Details about Dine-In Whistler 2011 are now available. This is a great time to try out various Whistler restaurants. It runs from April 25 to June 30 and many of Whistler restaurants have great specials during this time.

I love this tea – handcrafted in Whistler and available at the grocery stores and many of the restaurants. The ingredients in the Mountain Mint and Savasna teas are from the area too. The Namasthe teas are: Earl Grey, Mountain Mint, EchinaChai, Jasmine Green Dragon, Savasna and Fresh Tracks. 

My favourite eating and shopping spots in Pemberton include:

• Mount Currie Coffee Co
  2-7331 Arbutus Street
• Blackbird Bakery
  104-1436 Portage Road
• The Pony Espresso – I like the warm honey roasted veggie salad
  1392 Portage Road
• Be Natural Herbal Apothecary and Foods – a nice small health food store
  108 7433 Frontier
• Heart Of The Valley Bulk Food Emporium – a nice assortment of bulk foods including various organic grains
  104 7433 Frontier
• North Arm Farm – u-pick berries, veggies and flowers, and a nice store with ready picked produce, baked goods and nice food products from thefoodlovers.ca
  1888 Sea to Sky Highway 99
• Pemberton Farmers Market – Wednesdays from 4 to 7 pm (June 24 to October 7). Located in the Legion parking lot beside the Pemberton Valley Supermarket.
• To get an idea of the farmers and food producers in the area, visit the Pemberton Farmer’s Institute website.

A couple of foodie events coming up. August 1 in Whistler in Rebagliati Park from 1:000 to 5:00 pm is “Feast in the Mountains”. A few of my favourites will be there. Full details at www.feastinthemountains.com. This event is a fundraiser for FarmFolk/CityFolk’s work throughout the province. Feast in the Mountains will also be donating a portion of funds raised to the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation. And on August 15th is the always popular Slow Food Cycle in Pemberton. Ride your bike up the Pemberton Meadows Road and visit the many local farmers and food producers. You’ll get a map when you register. The event is free of you can pay $30 and get lunch, snacks and goodies. Details are here.

I am looking forward to heading up to North Arm Farm in Pemberton to pick berries during the season. They have u-pick veggies, flowers and berries as well as a store to buy pre-picked produce and a cafe. And a bonus is the amazing view of Mount Currie from their fields.

April 26 – June 30 in Whistler – a chance to try out of variety of Whistler’s restaurants at good fixed menu prices. A nice chance to check out some of the higher end Whistler restaurants. Check out the Dine In Whistler website.

Can’t wait for the Sunday Whistler Farmers Market to start up for 2010. First day is June 21.

I do try to keep the refined sugars to a minimum, but there are a couple locally made treats that get my attention:

• Lucia Gelato (website) is available at the local grocery stores and some Whistler restaurants. A very creative bunch of flavours. The gelato is made from dairy and the sorbetto is dairy-free. Mango Tango and Raspberry are my favourite sorbetto flavours. During the warmer months, Lucia Gelato is at the Whistler Farmers Market where they usually have a few tasty experimental flavours. They use locally sourced products whenever possible.
• Whistler Chocolate (website) has 3 tasty dark (72% cocoa) chocolate bars (plain, orange and hazelnut).  The cocoa beans used for their chocolate are from organic cocoa farms in the Dominican Republic and they use the  organic hazelnuts from BC. They have various milk chocolate (34% cocoa) bars too. You can find Whistler Chocolate at all the Whistler grocery stores.

Creekbread has been open since the fall of 2009. It’s my new favourite Whistler haunt for healthy food. Great pizzas and salads with a huge emphasis on local and organic.

Thought I would start this blog to help health-conscious visitors to Whistler with their eating choices. More to come. Visit the <my favourites> page for starters.