Farewell to a Fabulous Summer

This past summer was a season full of growth!

In late July, Heidi and Cat spent a few mornings out in the warm sun planting over 50 square feet of new urban garden space near restaurant members across the city. This included Yalla, Olive the Senses, Whole Foods’ Fin & Pearl eatery, and Prima Strada. We also worked with Foo Asian Street Food to transform a previously under-used patch of dirt next to their patio into a 21’ raised bed. Nearby at the intersection of Yates St and Blanshard St, our first community planter box was installed on the boulevard, giving locals and tourists access to a fresh edible garden.

We want these gardens to spark conversation about the potential for urban agriculture to exist in our downtown core. The planter boxes are also a neat piece of branding for our restaurant members, serving as a visual cue for consumers looking for a local and environmentally-conscious food experience. And (this goes without saying), they’re just really beautiful!

To continue on our growing trajectory, FED was recently approved for a $2,000 infrastructure grant provided by the Downtown Victoria Business Association. These funds will help grow and maintain the FED gardens for all to enjoy.

To toast another wonderful summer we raised our cocktail glasses at the annual Get FED Summer Party which took place on August 31st. We had a lovely evening catching up with friends and connecting with new ones as we sampled delicious food and drink, watched amazing live performances, and tried our luck at the raffle table. A huge thank you has to go out to our members Chorizo & Co., Foo Asian Street Food, Olive the Senses, Pizzeria Prima Strada, Very Good Butchers, and Yalla who tabled at our event. We were able to sample everything from cold fresh ice cream, expertly made from liquid nitrogen by Olive the Senses, to hot tasty polpette dela casa, Prima Strada’s signature meatballs. While enjoying this food we also sipped wine from Alderlea Vineyards, drank beer from Hoyne Brewery, and tasted an original cocktail created by designHouse and The Nimble Bar Co. just for our party! Awesome outside patio furniture donated by Capital Iron kept our guests comfy-cozy well into the night and ChopValue had everyone thinking about the endless possibilities of what recycled chopsticks could be turned into. All in all, the event was a huge success and we cannot thank our FED members, sponsors, and guests enough for supporting FED!