In 2002, after working as an assistant sommelier at Whistler's Araxi's, Roger was food & beverage manager for the Harvest Golf Club in the Okanagan, building an award winning wine program of over 250 selections. Stephanie was Guest Service Manager for Manteo Resort while pursuing her passion for cheese by completing BCIT's dairy processing course and apprenticing with Poplar Grove Cheese in Naramata.
In 2004 after moving to Summerland, Roger became the Hospitality Manager with Sumac Ridge Estate Winery & See Ya Later Ranch while Stephanie helped open the Summerland Waterfront Resort in her role as front office manager.
After years of planning, their long-held dream became a reality when in June 2008 the Victoria Rd Deli & Bistro was opened.
Robert Ingram
My family, and in particular my mother, held a genuine love of France, its wine and cuisine. My first contact with la douce France came at the age of 9 when we visited St Malo on the day, by chance, the Tour de France went through; in retrospect, a defining moment in my life. It was at that point my life-long love affair with France began. Over the years, I have eaten in hundreds of restaurants, from simple to the best, in virtually all regions of the country and gradually expanded my range and interests to the cuisines and wines of Spain, Italy and North America. For seven summers between 1955 and 1961, I worked for a Belgian hotelier in his hotel situated in Eze-sur-mer, only yards from the sea between Nice and Monte Carlo. Here, with colleagues who became friends, I learned the basics of the hotel and catering industry. Although later I became an academic, teaching French language, film and literature, I never lost my interest in anything to do with food and wine, indeed my career put me in a good position to pursue it. My writing until now has been mostly academic but it is with great pleasure that I now turn this skill to reporting on the restaurants of Vancouver and, occasionally, further afield.
Gretchen Ingram
I owe my first knowledge of all things culinary to two long summers spent at Point No Point Resort, near Sooke, on Vancouver Island. There, the formidable founder-owner-chef Evelyn Packham prepared breakfast, lunch, and dinner for her guests, who stayed in the isolated resort's cabins. Each summer, her staff were rigorously trained in the skills of waiting on tables, food preparation, general kitchen management. A retired army nurse, 'Miss P' as she was known, had high standards. She had lived in many places and appreciated a wide range of cuisine. She had a list of international wines available, although wine drinking was not a widespread habit in BC at the time. For anyone willing to learn, 'Miss P' was a source of inspiration and far ahead of her time, with her appreciation of locally sourced food such as barbecued salmon as well as a willingness to offer international dishes. I went on to study French and live in France, and then England, where I would avidly read cookbooks and cultivate herbs, blueberries, raspberries, even grapes in my garden. My tired and stained New York Times cook book attests to hours spent trying out well-known dishes from many countries, to serve to friends. My travels in France, Spain, Italy and Shanghai would begin with studying the language but always involved learning about the local cuisine. Living in Vancouver, where we are privileged to enjoy a wide range of eating out, is very exciting and nothing is more enjoyable than sharing our good experiences.
