Dunsmuir Lodge encourages, supports and promotes ecological consciousness in the hospitality industry.

Sustainability
The Lodge has long been known for its support for sustainable farming practices. Executive Chef Candace Hartley is a proactive member of the Island Chef’s Collaborative and has developed close working relationships with the local suppliers and farmers of southern Vancouver Island.

“When I first moved to Vancouver Island from Toronto, I was very excited to work in such a beautiful but small city. I settled in Brentwood Bay on the Saanich Peninsula and as I drove to work each day I marveled at the many small farms with their stands by the side of the road selling every kind of fruit and vegetable. I could not help noticing the wild blackberries that were growing everywhere. When I asked the suppliers if we could buy some blackberries, they said they were not available as nobody would pick them, the small farmers would not deliver and there wasn’t enough quantity to supply a large hotel. This was very frustrating, so as I drove around the countryside exploring, I would stop at the small stands and buy the most interesting produce I could find and get to know the farmers.

This is how I met the Austin family who have been picking wild blackberries for me over many years, along with many other local farmers who now grow specialty items for me at Dunsmuir Lodge. I fill my freezer with blackberries, raspberries, Logan berries, currants, gooseberries and more for use during the winter. I use local squash, pumpkins and corn in the fall, and as soon as the first rain comes in the fall I know my Chanterelle mushroom man will be at my back door.

I look forward to the seasons. The quality and the variety of the produce are truly inspiring. This is the reason I am still cooking and loving it. To live and work on Vancouver Island and to have access to the freshest seafood, to use fresh raised ostrich and duck (and know the farmer who raised it), to witness the start-up of a local wine region, to have really good goat cheeses available…this is a Chef’s dream and I am living it.”