Culinary Goods

Photo courtesy of Robi Smith at Blue Lantern Studio

Erica and I opened Plenty’s doors almost four years ago, on August 8th, 2006!  Since its opening Plenty has developed a wonderful, loyal, and supportive following - thank-you to each of you for finding us and telling your friends, family, strangers, colleagues(…) about Plenty.   I said this last year for our third anniversary and I’ll repeat it as it remains as true as ever: it’s your enthusiasm and support that weaves us into the community and keeps Plenty going.  For anyone who is reading this but hasn’t been into the store yet please have a look at some of the friendly things people have been saying and then visit us to see for yourself.

• getfreshguide.com: connecting eaters with growers, producers, suppliers and supporters of fresh, local foods.

Plenty is a small shop with a big heart and a treasure trove of culinary delights. Plan a trip with an empty basket and stomach and let your desire lead you to try new things – this is slow shopping at it’s finest. Enjoy!

Elizabeth and Caprina’s article and photos of Plenty are absolutely wonderful.  Click here to see the full post.  The Get Fresh Guide that they’ve created is beautiful and a tribute to local growers and small scale producers.  The Get Fresh blog is absolutely inspiring - please have a look at it and join in on the Local Food Challenge.

• Wanderlust and Words: Long conversations beside blooming irises - joys of life on the road. (Basho)

Visit Plenty if you have a curious mind, if you respect creativity, if you value community above consumption, or if you believe that food is art and art is food.

Thanks to Penny McKinlay for visiting Plenty on her culinary tour of Southern BC and also for her other wonderful profiles of members of the local food community.  Click here to read more of Penny’s post about Plenty.  She also sat in on one of our Table Talk sessions:

Trevor Walker, owner of Plenty Epicurean Pantry, coordinates Table Talk, a monthly discussion series about food and sustainability. I was fortunate enough to be able to join the group on July 7 as nine of us enjoyed a warm summer evening in the garden behind the store. As we feasted on organic chocolate chip cookies, lemon loaf and local strawberries, we discussed the serious, sometimes frightening topic of developing a just food system.

Click here to read more of Penny’s post about Table Talk.

• ScrimporSplurge.ca: a daily blog that provides unbiased, insider tips to help residents and visitors enjoy the best of Victoria, British Columbia, and beyond . . . for less!

Plenty Epicurean Pantry (1034 Fort St.): Everything about this gourmet foodie shop makes me want to splurge, splurge, splurge. The card selection is small but truly unique, mainly created by local artists. I willingly parted with $7 for an exquisitely original card-and-envelope set fashioned from the dreamily illustrated pages of a recycled children’s book.

Thanks to Anita Willis for featuring us in her professional blog.

At the top of this page is a photo of some of my favourite cards in the store at the moment.  These wonderful collages are from Robi Smith at Blue Lantern Studio.  Robi is currently displaying her work at the Filberg fine art and craft festival in Comox, BC.

• Yelp.ca: to connect people with great local businesses

…the spices are organic or fresh and are very reasonably priced. I paid less for my fennel seeds and got more than I would have gotten at Thrifty’s.

Thanks to Eric B. for reviewing Plenty.

With all of these posts it’s wonderful to see the store through someone else’s eyes.  Plenty may always feel like a work in progress to Erica and I so it’s nice to receive affirmation from time to time that the store that we have hoped to create is indeed coming into it’s own.  Thank-you to all the wonderful customers that keep us going - and to our fantastic staff: Bobbie, Kathleen, Linda Jane, Masha, & Rebecca!