The B&B Kitchen; Turtle Treats, Roman Spaghetti and Birthday Cake

Anyone who runs a B&B in Western Canada knows the kitchen isn’t just for breakfast. A B&B kitchen can bring people together at dinner time and for special occasions.

     Over the summer at Best B&B in Port Alberni, a family of four flew in from Rome. The father was an airline pilot and was dead tired…he actually flew his family into Vancouver himself on the airline that he worked for and then drove all the way to Vancouver Island! Tired as they were, the family decided to cook themselves dinner in our kitchen. They went out to Westco Foods, in Port Alberni a couple of minutes away to get supplies to make an Italian pasta dinner.

     When they saw that I was also starving hungry, (wink, wink) they invited me up for homemade Italian pasta. We talked about Italy and Canada and their upcoming vacation in Tofino. In the end it was a fun night and they adopted me. So, I guess I am Roman now, unofficially of course.

     A B&B can be a great place to stage a celebration. A few years ago at our previous log cabin B&B in the North Okanagan we had a young married couple stay with us for a couple of months. They were in between homes and looking for a place to live while the young husband worked at the copper mine near us. The husband’s birthday was approaching and his wife did not want to miss any of their first celebrations. She baked a cake for him in the oven as I helped her blow up balloons and tape them to the highest beams of the vaulted log ceiling. She threw him a surprise birthday party! He didn’t know WHAT was going on! It was very sweet! So was the cake! Hey, She left me a piece for the next day you guys, I didn’t hang around this time.

     A few months later a whole work crew from the mine had a staff B.B.Q out on the wrap around deck. The view up there was incredible and they all took selfies with their hamburgers up against the Mountain View. Sadly, I was unable to attend, but my dog Oscar snuck out and scored a rib. He said it was delicious.

     From Venison stew (not my favourite!) to pet turtle treats, (we had a large, pet tortoise stay with us for a while. “Darla”, had a special vegetable and worm/caterpillar diet and a fondness for the vacuum cleaner. But that is a whole other story!), to special dietary needs of our guests, the B&B kitchen is a great place to cook. It's also a great place to work, plan, have a great time or quietly enjoy the ocean view with tea or coffee which is available 24 hours a day.

If you are coming to town here is a short list of local fresh food markets. We have all the larger grocery chains as well.

Local Farmers Market at Harbour Quay in Port Alberni on the weekends

Fresh Coast Market: Cherry Creek Road, Port Alberni

Naesgaard Farm and Market: 5681 River Road, Port Alberni

Salty Woodsman Goods:  4691 Dundalk Ave, Port Alberni

Beaver Creek Market: Beaver Creek Road, Port Alberni