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Daily Life, Eating In

Great places to shop for specialty food in Kamloops

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As I start this post, this weekend marks the first weekend of December 2020, ahead of what promises to be a very quiet and different Christmas.  Work has been extremely busy for me, and the last couple of weeks before we break for Christmas promise to be more of the same.

Kathy was working today, and as it was a gorgeous day and I am spending FAR too much time cooped up in my basement office, I decided to make a trip out to restock the pantry a bit.  Coming into the colder weather, the food I cook tends to be a bit heartier and heavier, helps to ward off the cold.  So, while working to minimize my travels out and about, I did need to make a few stops.

Kamloops is actually very fortunate to have some truly hidden gems when it comes to places to shop for food.  Fresh St Market has just opened up, and they have some great ingredients that you won’t find at the major retailers.  They also have a very good online shopping tool and refrigerated lockers outside the store where you can pick up the order.  We tried that the other night, and it worked out great.

But today was about some of my favorite ‘mom and pop shops’.

My first stop was Fratelli Foods on Victoria St.  I picked up a few packages of gnocchi, but my main reason for stopping there was to get some San Remo balsamic vinegar.  I got onto this ‘high must content’ balsamic after a recent trip to Di Muzio’s Ristorante on Victoria St.  I will do a post on this kind of balsamic later but suffice to say it is completely different than what you will find on the shelf at any grocery retailer.

After Fratelli’s, it was off to one of my favorite specialty food places, 4 Oaks Oil and Vinegar.  I have covered 4 Oaks before here and I very much like their olive oils and vinegars, but they usually have a very good selection of a specialty pasta out of Oregon, Pappardelle’s.  These folks make some amazing dried pasta in all sorts of flavours.  4 Oaks carries a great selection, and I am quite eager to try the Hickory Bacon flavoured pasta!

In addition, I found they now have a great selection of different flavoured mustards being made in 100 Mile House by Wildcraft Organics, as well as several other products by small manufacturers from around BC.  I really encourage anyone go and check out 4 Oaks, you will be pleased you did.

I then popped in next door to Gourmet Greens Produce Market and took a quick wander.  There I came across some pickled Ukrainian sausages by ‘Two Pickled Uke’s Brand’ in Surrey.  I have to say that I got them more as a curiosity, but having tried them, I will definitely be back for more.  With those in hand and some Blackwells Eggnog for good measure, I was out the door and off to my next stop.

If you have ever ventured to Salmon Arm to the Shuswap Pie Company for their awesome homemade pies, both savory and sweet, then you know how good they are.  But during this time when travel is being frowned upon, it is not the best idea to venture to the “home office” to get a fix.  Good news is, they have a place in Kamloops that carries a particularly good selection their pies in frozen form.  Twin Rivers Market is that place, and they really do have a very good selection.  They aren’t the cheapest pies, but they are well worth the money.  So, with a Raspberry & Rhubarb fruit pie, a Sausage, Apple & Sage Pie as well as a Steak and Stout pie in my hands, I was off to the next stop.

Last stop was Summit Gourmet Meats to order the Christmas Pterodactyl.  Not a fan of turkey personally, but the Chief Taste Tester loves it so I will do one for this Christmas.  While there I browsed the case, and noticed they had a tray of Mincemeat.  Now mincemeat tarts are my dessert crack, so was intrigued enough to grab a small container to taste test.  Suffice to say I will be going back with a bucket for more.  Summit has great meat, and I love being able to talk to the butcher and ask for specific cuts of meat cut to what I need for a given cook.  They also have great sausages, the Chief Taste Tester is a huge fan of their turkey sausage so it is well worth the trip.  With that I was loaded up and headed for home.

*A quick Christmas 2021 update:  I still love Summit meats, but they have changed the mincemeat for this Christmas, and unfortunately I am not able to sing it praises as I had last year.  It is suet free, so those who are looking for a vegetarian/vegan option may find it interesting however.

*An addition to the list

I was a bit remiss on not listing Gary’s European Sausage and Deli on my list.  I am a frequent visitor to Gary’s, they have a great selection of smoked sausages and deli meats.  They make much of their own product, and carry a nice selection of imported European foods as well.  They are now offering delivery service within the Kamloops area, which is a nice added bonus.   

More now than ever, if you have a chance to go past the regular big box grocery retailers and spend a few min checking out these great places owned by local folks, I really encourage you to do so.

Hopefully, this post will help give you with a few ideas of places and products to check out in our home town.

Stay safe and enjoy!

Scott @ SCK

Eating In

4 Oak Oil and Vinegar

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As I mentioned in an earlier entry, I had opportunity to drop by 4 Oak Oil & Vinegar here in Kamloops a few weeks back.   4 Oak is one of the first gourmet specialty stores in Kamloops, and hopefully the first of many.  Living in a smaller center, gourmet stores are uncommon, and while the ‘mega-marts’ are starting to carry a selection of specialty items, you can’t get the level of selection, service or knowledge that comes with a specialty shop such as this.

This is definitely the case with 4 Oak.  I was fortunate to be able to spend the better part of an hour with Judy, the manager of the store and I learned both about the shop, and the products they carry.  4 Oak is a family operation, owned by a family from Quesnel.  They have a shop a Prince George, and then the store here in Kamloops, where they purvey a great selection of olive oils, balsamic vinegars and interesting gourmet items.  They take pride in the design and appearance of the shop, and offer the customer a unique experience where you can taste the products to get an idea of what the differences are, and what goes with what.

Judy was very knowledgeable about the products, and took a great deal of time showing me around, helping me play with mixing different oils and vinegars.  She explained to me the differences in the various grades of olive oils, and how they can change from year to year and season to season depending on where they come from, and like wine how the year was in that area. 

4 Oak works with a supplier out of California for their oils and vinegars, and they offer oils that meet the Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil standards.  More information on the UP standard can be found here.  The balsamic vinegars they carry are also of the highest standard, and in an amazing array of varieties and flavours.  The real treat of 4 Oak is that with pretty much the entire selection of products you are welcome to try before you buy. 

This is the selection of products in the sample pack I chose
This is the selection of products in the sample pack I chose

In addition to a variety of sizes available for each product in their lines, there are sample packs available.  Depending on which one you choose, they offer a great selection of themed flavours that you can take home to experiment with.  If you know a ‘foodie’ and you’re looking for a unique gift idea, this is a great place to check out.

There’s also a great selection of other gourmet products, many of them from around BC.  They carry the Pappardelle’s Pasta line out of Denver, which offers some very interesting flavoured dried pasta.  I have created a Shrimp pasta dish using their Lemon Ginger Fettuccine that my Chief Food Taster really liked.  I will post that one to the site as soon as I have a chance to work thru it and come up with a final draft.  You can find more info on Pappardelle’s by following this link.  I really liked the product, and I look forward to getting creative with a few other products in their line.

Pappardelle's and a nice little 4 Oak sample pack
Pappardelle’s and a nice little 4 Oak sample pack

I really recommend that you go to 4 Oak and check it out. Give yourself some time to enjoy the experience, taking some time to talk with Judy about all of the wonderful products that they offer.  Don’t be shy to dive in and do some tastings, experiencing the varieties of products and the way that you can mix and match oils with vinegars.  This is a great shop, and really worth our support to make sure that not only it does well, but others may bring different gourmet shops to Kamloops after seeing 4 Oaks success here.

My thanks to Judy for all her help, and I hope to see you there!

  • Here is the recipe I have created with the the Pappardelle’s Lemon Ginger Fettuccine available at 4 Oaks
Eating In

OK, that works…

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One of the fun things for me about cooking is finding a new ingredient, and then building it into a dish of some kind.  It’s a creative challenge, and sometimes you find just the right combination of ingredients that makes you go ‘WOW!’

The other day I had the opportunity to stop in at a specialty store here in Kamloops that carries an amazing selection of olive oils and balsamic vinegars.   4 Oak Oil & Vinegar will be the subject of an upcoming post, but fighting the dastardly Russian website spammers has kept me from getting to it yet  – but I digress…

One of the (many) other items they carry is a line of pasta out of Colorado that is really unique.  I picked up a couple different ones to try, one of them being a Lemon Ginger Fettuccine.   This is a flavoured dry pasta, so it appealed to me as a base for something to create.

Tonight I decided to rummage around and see what I could come up with.   Working with what I had on hand, I created a sautéed prawns with white wine and butter sauce  to go with the noodles.

One of the most rewarding things for me in cooking is having the one I love most in the world tuck into a creation, and look at me with that ‘OMG’ look in her face – it makes me feel very proud and is all the reward I need for the effort.  Tonight I got that look.  As we talked after finishing dinner , Kathy said she was giving it a “three yummms up”.

The pasta was incredible, and I think the  prawns did it fair justice.  I’ve written down the rough recipe, and over the next little bit I will formalize it and post it on the site.   In the meantime I highly recommend you take a trip to 4 Oak and check them out.  Find something inspiring, and give it a go.   And when you get ‘that look’, please share!

Enjoy!