Ember & Tide
VANCOUVER ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Southern Roots · Pacific Soul
OUR STORY
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Some roots are planted in red clay. Some in salt water and old-growth forest. The best
cooking happens when you carry both.
EMBER & TIDE CATERING · VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC
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THE EMBER
Born in the South.
Raised by smoke.
16-hour alder-smoked brisket. Stone-ground shrimp and grits. Low Country Boils on butcher paper. Cast iron mac and cheese. Southern cooking isn't what we do — it's who we are. These skills don't retire. They travel.
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THE TIDE
Found on the Island.
Changed by the sea.
Wild BC Dungeness crab. Spot prawns from the Georgia Strait. Cedar-planked Pacific salmon. Cowichan Valley farmstead cheese. Okanagan fruit. Vancouver Island doesn't just feed our cooking — it transforms it.
ABOUT US
Where the Smokehouse Meets the Sea
Ember & Tide Catering was born from a simple truth: great food carries its origins with it. Our chef grew up in the South, where cooking was never casual — it was cultural. It was a 16-hour brisket smoked through the night. It was shrimp and grits that started with a roux you couldn't rush. It was the Low Country Boil laid out on butcher paper, the whole neighbourhood gathered around it, nobody going home until the pot was empty.
Those skills don't retire when you move. They travel. And when they arrived on Vancouver Island, they found something remarkable: a landscape so alive with extraordinary ingredients that every Southern recipe we knew became something greater. Our shrimp and grits are made with wild BC spot prawns and Cowichan Valley white cheddar. Our Low Country Boil swaps crawfish for Dungeness crab and manila clams. Our brisket smokes over Pacific alder wood instead of hickory — and it tastes like this island.
We are not a fusion concept. We don't blur traditions for novelty. We are Southern cooks, fully committed to the craft — who happen to be here, on one of the most ingredient-rich coastlines in the world. The result is cooking that is honest to both places at once.
Ember & Tide serves weddings, corporate events, private celebrations, and community gatherings from Victoria to Campbell River. We bring full-service catering to your venue — on the water, in the forest, in a heritage barn, on a clifftop — wherever Vancouver Island life takes you. What we bring with us is the smoke, the patience, and a cast iron skillet that has earned its weight.
"We cook with Southern conviction and Pacific gratitude. From the first smoke of the morning to the last ember of the night — we'll be at the
fire, cooking for you."
EMBER & TIDE CATERING CO. · VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC
HOW WE WORK
Three Things Guide Everything We Do
From an intimate dinner for twenty to a full island feast for three hundred.
01
Everything from Scratch. No Exceptions.
Our roux is hand-built. Our BBQ sauces are house-made. Our grits are stone-ground and slow-cooked in BC whole cream. Our brisket smokes for 14–16 hours. There are no shortcuts in this kitchen — and our guests taste the difference every single time.
02
Local First, Always
We source BC spot prawns, Dungeness crab, wild Pacific salmon, Cowichan Valley farmstead cheese, Okanagan fruit, island honey, and local craft spirits. When Vancouver Island grows it or pulls it from the water, we use it. Supporting local producers isn't a marketing line — it's how we cook.
03
The Table Is the Point
The South taught us that food is how communities gather. A Low Country Boil on butcher paper. Pulled pork sliders passed around a fire. A cast iron cobbler shared between strangers who leave as friends. We bring that spirit to every Vancouver Island event we touch.
SIGNATURE DISHES
What We're Known For
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The Pacific Low Country Boil
BC Dungeness crab, wild spot prawns, manila clams, andouille sausage, sweet corn, and baby potatoes — slow-boiled in spiced Pacific broth with craft beer and lemon, served on butcher paper with drawn butter and sourdough. A Southern community tradition. Pacific address.
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Alder-Smoked Pacific Brisket
Prime-grade brisket, dry-rubbed and smoked low and slow over Pacific alder for 14–16 hours until the bark sets and the fat cap renders through. Sliced to order with BC apple bourbon BBQ sauce. A commitment, not a recipe.
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Shrimp & Grits — The Island Way
Stone-ground white grits slow-cooked in BC whole cream, finished with aged Cowichan Valley cheddar. Topped with wild spot prawns sautéed in andouille drippings with garlic, roasted tomato, and a splash of BC white wine. Personal, proud, and perfect.
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Three-Cheese Cast Iron Mac & Cheese
Hand-shredded aged Cowichan Valley cheddar, Gruyère, and smoked Gouda in a slow hand-made roux, baked in the cast iron with a toasted breadcrumb crust. The dish we will never take off the menu. The dish people come back for.
OUR HOME
Vancouver Island, In Every Bite
We are based on Vancouver Island and we cook for this island — its people, its landscapes, its extraordinary seasons. Whether you're planning a waterfront wedding in Victoria, a corporate retreat on the Saanich Peninsula, a celebration in the Cowichan Valley, or a private gathering somewhere up-Island near Campbell River, we will come to you.
We know these roads. We know which local farms are harvesting this week. We know when the spot prawns are running. We know where the best alder grows. This island is not a backdrop for our food — it is an ingredient in it.
Ember & Tide Catering. Southern roots. Pacific soul. Vancouver Island, BC. From the first smoke of the morning to the last ember of the night — we'll be at the fire, cooking for you.