website for details.

Goldstream Farmers’ Market

Saturdays 10am - 2pm | mid-May to mid-October

Veteran’s Memorial Park, Langford

James Bay Community Market

Saturdays 9am - 3pm | early May to mid-October

Corner of Menzies & Superior Streets

Metchosin Farmers’ Market

Sundays 11am - 2pm | mid-May to late October

Metchosin Municipal Grounds, 4450 Happy Valley Rd.

Moss Street Community Market

Saturdays 10am - 2pm | year-round

1330 Fairfield Rd

North Saanich Farm Market

Saturdays 9:30am - 12:30pm | early June to mid-October

10990 West Saanich Rd.

Oak Bay Village Night Market

2nd Wednesday of the month 4pm–8pm | June through September

2100 and 2200 blocks of Oak Bay Ave

Oaklands Sunset Market

Wednesdays 4:30pm - 8:30pm | June to mid-September

1-2827 Belmont Ave.

Peninsula Country Market

Saturdays 9am - 1pm | early June to mid-October

Saanich Fairgrounds, 1528 Stelly’s Cross Rd.

Sidney Street Night Market

Thursdays 5:30pm - 8:30pm | mid-May to late August

Beacon Avenue, between First and Fifth Streets

Sooke Country Market

Saturdays 10am - 2pm | late April to late October

2205 Otter Point Rd.

Produce Box Programs

South Island Farm Hub

Box delivery from a local aggregate of products from over 30 participating farms and producers. Items include produce, eggs, meat and food products, with both organic and conventional varites. Various box options to choose from.

Saanich Organics CSA Box

Provides 100% local, certified organic produce year round. Subscribe to either farm-pick or delivery option and receive a selection of 7-9 different seasonal organic fruits and vegetables either every week or every second week.

Good Food Box

A non-profit distribution system for fresh produce operated by the Capital Region Good Food Society for lower income families. Purchases direct from local and regional farmers and/or local purveyors. Six box types available and various pick up locations from Victoria to Sooke.

Local Bakeries

Fol Epi

101-398 Harbour Rd. | 250-477-8882

Authentic French baguettes, ciabatta, rustic loaves, croissants, macarons and traditional petit-fours. Great stop for a quick lunch (baguette sandwiches and pizzas). Don’t miss the panettone at Christmas!

Fry’s Red Wheat Bakery

416 Craigflower Rd. | 250-590-5727

Byron Fry continues his family’s tradition of naturally leavened, wood-fired breads and pastries using organic, freshly milled heritage grains. Find a range of hearth breads, croissants, handpies and sausage rolls, plus weekend pizzas and bagels.

Bond Bond’s Bakery

1010 Blanshard St. | 250-388-5377

A variety of everyday breads using different flours, grains, and seeds, sourdough levain, bagettues, focaccia, seasonal breads, croissants, and pastries. All baked using natural ingredients and following traditional European recipes and techniques.

Origin Bakery

1525 Pandora Ave. | 250-590-4149

100% Gluten-free bakery providing quality, fresh bread, baked goods, pastries, cakes, and cookies using a wide array of alternate grain and legume flours. There are also many dairy and egg-free options for vegans.

Ottavio Italian Bakery and Delicatessen

2272 Oak Bay Ave. | 250-595-4080

A Victoria institution for over 25 years, Ottavio’s makes fresh daily hand made breads, fresh fruit galettes, scones, savoury tortas, focaccia & fougasse. A one-stop-shop for bread, charcuterie, cheese and imported pantry staples.

WildFire Bread & Pastry

1517 Quadra St. | 250-381-3473

Baking organic levain breads and pastries for over 10 years. Great variety of different flours and seed loaves. Have a coffee and a pastry and watch it all being done in the traditional wood fired oven.

GoodSide Pastry House

Some of the best patisserie in the city! Get there early before they sell out.

Duo Cafe and Bakery

Best croissant in the city. Tucked into a cozy nook at the Laurel Point Inn.

Mosi Bakery, Caffe & Gelateria

A must stop when cycling along West Saanich Road, or on your way to Durrance lake or Mount Work, this cozy spot had superb pizza, sandwiches, baked goods, and (yes) gelato.

Chinese & Japanese Ingredients

Fisgard Market

550 Fisgard St. (Chinatown) | 250-383-6966

Find fresh, packaged, dried, and frozen ingredients from all over Asia. Lots of produce, noodles, sauces, specialty items, and more means that you will have everything you need to cook an authentic Chinese (or Japanese, or Thai, or Korean. . . ) meal!

Fairway Markets

All locations are very good all-around places to buy Asian foods, but especially 2635 Quadra St, which has an amazing selection of Asian produce, sauces, packaged ingredients, and frozen foods.

Fujiya

3624 Shelbourne St. | 250-598-3711

Sushi bar and a large variety of Japanese groceries and ingredients.

Sakura Japanese Sushi & Grocery

1213 Quadra St. | 250-388-3636

Specializing in authentic Japanese foods, this store also has a sushi bar.

Real Canadian Superstore Langford

835 Langford Parkway

A large selection of Asian and South Asian ingredients and produce

H-MART

3147 Douglas St, #315 (Mayfair Mall)

Large Asian supermarket chain

The Root Cellar

1286 McKenzie Ave. | 250-477-9495

A variety of fresh Asian vegetables and fruits.

Indian Ingredients

Indian Grocery Victoria

3388 Douglas St A | 250-475-2424

Whole and ground Indian spices, dried curry leaves, dahls, several varieties of Basmati rice, lentils and split peas, chutneys, channa flour, atta flour, asafetida, flat breads, dried figs, fresh nuts, saffron, cane sugar (gur), pappadums.

Fisgard Market

550 Fisgard St. (Chinatown) | 250-383-6966

Good-quality tamarind, Ataulfo mangoes, shallots, palm sugar (jaggery), coconut milk, pappadums, chutneys, fresh chiles

Save-on-Foods Saanich

3510 Blanshard St (Gateway Village)

An entire aisle devoted just to Indian ingredients, including basmati rice, whole and ground Indian spices, Indian lentils, pickles, chutneys, channa flour, & pappadums.

Burnside Food Market

658 Burnside Rd. W | 250-479-4228

Whole and ground Indian spices, dried curry leaves, dahls, basmati rice, chutneys, channa flour, atta flour, asafetida, flatbreads, cane sugar (gur), halal and kosher meats, candy-coated fennel seeds, rosewater, saffron

The Root Cellar

1286 McKenzie Ave. | 250-477-9495

Fresh curry leaves, beautiful herbs, ginger, garlic, mangoes, greens, unusual fruits and vegetables

Mexican Ingredients

Maiiz Nixtamal

540 Fisgard St | 778-433-1544

Stone ground nixtamalized tortillas made from organic BC corn, plus Mexican culinary ingredients like dried chiles, herbs, etc

Mexican House of Spice

1412 A Douglas St. | 250-388-6602

A wide variety of Mexican ingredients, inlcuding dried chiles, masa, pozole, tomatillos, beans, panela, queso, guava, and epazote, as well as Latin, Caribbean, and African specialty foods and ingredients

The Market on Yates

903 Yates St. | 250-381-6000

Fresh & dried Mexican chiles, masa harina, canned and bottled Mexican products, soft corn tortillas, fresh tomatillos

The Market on Millstream

Market on Millstream: 125-2401C Millstream Rd. | 250-391-1110

Fresh & dried Mexican chiles, masa harina, canned and bottled Mexican products, soft corn tortillas, fresh tomatillos, Mexican herbs and spices

Thai & South-East Asian Ingredients

Fairway Markets Quadra Village

2635 Quadra St | (250) 380-9773

A large selection of Thai ingredients, from produce, to rice and noodles, to dried, bottled & packaged ingredients.

The Root Cellar

1286 McKenzie Ave. | 250-477-9495

Fresh Galangal in season, Fresh makrut (keffir) lime leaves in season, fresh lemongrass, Asian mushrooms, shallots, Thai basil, lots of fresh Asian vegetables.

Fisgard Market

550 Fisgard St. (Chinatown) | 250-383-6966

A go-to place for Thai essentials - frozen galangal and makrut lime leaves year-round (fresh in season), bulk lemongrass, good-quality tamarind, a variety of Thai rices and rice noodles, and a wide array of bottled and dried Thai pantry items.

Ethical Meats

Farm & Field Butchers

1003 Blanshard St | 250-415-8373

Full service butcher, whole animal butchery. Specializing in meat and poultry from local and ethical farms. Lots of pantry ingredients as well.

Berryman Brothers Farms

Serving Vancouver Island for 4 generations, they process, cure, package and deliver local meat products, from livestock raised with the highest health and moral standards.

Michell's Farm Beef

2451 Island View Rd (Lochside Trail)

Selling free range, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef fed from the grass and grain they grown on their own 6th generation family farm - 100% locally raised beef! Sold fresh and frozen year round at their farm market.

The Village Butcher

2032 Oak Bay Ave. | 250-598-1115

Full service butcher shop, both basic and hard-to-find cuts and products. Purveyors of local and ethical meats & poultry, homemade sausage, homemade lard and duck fat.

The Whole Beast Artisan Salumeria

2032 Oak Bay Ave. | 250-590-7675

An excellent salumeria that makes and sells only locally-sourced cured meat products, from nose to tail: salami, chorizo, bacon, prosciutto, coppa, pepperoni, pâtés and specialty items.

Carnivore Meats & More

6-7103 West Saanich Rd., Brentwood Bay | 778-351-4733

Locally sourced, traditionally cut, antibiotic and hormone-free beef, pork, lamb and turkey. Handmade sausages and meat pies.

Slater’s First Class Meats

2577 Cadboro Bay Rd. | 250-592-0823

Featuring local, organic, free-range poultry; local, grain-fed non-hormonal beef and pork; and great customer service.

McLennan’s Island Meat & Seafood

307 Cook St. | 250-382-3331

Local friendly butcher carries array of products from animals that are humanely raised on island family farms. Also find fresh made sausages, charcuterie, and meat pies.

Glenwood Meats

1245 Park Dale Dr. | 250-478-6328

Carry selection of meats including Metchosin lamb, Cowichan Bay chicken, fresh sausages and smoked products.

LifeStyle Markets

180-2950 Douglas St. | 250-384-3388 & 343 Cook St. | 250-381-5450

The largest natural food store on Vancouver Island, with a good selection of Certified Organic meats

Red Barn Markets

5550 West Saanich Rd. | 250-479-8349

5 other locations @ Mattick's Farm, Vanalman, Latoria Walk, Oak Bay Ave and James Bay. Excellent butcher featuring local meats and in-house processing.

The Root Cellar Chop Shop

1286 McKenzie Ave. | 250-477-9495 ex. 224

Meat sourced almost primarily from Vancouver Island and never outside of BC, with an emphasis on ethics and quality. All products are filler, hormone and antibiotic free.

The Market Stores

903 Yates St. | 250-381-6000 | 125-2401C Millstream Rd. | 250-391-1110

Full-service grocery store with local meat counter - features organic and natural chicken, local lamb, and natural bison meat

Sustainable Seafood

F.A.S. ~ Finest At Sea Ocean Products

27 Erie St. | 250-383-7760

Fisherman-run, West Coast sustainable fishing, fresh and frozen, sashimi-grade local fish, shellfish, and seafood. Food truck on site for delicious fish & chips, chowders, fish burgers, and more.

Sattelite Fish Co

2550 Beacon Ave | 250-656-2642

Fresh fish & seafood, caught daily.

Cowichan Bay Seafood

1701 Douglas St. (Victoria Public Market) | 778-433-4385

Fresh local seafood and lunch

Kitchen Supplies

Penna & co

325-777 Royal Oak Dr | (250) 727-2110

Huge variety of quality kitchen items

Whisk Victoria

1006 Broad St | (778) 433-9184

A "small, but mighty" kitchen gadget store, with something for every home cook.

Wordly Gourmet Kitchen Store

522 1st St, Ladysmith

An amazing kitchen store, no notes.