PNE 2022 Fair Food Tour from Wacky to Healthy

 

The PNE is well underway for its 112th year, and with it comes exciting new foods to try. Fair food vendors are always trying to come up with the wildest creations. I am a sucker for traditional fair foods. Each year I look forward to cinnamon sugar-dusted mini doughnuts and the massive freshly squeezed lemonades. 

My favourite has to be Acai Dude. The Acai High smoothie bowl was refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day. A blend of acai, mixed berries, banana and coconut milk were topped with fresh fruit, peanut butter drizzle and florals. I guess I have become one of those boring healthy people, but I swear, fresh fruits taste so much better and do not leave me feeling heavy like fried food does. 

Brunch at Catch 122 Gastown

Vancouver's food scene is constantly evolving with the addition of new restaurants and closures of familiar favourites. With no shortage of exciting new menus to try, it can be tough to circle back to the restaurants I have dined at. It has been years since I have had a meal at Catch 122, so I am glad that I stumbled back into this Gastown brunch favourite. 

There was already a lengthy waitlist for brunch that morning at Catch 122, but when it comes to good food, I never mind the wait. Considering the fickle food scene in Vancouver, the fact Catch 122 has kept itself relevant for nearly a decade - they opened in 2012 - is commendable and only further speaks to how tasty their food is. 

Rainbow Suncatcher Decal Pop-Up a Success

My first Pop-Up shop for the Rainbow Suncatcher Decals was a massive success! Thank you to everyone who came by, said hi and supported my little venture. When I first started Rainbow Suncatcher Decals, I did not have plans to sell directly to consumers, but this pop-up shop was so much fun that I am considering doing another pop-up or market. 

Now the day itself was overcast with sporadic spurts of rain. Not ideal weather considering I was set up outdoors along the sidewalk. Not to mention the Rainbow Suncatcher Decals NEED sunshine to create the beautiful rainbow rays! 

I cannot talk about the Pop-Up shop without mentioning Habit Trading Co. which hosted me for the day. Christa, the owner brought amazing energy and a positive vibe. Christa helped me set up and decorate and was my all-around personal Hype Women for the entire day. Each time I made a sale, Christa would cheer me on, and give me advice throughout the day. Christa is no stranger to the world of retail, so I tried to soak up as much information as I could from her. 

My favourite part about doing the Pop-Up shop was getting to interact with everyone. Making those in-person connections with the community is something I deeply value. 

What I would do differently for future Pop-Ups?

• TABLE CLOTH - I borrowed one for the day from Habit Trading Co., but I should bring one. 
• SIGNS - Information on the Suncatcher Decals and pricing etc
• PICTURES - Of the rainbow ray effects that the Suncatcher Decals produce
• SUITCASE - save me multiple trips to the car by putting everything into a suitcase
• CHANGE - I primarily use cards for payments, so I did not even anticipate others using cash and would need change

I thought it would be fun to make treats to share with guests, so I landed on the idea of doing rainbow rice cereal treats. I pictured them to be cute, but instead, they turned into a mint green colour and bright coral colour which I then sprinkled with rainbow nonpareils. I affectionately dubbed them my zombie squares and they tasted delicious! 

It was interesting to see which designs shoppers gravitated towards. The top two designs were hands down the Female Floral Vase and the Monstera Planter. Not surprised since Vancouverites have a not-so-secret obsession with plants. The two rainbow designs appealed to the younger crowd who also enjoyed the zombie squares. 

BYES