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Dinner With... Karen Pinchin at Che Baba

DINNER WITH... pairs interesting Vancouverites with top notch restaurants. We want to showcase the minds and menus of some of our favourite people and establishments.

DINNER WITH... pairs interesting Vancouverites with top notch restaurants. We want to showcase the minds and menus of some of our favourite people and establishments.We'll pick their brains, while they devour their dinner, and hopefully YOUwill come away inspired, enlightened and hungry...

Another week, another meal and this time it's...

DINNER WITH... KAREN PINCHIN!

Karen Pinchin, is one busy lady and she sums it up pretty well on her website: write. edit. cook. tweet. repeat.

As you might gather from that statement, Karen is a jack of all trades...she writes, she cooks, she tell stories...you may recall a little thing called Rain City Chronicles?! I'm sure you know by know that she's one half of the brilliant team that created this wonderful event that happens so frequently in our city.

Well she ALSO just finished her Culinary Diploma from Northwest Culinary Academy, and whipped out (pun intended!) some fancy cooking words at dinner that I had to write down and google later...

Well those are the basics on my dining partner...now onto the dinner at Che Baba on Kingsway. Your mouth is about to water...be prepared.

Wonderful wine to start the meal off...

Poached Pear and Endive Salad - with almonds, gorgonzola and sweet mustard dressing

Perfect time to segue.... Do you remember a while ago when we made a print version of VIA and in it we had two recipes and a video to go along with it? Well the Grouse Grind meal was made by Karen!...refresh your memory by watching it here.

Oh and I've got to mention that Karen and her partner have one of the cutest dog's ever, who modelled for us in that very same magazine...thanks Luca!

Warm Caramelized Onion Tart - with Bleu D'Auvergne and rosemary

Of course I had to ask Karen the Dinner With questions!:

Favourite Foods?:"Like flavours to have in your mouth?" (Karen, this is why we love you.) -- "Gelato = salty taffy w/ dark chocolate chunks and sea salt. I get positive flashbacks 20mins later." - "Classic? Moules-frities - but the mussels have to be done on the bbq and the frites have to be double deep fried!" - "Homemade bacon! - Maple bourbon bacon, like what I made at the Mini Maker Faire last year."

Favourite Restaurants?: Campagnolo - "Homey atmosphere, great for family gatherings/receptions and dinners"; Bo Laksa King Bubbles and Bits - "I'm on the hunt for the best laksa, they have the best that I've found in Vancouver so far!"; My House - "Now that I have the skills to make something!"

Wild Mushroom and White Truffle Risotto

Che Baba has a daily fish special, and as you see above, this one did not disappoint!

If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be…?:

"Wendell Berry...he thinks/writes/speaks about our relationship with food and the land - philosophical characteristics of our world's existence. If we're going to come up with a solution to our food situation, he'll be part of it. I'd love to have him for two hours at dinner."

Homemade Macarons - all of them were amazing, as was the chocolate.

Once again, I have to thank the amazing staff at Che Baba for hosting us and feeding us some AMAZING food.

Stay tuned for the next installment in our Dinner With… series, set at another one of Vancouver’s best restaurants with another one of Vancouver’s best humans.