Borscht at the Cafe

When I first began working with the Flyway Farm & Forest crew, I remember a moment where I was spending some time sitting on the bench that overlooks the Columbia Wetlands. The mountains were tall and the ecosystem in the water was alive and buzzing. It was a beautiful view, and the food to go with it was better. I only come out to the café for about a week once a month, with this trip being the first of many. Something important to know about me is that Ive got this weird allergy- dill! That means no pickles, most greek food is off limits, and a lot of the foods that I have cultural connections to are a no go. Because of this, I am always on a hunt for a good Borscht that I can eat without needing a Benadryl or Epipen at hand! For those who don’t know and have never gotten to experience it, Borscht is a soup traditional made in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It’s made from beets, is tangy and is super flavourful. It’s the kind of soup you can’t stop eating and makes you feel at home wherever you find it. Bernie made me a bowl of Borscht with no dill, and it was some of the best Borscht I’ve ever had. He was able to confirm for me that there was no dill at all in the bowl he gave me because he made it with his own hands. This really showed me the amount of care that my new coworkers showed.

There’s something special about getting food customized for your needs at a café. It totally personalizes your experience and makes you instantly feel welcome. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have gone to a restaurant and had somebody tease me about my dill allergy. I fully admit that it is a weird one, but the mentality around it makes you feel like you have a whole section of the menu to avoid just incase. If I see Salmon or the ominous description of “herbs” listed on a menu I have to choose between avoiding it or having the waiter break composure at just how weird of an allergy it is. When I am able to ask for a menu adjustment and the Spilli Station staff don’t blink an eye I can’t begin to explain how welcome I feel, especially if it means I get a special bowl of my favourite soup.

I remember in my first week of work, I got an excited message from Patti and Bernie with an image of a tasty looking wrap. The excitement was well founded, because they got the opportunity to create a completely vegetarian wrap for a visitor. This is something from a café that I’ve never heard of before, and I was absolutely amazed that they made it happen. I can only imagine having vegetarianism as a dietary restriction, going to a café and asking for a vegetarian menu, and then being just asked “what are you hungry for we will make it”. I can only imagine feeling so welcomed by that offer; not only do you get to avoid the struggle of looking through a half menu with nothing you enjoy on it, you also get these wonderful people pouring their passion into serving you specifically.

I know this probably sounds biased because I work for the Flyway Farm & Forest, but if you are somebody with dietary restrictions of any kind, make sure you make a trip to the café. It’s such a special, welcoming, and wholesome experience. Having worked with Patti and Bernie, I can tell you for a fact that they are some of the good ones, and I will never get over how welcomed that bowl of Borscht made me feel when I joined the team.

-Myah, Storyteller in Residence