The Nosh
A weekly show about the people, places and issues behind what we eat and drink. Hosted by Anya Levykh.
Episodes
Episode 182: Indáy celebrates Filipino Cuisine
The Philippines are a group of 6,000+ islands and more than 200 languages and cultures. The idea of Filipino cuisine as being a monolith of steam-table cafeteria-style fare is one that has persisted too long and is now slowly being replaced with the understanding that what we know about Filipino cuisine represents only a tiny fraction of the whole story. A group of intrepid Filipino-Canadians are launching a collaborative dining series that explores the essence and evolution of Filipino cuisine, its diversity of regions and flavours, and what it means to be Filipino in Canada. Anya chats with the group behind Indáy to learn more.
Episode 181: Aman Loodu of Union Market
It’s all about community building, great coffee, continuing a Strathcona legacy, and becoming a gentrifier for a cause as Anya chats with Union Market owner Aman Loodu.
Episode 180: Colin Johnson of Le Petit Chapeau
His pâtés and terrines became a byword when he was working at the city’s best French restaurant and now he is striking out on his own with a venture that it sure to ‘spread’ in popularity. Anya chats with Chef Colin Johnson of Le Petit Chapeau about pâté, kitchen culture, cooking for pleasure, working in restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic, and more.
Episode 179: Doug Stephen of DownLow Chicken
This chef and restaurateur has done everything and pretty much seen everything in his time in the industry, ranging from fine dining to cooking on the downlow. Anya chats with DownLow Chicken founder and chef Doug Stephen about fried chicken, confit bacon, creating safe spaces for kids—and snacks, the sepia-toned restaurants of our youth, going from cork dork to slushie nerd, playing Tetris with walk-in fridges, and more.
Episode 178: Chef Steven Fecho of the SLCC in Whistler
His professional background has gone from deep sea bomb detection to butcher to chef and a whole lot in between. Now, he cooks and collaborates in Whistler at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre. Anya chats with chef Steven Fecho about hooshum berries, cooking with local and seasonal ingredients, the perils and positives of smoking fish (even in summer), switching from fine dining to casual cookery and back, and more.
Episode 177: Claire Livia Lassam
Her breads and baked goods have been a byword in restaurant kitchens for years, as has her Commercial Drive storefront. Claire Livia Lassam, owner of Livia Bakery, Pasta and Wine Bar, joins Anya to talk about bread, baking, kitchen culture, food as community, the ups and downs of potato bread, feeding kids, the dreaded “P” word, embracing the slow life, eating together, the importance of carbs, and so much more.
Episode 176: Pluvio in Ucluelet
In a remote town on the northern west coast of Vancouver Island lies a small but mighty restaurant that has become of one of the best in Canada. Pluvio in Ucluelet is run by a husband-and-wife team who have turned this tiny town into a dining destination. Anya chats with them about their love of rain, cooking, hospitality, fried chicken, fine dining, doughnuts, adventures with bears, and more.
Episode 175: Chef Clayton Fontaine of Tofino’s Wickaninnish Inn
Anya travels to Tofino to chat with Executive Chef Clayton Fontaine of The Wickaninnish Inn’s The Pointe Restaurant about cooking on the Wild Wet Coast vs. East Coast, how local and sustainable plays out on the northern tip of Vancouver Island, the extraordinary pace of changing menus, growing anything in a temperature rain forest, local suppliers, the Relais & Châteaux experience, and more.
Episode 174: Lila Arrives on Main Street
Two much-lauded restaurateurs, Meeru Dhalwala of Vij’s and Rangoli, and Shira Blustein of The Acorn, have come together to open Lila on Main Street. They chat with Anya about the restaurant, the menus, working together, friendship, food sustainability, the culture and politics behind plant-based, vegetarian and flexitarian eating, avoiding labels, the concept of welcome, and more.
