Neighbours: Bobby Lax of TUCG

We decided to kick off our neighbourhood Profiling with none other than Bobby Lax! The king of produce, and the inspiration for our newsletter, this guy is for sure a local legend.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with TUCG :

“The Tofino Ucluelet Culinary Guild is a non-profit organization that connects Vancouver Island farmers, fishermen, foragers and food producers to families, restaurants, groceries and businesses on the west coast. We strive to make local food more accessible and affordable while providing a reliable market for small and passionate farms. “

(Taken from their website @ https://www.tucg.ca/default.asp )

Why did you start TUCG?

TUCG found me as there was a group of restaurants in town (Shelter, SoBo, Wickaninnish Inn, Spotted Bear Bistro) and Jeff Mikus as a fisherman who approached me and said they wanted to work together to buy food and ship it collaboratively to the coast. They were buying from some of the same farms and shipping separately, dealing with the headaches of the logistics separately and just scratching the surface of sourcing from some of BC great independent producers. There was opportunity for it to be a win win for both the restaurants and producers. What I remember is that in a meeting I was invited to they told me the idea and said "we don’t know how much you will work, what we can pay you, or exactly what the job will look like but if you want to help us access more farm direct food the job is yours .

How good does it feel bringing delicious food to the people at the end of the road?

Definitely feel privileged to be the connector of dots between our area's love of good food and some of B.C.s best food producers. This gig kind of fell into my lap. It has been a 12 year grind but we have grown up as an organization so much especially in the last 3 or 4 years. Moving into our digs on Industrial Way helped us take the next step in 2015. It especially feels good now, we have an amazingly committed staff who enjoys working hard but always makes sure to keep it light while we do. Whenever I read my kids Richard Scarry books and see the character 'grocer cat', it makes me chuckle and feel grateful I have that sort of defined role in a town that so many people come to to try to figure out where and what they should be. I got lucky.

Most memorable item you’ve brought on ? (or most memorable experience at TUCG) :

So many Krause 'Vision' Corn, Tatlo Farm everything, Freedom Farm Carolina Gold Tomatoes, Hofmann Farm Salad, FV Hazelnuts, Klatt Farm Lapin Cherries, Oxheart Plums but ultimately I am a peach lover as its the northern hemisphere's closest fruit to a mango, so yeah the first time I bit into a Rothe Orchard Angelus Peach. For anyone who has been a member for the last two seasons when we started getting softball size bio-dynamic peaches from Martin Rothe they will know what I am talking about. They are chin dribblering only-eat-out-in the-parking-lot sort of peaches. They come in at their very juiciest right around the last week of august when summer is in its fleeting season but so perfectly capture the place and time.

Weirdest thing you've ever eaten?

Dried maguey worms in Oaxaca City, which as a side note as a city is some of the best eating I have ever done and probably the most culturally rich place I have ever been to.

Describe your perfect beach day

Flo, by the swing that hangs from the tree, full day, kids boogie boarding, me longboarding shoulder high waves with my wife April while someone watches the kids on the rising tide, light offshore, session of clay sculpting and rock skipping up the river, lots of peaches, cherries, mini cucumbers, can of smoked tuna and crackers, and then grabbing a meatball pizza at Abbondanza pizza on the way home and stopping at Long beach for the sunset. Writing this its crazy to think how lucky we are here.

Last home-cooked meal?

Creamy Pinto Beans, aged cheddar, Tortilla chips, an egg, Herdez salsa verde, and Mango and Turmeric 'Hotter Tuff' by Tofino Hot Sauce Co.,That combo is about a once a week go to

Favorite thing about Industrial way?

Its a 3 minute walk to my work from my house in Yew wood and it has a brewery, dispensary, distillery, meat and cheese shop, fish shop sandwiches and pizza take out all within like 500ft. Also for us at TUCG having fun neighbours like Long Beach Auto and MEC Electrical definitely comes through in a pinch when your truck or your industrial grade overhead lights stop working, both of which have happened in the last two weeks.

Munchie Recommendation?

We eat a lot of popcorn in our house, and I put butter and just a bit of honey on mine because I like sweet and salty. Also as a kid when I went to movie theatres I would always get glossette raisins with my popcorn. Now that I am grown up (and never get to go to the movies) at least once a day I will put half a handful of the 70% dark chocolate pieces we have and add another partial handful of raisins and eat them at the same time, sending me back to my childhood but in a better tasting way.

How does it feel being neighbours’s to Tofino’s first Weed store?

Awesome love what you guys bring to the hood. Professional, fun, and you know your goods. I can't imagine the number of hoops you had to jump through to get to that distinction but I think you really understood what was on the line in doing that store in a way that had some good style and didn’t look like Cheech and Chongs Tofino adventure. Love some of the signs you have around the place, lots of pro touches.

And last but not least; Let's get to the bottom of your hacky sack experience. You once said you couldn’t pass a hacky sack circle without joining. Please give the readers some more information on this personal pact..

I played a ton of hacky sack in high school with friends, at the time I definitely would have been one of Daylights biggest supporters if you were in my hood then (but only ever after school, I never mixed the two well). Lunches, reccess hackey sack was usually a go to and definitely brings me back and makes me think of those times with my closest and longest running friends. I rarely pass by a hacky sack circle these days but have that commitment to play if I see one (if its decent) to connect with my younger care free self because it’s not everyday that gets to happen now since I am sort of grown up.

Thank you,

Bobby

Make sure to sign up for Bobby’s Newsletter, and get yourself a TUCG membership too while your at it!