... Gaëtane Palardy a troqué toque et habit blanc, après vingt ans passés en cuisine, pour allier ses trois passions : nourriture, voyage et enseignement. Une synthèse qu'elle exprime en citant Confucius : « Choisis un emploi qui te plaît et tu n'auras plus besoin de travailler un jour supplémentaire dans ta vie. »
... Depuis l'été dernier, son entreprise Island Gourmet Trails propose avec succès des tours gourmets, en anglais et en français.
...Plus que les aliments biologiques, c'est la fraîcheur et donc la proximité des produits qu'elle privilégie : « Tous les petits producteurs ne peuvent pas faire du 100 % biologique, ça ne veut pas pour autant dire que leurs champs sont survolés par des avions qui délestent des pesticides, ils vont au contraire travailler de façon artisanale. »

..one hour north to Courtenay and Hot Chocolate, an amazing bakery and pastry shop (and, we're told, the best ice cream, but we've got to draw the line somewhere). We've hired Gaetane Palardy of Island Gourmet Trails to drive us around. It proves to be a good idea - with just a few hours before the ferry from Comox to Powell River, Lorian and I don't want to waste time finding Nature's Way Farm and Moon Estate Winery.
Neither of us are fans of fruit wine, but the Dark Side 2009 made with local blackberries changes my mind. With just enough time for terrific wild salmon tacos at The Atlas Café and a bag of fresh cheese curds from Natural Pastures Cheese Company, we bid farewell to Gaetane. (If you're in town on June 17, Comox is hosting the BC Shellfish Festival.)

Many local residents and visitors already know why the Comox Valley has been long called the "land of Plenty", but Gaetane Palardy wants to show those who don't just why the Valley has that reputation.

... local chefs and apprentices from the North Vancouver Island Chefs Association took part in the market's annual Chefs Day.

..It was a superb introduction to culinary touring that included interesting conversations with the various company's owners and staff and generous samplings of their products. Palardy was a knowledgeable and entertaining guide who thoughtfully provided us with everything we needed- from background information, to water, sun screen and an umbrella for shade...

... IslandGourmetTrails.ca for planning your culinary adventure, the perfect educational, fun and tasty tour to take with a professional bilingual guide who lives and breathes the culinary arts.

"Hiring tour guides is better than driving yourself around unfamiliar environs searching for cool things to check out...
Island Gourmet Trails is a one-woman operation out of Courtenay. Gaëtane Palardy is a chef and educator turned tour guide who will show you the local culinary wonders, and there are many. This is a small community and Gaëtane knows all the foodies. She can make calls in the middle of the tour to change things up if desired. We visited Natural Pastures Cheese, Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, Fanny Bay Oyster Company, La Boulange Organic Breads, and Surgenor Brewing Company. We had an amazing time learning about the local producers and restaurateurs, but more importantly, we'd have never found half these places on our own."