For many children summer camp meant hiking, canoeing, scraped knees and adventures. The postcards home were scribbled out of guilt and only when rained forced us indoors .
But the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver’s Summer Camp sends kids into the kitchen not the woods — rain or shine. Under the tutelage of Chef Barbara Finley, young would-be chefs  learn to navigate a kitchen, prepare meals and plan a healthy menu.
Parents might imagine their children returning home with expanded palates and able to help prepare dinner, but what did the kids …

Judith Lane is a Vancouver-based wine, food, and travel writer who contributes regularly to the Georgia Straight, Taste, BC Restaurant News, Flavours, Vines, and gremolata.com who will go almost anywhere for a good story and a glass of wine. She’s also an in-demand judge for wine, food, and cocktail competitions, including the several at the annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival.
What’s your weakness? Dessert or mains?
Mains. Anything savoury. Right now spatchcocked lemon chicken is a favourite as is mérquen rubbed grilled chicken.
Who or what got you interested in food?
An aunt …

Jennifer Cockrall-King splits her time between Edmonton, Alberta, and Naramata, BC in the Okanagan where she eats, drinks, writes and teaches food writing courses. Her articles have appeared in Canadian Geographic, Maclean’s, the National Post, Chicago Sun-Times, Slow Canada, Homemaker’s and on CBC Radio among others. She posts them on-line at her website, when she manages to find a few spare moments. She is also the co-founder and the co-publisher of The Edible Prairie Journal, a print publication which began in 2004 and now continues on-line at www.edibleprairie.ca.
What’s your weakness? …

The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, March 23 to 29, 2009, is a must for any wine (and food) lover. It’s been going for 31 years and is among the top three wine festivals in North America. Part of what makes it special is that a winery principal must be in the Festival Tasting Room at all times pouring their wines. So you’ll see Rafael Boscaini pouring Masi wines, winemaker John Simes from Mission Hill Family Estates, port maker Cristiano van Zeller, Cathy Seghesio from Seghesio, Kristy Skrabic from Caymus, …

Come October 2009, British Columbia restaurants will be trans-fat-free thanks to provincial legislation. As a consumer, I avoid trans fats and would be happy to know they can’t creep onto my plate when I dine out.
But as a restaurateur, how do you feel? Were you ahead of the curve on this ban or do you resent government intervention? Will this affect your bottom line or is it just the cost of doing business?
Don’ live in BC? Is the west heading up a health initiative you’d like the rest of the …