From Soil to Soul: A Sustainable Farm-to-Table Journey with West Coast Farm t0 Table

Some legacies are written in books, others in stone. For Mike, the founder of West Coast Farm to Table, his legacy was planted in the soil of his grandparents’ garden.

Mike grew up in Burnaby, in the home of his maternal grandparents; Italian immigrants who had arrived in Canada in the 1950s carrying little more than resilience, tradition, and an unshakable belief that food should come from the earth. His grandfather tended a flourishing garden, and his grandmother made sure that nearly every meal was prepared from what it yielded. Tomatoes, greens, herbs, beans… food was not just nourishment; it was a way of life.

That life was long and well-lived. His grandfather thrived until 90, his grandmother until 103. Mike attributes their remarkable health and longevity to their diet of real, honest food, grown with care, eaten in season, and shared around the table. As a boy, he was fortunate that his mother lived close by her parents, which meant he inherited more than just family stories; he inherited a way of growing, cooking, and appreciating food.

For years, Mike carried that reverence for food into the world of hospitality, rising to become a Food & Beverage Hotelier for 5-star hotels in downtown Vancouver. He loved the rhythm of the work: the rush of service, the joy of crafting experiences that made people linger at the table a little longer. But when the pandemic reshaped the industry, the spark was gone. The lively atmosphere he had once thrived in had turned flat, transactional, and joyless. Mike realized it was time to listen to the pull of something deeper.

In 2021, with his wife Larissa and her parents, he purchased an acreage just outside Langley. The land was unpolished and weathered by time, but Mike saw what it could become. With the help of his father-in-law, his own father, and a loyal circle of friends, he began restoring it piece by piece. The project became more than a farm; it became a new life chapter. By 2023, Mike stepped away from hotels for good, dedicating himself fully to the soil. What he found there was confirmation: this was where he was meant to be.

Today, West Coast Farm to Table is guided by a philosophy of sustainability and regeneration. Rows of vegetables - from crisp romaine to fiery ghost peppers - stretch across the land. A beautiful custom greenhouse protects the less-hardy produce to extend its growing season. Chickens, rabbits, and goats provide food in the tradition of Mike’s Italian heritage. And in the fertile Okanagan Valley in Oliver, friends lease them 20 additional acres, where thousands of pounds of tomatoes and peppers are grown and harvested each year both as ingredients for their farm boxes and catering company and to become their signature single-ingredient tomato sauce and handcrafted hot sauce.

But West Coast Farm to Table is more than a working farm: it’s a gathering place. With his longtime friend Andy, a restaurateur of 35 years, Mike launched Anducci’s Catering, which now serves multiple events daily, from weddings to corporate gatherings. Their signature farm dinners - long tables set beneath open skies - bring guests closer to the source of their food, reminding them that the best meals are those where the farmer and chef work in concert.

The farm itself is stunning. At the top of the drive stands a beautiful farm store, built by Mike’s own hands, stocked with fresh eggs, house-made beef jerky, golden jars of honey, garlic, dried herbs and peppers, frozen meals, whole chicken (from their friends at Campbell Valley Organic Farms) and Larissa’s creations like her fragrant apple pie jam. Custom farm boxes, overflowing with the week’s harvest, can be ordered with a simple phone call.

And soon, there will be more. Together with his fathers, Mike is crafting a GORGEOUS new event space from reclaimed wood and salvaged windows; the venue blends rustic charm with thoughtful design. It has its own bar room, majestic high ceilings, a generous open-concept long table dining space, and even a display for Mike’s beloved vintage Model A car (Mike is also a car enthusiast through and through). The vision is simple: to create a place where food, history, and community can converge.

At the end of our visit, Mike sent me home with a GIANT box of farm-fresh goodies: zucchini, celery, leeks, peppers, eggs, and much more! Inspired, I decided to treat it like a mystery basket, my own version of Chopped (remember that TV show?). From that abundance came three dishes:

• Ghost Pepper Sauce: a nod to the farm’s fiery side

• Shakshuka: built on their tomato sauce and brightened with farm-fresh vegetables, herbs, and eggs

• Chili and Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Icing: proof that even dessert can be rooted in the garden

The recipes that follow are my way of carrying the spirit of West Coast Farm to Table from their fields to my kitchen - and now, to yours. I've marked each ingredient that I received in my farm box from West Coast Farm to Table with an asterisk* so you can see the true farm-to-table inspiration! For all West Coast Farm to Table contact information, please scroll down past the recipes to the bottom of this page!

Balanced Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce

Ghost peppers are no joke. They’re one of the hottest chilies in the world, so making hot sauce with them means balancing their intense heat with acidity, sweetness, and flavor. These fiery peppers aren’t something you’ll find at your local grocery store because their extreme spiciness keeps them firmly in the “specialty” category. But luckily, West Coast Farm to Table grows a wide range specialty peppers (including ghost peppers) so adventurous cooks can enjoy this unique ingredient straight from the farm.

Here’s a safe, small-batch ghost pepper hot sauce recipe that balances flavor and heat without becoming a pure pain challenge.

The Recipe:
Makes: ~1½ cups
Heat level: VERY HOT (can be toned down with fewer peppers)

Ingredients:
• 2–3 fresh ghost peppers* (use gloves and avoid touching your face)
• 4–5 small sweet peppers (for body and mild pepper flavor)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled*
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped (adds sweetness and color)
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup vinegar (white or apple cider- I used apple cider)
• ½ cup water
• 1–2 tbsp honey* (optional, but balances the acidity & heat)
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions:
1. Prepare safely: Wear gloves (or if you’re like me and don’t own food prep gloves – a Ziploc bag over each hand works just as well). Ghost pepper oils can burn skin for hours and irritate eyes and lungs. Work in a ventilated area. Seriously. And, thoroughly wipe down any surfaces that the peppers touch. I prepared this whole recipe outside on my BBQ’s grill and side burner just to be safe!

2. Roast the ghost peppers whole until slightly charred but not burnt. You can do this in the oven, on the stove (fan on high!), or outside on the BBQ grill. I chose to BBQ mine on the grill with the heat on med-high (takes about 3 mins a side).

3. Sauté the veg:
• In a saucepan, heat a little olive oil over medium
• Add carrots, onion, and sweet peppers, cook for about 5 min until softened
• Add garlic and ghost peppers and cook for 1–2 minutes more

4. Simmer:
• Add vinegar, water, and salt
• Bring to a simmer and cook until carrots are soft (about 10 minutes)

5. Blend:
• Carefully transfer to a blender (or use immersion blender)
• Blend until completely smooth
• Taste. If it’s too acidic, add honey a little at a time

6. Bottle & store:
• Pour into sterilized glass bottles/jars
• Keep in the fridge (it will last 2-3 months)

Tips for Control:
• For less heat: Use only half a ghost pepper to start, then taste before adding more
• For more tang: Add a little lemon or lime juice at the end

Farm-to-Table Shakshuka

The Recipe:
Serves: 2 -3
Prep time: ~ 10 minutes
Cook time: ~20 minutes

 Ingredients:
• 1 cup fresh leek, cleaned and diced*
• 1 cup zucchini, diced*
• 1 cup celery, diced*
• 1 - 2 cups West Coast Farm to Table tomato sauce*
• 4 eggs*
• Fresh parsley, chopped (about ¼ cup)*
• Fresh sage, finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp)*
• Olive oil or butter for sautéing
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Sauté the veg:
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
• Add celery and cook 3–4 minutes until softened
• Add zucchini and leek and sauté until just tender

2. Add tomatoes & herbs:
• Stir in tomatoes sauce, sage, parsley, and a pinch of salt and pepper
• Let simmer for 5–7 minutes to thicken slightly

3. Make wells for the eggs:
• Use a spoon to make little dips in the sauce. Crack eggs into the wells
• Cover with a lid and cook on low until whites are set but yolks are still runny (about 4–6 minutes)

4. Finish & serve:
• Drizzle lightly with honey and/or ghost pepper hot sauce if desired
• Sprinkle with more fresh parsley
• Serve hot with fresh bread to scoop up the sauce

Chili and Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Cream Cheese Icing

The Recipe:
The same tried and true double chocolate zucchini bread recipe from my previous blog but I swapped the granulated sugar for the same volume of honey AND added 1 tsp of ground cinnamon and 1 1/2 tsp of finely-crushed dried red chilis* into the dry mix. These are the little red chilis I got in my farm box (about 1-1.5" long). Additionally, I opted to bake the batter in a heart-shaped cake molds instead of a loaf pan so I could ice and decorate the resulting cakes but the batter can also be cooked in a muffin tin. The ingredients for this recipe from West Coast Farm to Table: zucchini, eggs, honey, and red chilis.

To Dehydrate & Powder The Chilis:

To be truly farm-to-table, I dehydrated some of the fresh red chilis I received from West Coast Farm to Table in the oven and then crushed/powdered them. But you could use 1 tsp of chili powder instead. Here's how I did it-

1: Wash the peppers and place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet or wire rack.

2: Preheat your oven to its lowest setting, typically around 140–180°F, and place the peppers inside.

3: Dehydrate for 5–12 hours, or until the peppers are completely dry and brittle, checking hourly to prevent burning.

4: Remove the dehydrated chilis from the oven and let cool.

5: Pinch the stems off the top of each pepper and then shake the seeds out of them onto a paper towel

6: Crush the peppers in a mortar and pestle or zap them in a clean coffee grinder until finely-powdered

The Icing:

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions:
1. Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand or electric mixer and beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free

2. Add vanilla extract and salt and stir well to combine

3. Mix with mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until completely combined

4. Frost the top of your zucchini bread with the finished product

5. Shake a VERY light dusting of chili powder on top of the icing and then garnish with a whole dried chili pepper or two for visual effect!

At the end of the day, West Coast Farm to Table is about more than just growing food: it’s about cultivating connection to the land, to the seasons, and to the joy of sharing beautiful meals made with care in exquisite settings. If you’d like to experience it for yourself, their farm store is open to the public from Friday-Sunday 11am-5pm. You can also order a custom farm box, packed with just-harvested produce to fit any budget - simply call them at 1-604-968-8445. To plan or book an event in their gorgeous new space, please connect with them directly here. And don't hesitate to give them a follow on Facebook and Instagram.