The Newsroom
Q&A: Joanne Sasvari, author of “Vancouver Eats”
Joanne Sasvari, author of the newly released Vancouver Eats, is a journalist who covers food, drink, and travel for Vancouver Sun, WestJet and Destination BC, among others. She is the editor of Westcoast Homes & Design, The Alchemist, and Vitis magazines. Certified by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), she writes about spirits and cocktails for TASTEmagazine. She is also the author of Paprika: A Spicy Memoir from Hungary, Frommer’s EasyGuide to Vancouver and Victoria and The Wickaninnish Cookbook.
How do you normally start your day?
Tea and Twitter.
What are you reading at the moment?
I’ve been slowly grazing through Diana Henry’s glorious How to Eat a Peach and binging on Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians trilogy (which has made me crave noodles and satay). And now I’m devouring the just-released Lethal White, the fourth book in Robert Galbraith’s Cormorant Strike series.
What’s your favourite go-to ingredient?
Everything is better with butter.
What food is your guilty pleasure?
Hostess Hickory Sticks.
Who has influenced your cooking the most?
Julia, Alice, Ruth. Ruth Reichl’s Gourmet magazine is still my ideal of what food journalism should be. Alice Waters inspired me to respect the simple beauty of fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. And Julia Child is my idol – I still turn to her whenever I have a question about the right way to do anything, and wish I could rock a string of pearls like she could.
Is there a food you can’t bring yourself to eat?
I’ll taste anything once, but anyone who has ever experienced the Lyonnaise sausage called andouillette knows why I won’t be trying it a second time.
The thing I love about Vancouver is…
The food, of course! Xiao long bao in Richmond. Burgers in Gastown. King crab in April. Spot prawns in May. From its classic steakhouses to its lively izakayas, taco joints, noodle bars and sweet, sweet patisseries, this city offers an endless feast of delicious things to eat and drink.