"NOW is the time to set your sights high and go for it."
The slip of paper curled inside the fortune cookie was as clichéd as any I'd busted out before it, but in this case, the timing made it conspicuous.
I'd been thinking a lot about change; about the ways it makes you stretch and grow, and about how little I'd had of that lately. There was plenty of creative learning and growing when I first began writing The Dish.
It was more than 12 years ago that North Shore News managing editor Terry Peters asked me if I wanted to start writing the restaurant column.
I'd already been editing the Taste section: deciding on stories and content; finding and writing about interesting products, people and events; laying out pages, copy editing, and writing headlines. I'd worked in restaurants since the first dishwashing gig my brother lined up for me when I was 14, and only hung up my server's apron after landing a full-time job at the paper, so it was a good fit.
Taking on a column was another story.
A columnist must have an opinion and be prepared to stand by it. Readers will sometimes make dining choices based on that opinion, so honesty is important.
But this newspaper is woven into a rich community fabric made up of hundreds of small, family-owned businesses, and I have always been aware that my words may impact them. It is not a responsibility I have ever taken lightly. I've tried to be fair, but honest, and to frame any criticism in a constructive way.
Early on, I decided not to run my photo with my column, and to make reservations under my husband's last name. I'm not anonymous, and I've accepted many invitations that offered a good story angle or opportunities to learn, but I don't trade on my name or my job. When I'm reviewing, I endeavor to have the same dining experience that any other customer does.
I found out quickly that a restaurant critic doesn't need to be a fussy diner. Just the opposite: you need an open mind and heart, and an adventurous palate.
I learned about food and wine (and beer, and spirits). I spent two months' worth of Saturdays volunteering in the kitchen of a luxury hotel downtown, discovering the intricate choreography that goes into a restaurant meal.
I took wine and cooking classes, toured wineries and organic farms, sabered Champagne bottles and served as a judge in everything from clam chowder competitions to the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards.
I ate delicious (and sometimes not so delicious) food and drank wine in restaurants, farmers' fields and vineyards, under the stars and next to campfires. Best of all, I met passionate and dynamic chefs, restaurateurs, producers, farmers and winemakers; I found friends and mentors; and I was able to establish a relationship with you, my readers.
I have been so incredibly lucky.
Now it's time for the next course: for new creative challenges. I'm leaving The Dish, but I'll be taking what I've learned here and launching my own public relations firm, focusing on what else? The food and wine industry.
Next week, there will be a new writer in this space.
North Shore resident Chris Dagenais knows restaurants. He has a lengthy list of restaurant work on his resume, including GM and sommelier for The Observatory on Grouse Mountain, and stints at Hotel Vancouver, working in both 900 West and Griffins.
He has a terrific way with words and is genuinely excited to explore the North Shore restaurant scene (and beyond), and to share it with News readers. I couldn't be happier with the choice - he's going to do a great job.
As for me, I have some thanks to hand out: to my family and friends for accompanying me on many, many dining adventures; to my parents for reading and clipping out every column; to the North Shore News for giving me the space and the opportunity; and to my editor Terry Peters for always backing me up.
Most of all, to you: thanks for reading. Perhaps we'll run into each other while we're dining out in a restaurant one of these days.
I'll be the one who isn't taking notes.
Terry Peters, Managing editor
