"Oro" Klee Larsen

Not only is my sister Klee the face and anchor of Le Marché, she is also an amazing photographer. Her work is both beautiful yet unsettling, sweeping, evocative images of clear cuts and industry, reminiscent of a Tarkovsky film.
I am not sure when she had time to produce such a stunning body of work but it will on view this Saturday and I can't wait to see it.
Shack Art Collective is a fantastic venue situated in a neighbourhood back alley garage. Paris and Nikki feature a local and emerging artist in any medium every month.
To see more of Klee's work go to www.kleehannah.com
To learn more about Shack Art Collective go to http://shackartcollective.tumblr.com
Hope to see you there!


Crêpe!


This has been a long time in the works! We are excited to offer a menu of savoury and sweet crêpe that fittingly reflects the rustic, casual atmosphere we represent. Organic whole wheat, buckwheat, stone fruit compotes, local meats and wild greens can be expected. Not withholding Nutella, of course. Below is the menu with a revolving "special" depending on what arrives at our door.


Savoury

gruyère
6.45

Egg & Gruyère
7.95

Ham & gruyère w. béchamel
8.75

ham & gruyère w. herbed Mushrooms, sherry  & cream,
9.95

Smoked salmon  w. herby goat cheese & greens
9.95

Smoked turkey, fig & brie w. basil
9.95

Sweet

Cinnamon sugar & butter
4.50

Nutella
6.75

nutella and banana
7.50

sautéed apples w. golden raisins and honey
7.95

honey, almond & orange zest
7.50

pear & apple butter w. maple syrup
6.95

Inner City Farms CSA Season


This will be our third summer of partnering with the folks at Inner City Farms. We love them because they grow vegetables organically, in under utilized neighbourhood yards and their focus is on heirloom and open pollinated varieties. This means that your CSA box is guaranteed to include some fairly exotic heirloom vegetables that are not only stunning to look at but are cause to explore culinary routes you may not be familiar with. This year will also include some great preserves and other surprises. The pick up day alone is an occasion to look forward to, as this group is as hospitable as they come. They only have 60 shares available with pick up beginning the end of May so don't wait to long!
You can check out their web site and sign up here.

new products







   We have had some new (and not so new, sorry Pastiche for the late post!) products arrive on our doorstep.
   One of my favourite things about the shop, is the people who come in with one of a kind products they have been passionately developing. Usually, it begins their kitchens, then friends tell them they should make more, then they set up at the farmers market, then they need to find a commercial kitchen space to meet the demand, then they're ready to hit up retailers. Often, we are a first stop for people wanting to test the waters of Vancouver retail food scene. Being small means we can't warehouse pallet loads of tomato sauce, it also means we can carry select, small batch goods by people who aren't interested in producing pallet loads of food.
   This week we have Cretons from Chef Henrik (also tourtière to be posted on later) Pascal was particularly happy about this one, seeing as it hails from Québec. Whenever we visit his parents in Montreal, one of the first stops is to pick up a tub of cretons, a loaf of bread and a big bottle of Fin Du Monde. I don't eat red meat, so my go to is always veggie pâté. This is where Pâté Pastiche comes in. Vancouver has had a glaring lack of both of these products until recently. Sure, your can find veggie pâtés but none of them are quite like the ones you find in Québec, ruddy, earthy, rustic. Pâté Pastiche is the closest I've found here, blindfolded, I might not be able to tell the difference plus it's vegan and gluten free.
   Yummus is another new company, maybe only a month old. Yashar, the young man who makes it, has a smile that could illuminate a city block and an unrivalled passion for the humble chickpea.
He will be hosting a Yummus pop-up at the Chinatown Experiment soon and we'll be sure to let you know when that happens.
   All of the above, quoting chef Henrick "create delicious food made with 100% fresh and first quality ingredients with respect to tradition and methods."
For more info check out their sites.
here and here no website for Pastiche yet.

p.s Cretons is on the menu here so if you've never had it and you're not sure you'll like it, you can give it a try.
Now, if only we could get a liquor license!

Photographs| Janaki Larsen
thoughts| Janaki Larsen

Panoramic Coffee Roasters


Some of you may remember the cupping hosted by Panoramic Coffee Roasters back in December?
Well, we are stocking Stephanie's small batch, single origin beans again. This weeks little brown beauties are from Oaxaca, one of our favourite states and cities in Mexico. Soon, we will be offering up your own french press with Panoramic Coffee here at the shop but until then you can grab a bag to take home with you.


photo | Janaki Larsen

Altar, herbal martini


 Le Marché is excited to introduce Altar to our growing list of specialty products. Since the first sample arrived, we have been sipping it straight up on ice, experimenting with soda and fantasizing about the addition of prosecco. Exotic doesn't even begin to describe the flavours. I imagine that the bar car of the Orient Express, somewhere between Bucharest and Istanbul, would be the perfect place to enjoy these.

 Below is their description.

"It is an all-natural premium Alcohol Free beverage masterfully blending the world’s finest and most exotic fruits, vegetables, teas, spices, along with a totally unique herbal formulation taking you on a journey beyond mind and palate.
A truly extraordinary mood enhancing experience.
Culinary infusions such as Heirloom yellow tomatoes muddled with yellow bell peppers, Jalapeno pepper, cucumbers, tomatillos, Spanish lemon thyme, smoked sea salt, linden flower and ALTAR's own white worcestershire sauce make the perfect contemporary “Mary” mix, and then paired with our ALTAR herbal infusion to bring restoration and the perfect balance of flavors to a new level."

p.s for all the mama's who come in, this is a great alternative to Martinelli's sparkling apple juice!

winter greens


We have a young farmer named Alexander who brings us things. One week it may be brussel sprouts still on the stock, a big yellow bouquet of forsythia or of late, big bags of beautiful lettuce. I grew up on Saltspring Island,  so I was spoiled by what was an unquestioned amount of good food. Everything was grown outside under the sky and nothing compares to greens that have had access to real light, real water and real dirt. When these arrived, I was thrilled because I immediately recognized that these little mismatched leaves and fronds fit the above criteria perfectly. So, in the the tail end of winter it is a luxury to open the fridge door and see all this green, alive and dense waiting to go in my belly!
Supplies are limited so come get it while it lasts.
Thank you Alexander for all the surprises!


photo| Klee Larsen

The Love Umbrella Project





We cannot thank Kelly Deck, Barry Calhoun, Mark and all the volunteers of The Love Umbrella Project project enough. To be included with such an amazing group of people is beyond flattering, it was an absolute honour.
We congratulate everyone involved from organizers, volunteers, community leaders, photographers and  donators for an absolutely incredible job.Thank you to our neighbourhood for welcoming us so warmly.
If you missed the stories, they can still be viewed at www.theloveumbrellaproject.com

Below is our "story".


Community Leader: Pascal Roy and Janaki Larsen, Le Marche St. George
Photographer:  Barry Calhoun

When we first opened Le Marché St. George two years ago, we wanted to create a beautiful city oasis - an escape from the mundane grind of our ‘efficiency’ culture, a fantasy place to enliven your senses. But we didn't really think about the amazing feeling of love and connectedness it would bring to the neighbourhood. This is not a cafe where people come to spend time on their computers - they come to share time with each other, to connect and feel a sense of belonging.

And it's not just a café. We also provide a venue for many small, unusual and experimental businesses. We are the pick-up venue for the Innercity Farmers. We house bees on our roof for Mellifera Bees. We've been a pop-up restaurant featuring some of Vancouver’s best young local agriculture chefs. We sell excess produce from our neighbours' trees, and our yard has even been turned into a darkroom for a pop-up Calotype studio! We love having a place that inspires creativity and experimentation.

For our shoot, I sent out an email to our community asking them to come by between 10-12pm. By 11, not many were there - but suddenly 40 people arrived all at once! The shop has always had a feeling of spontaneity - you never really know what will happen there.  And it's all testament to the love and trust we're proud to be purveyors of at Le Marché St George.

This is always a quiet time of year. We have been reflecting on the year past and planning for the one to come. We are excited about future collaborations and are sure you will be too! In the mean time, these paperwhites remind me of the spring that's on it's way.