More than a dozen local food producers and hundreds of hungry Saanichites descended on Cadboro Bay Village today for the fifth annual Local Island Showcase food market.
The free food sampling event included barbecued wild salmon burgers, Central Saanich-made Indian spices, Level Ground Trading coffee, raw snacks, artisan ice cream and frozen yogurt, teas, jams and even fresh-cut flowers.
Each year, the showcase brings a summer festival feel to Caddy Bay on what would be an otherwise quiet Thursday, said Peppers Foods general manager Cory Davits.
“We started this five years ago to help showcase the great products made in Greater Victoria and on Vancouver Island, and to do it in Saanich," he said. "We started with just a few stands in front of the store, now we’ve got fresh, wild salmon served up free. We’ve got vendors contacting us ahead of time to make sure they’re on the list to be part of it.”
Foodie visitors benefited from the cross pollination of vendors, as Portofino bakery supplied the buns to Finest At Sea for the salmon sliders.
Saanich locals like Kulture Frozen Yogurt were also there to woo people out of the heat.
The showcase brings a summer festival feel to Caddy Bay on what would be an otherwise quiet Thursday, said Peppers Foods general manager Cory Davits.
“We started this fivdo it in Saanich. We started with just a few stands in front of the store, now we’ve got fresh, wild salmon served up free. We’ve got vendors contacting us ahead of time to make sure they’re on the list to be part of it.”
For a full list of Island vendors, check out
Next on the festival in the neighbourhood is the legendary sand castle themed Cadboro Bay Festival at Gyro Park on Aug. 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.