The Gabriel's Cafe poke bowl is piled high with fresh ingredients and offers a refreshing mix of tastes. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

new bowl

Signature Dish: Gabriel’s Cafe’s poke bowl

May 14, 2021 | 10:16 AM

NANAIMO — It’s a new spin on a classic dish so fresh you can taste it.

The new poke bowl found on the Gabriel’s Cafe menu brings together fresh ingredients from local farms and fisheries to create a scintillating and delicious meal.

“Our poke bowl uses as many local ingredients as possible,” co-owner Gabriel Schacher said. “The tuna we use is Albacore tuna caught off the west coast of Vancouver Island. At the moment the greens come from Farmship Growers Co-op in Yellowpoint and we have shoots on it from Early Girl Urban Farm off Jingle Pot Rd.”

The poke bowl will change as growing season progresses, so the meal you have today won’t be the same meal you have a few months from now.

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Generous portions of vegetables top a healthy scoop of rice, dressed in sesame seeds and two different sauces. The cubed Albacore tuna is perfectly seasoned and adds a refreshing kick to the meal.

“We get told all the time by our customers they can test the freshness in it,” Schacher said. “They taste the love farmers put into the food and then our cooks put into it.”

Though Gabriel’s is traditionally known as a famous breakfast haunt, it could become even more well known for the poke bowl. It’s been on their menu since they re-opened after the first closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schacher said the pandemic easing throughout the area showed how important it is to dedicate space on their menu and in their dishes for local ingredients.

“As the pandemic has shown, if long-distance supply lines are down it’s more important than ever to have access to fresh food.”

Using the freshest ingredients has always been close to Schacher and his wife’s heart, based on how they were raised.

“We’ve created a culture here supporting that. Fresh, healthy food makes our customers happy.”

Every dollar spent by Gabriel’s at a local vendor goes right back into the local economy.

“It creates more jobs all around. It’s a lower impact on the environment with a lower carbon impact because it’s getting delivered from just down the road, not from across the continent or across the world. No chemicals are used growing the ingredients.”

Every time you take a bite of a delicious Gabriel’s meal, you can know it’s as fresh as could possibly be.

Gabriel’s Cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day at their Commercial St. location. They’re open for outdoor patio dining and delivery.

Online ordering options are available at gabrielscafe.ca.

Signature Dish is brought to you by Island Savings – A Division of First West Credit Union, learn more at https://www.islandsavings.ca/.

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