by Morri Mostow
Sutton sushi supplier switches outlets in Knowlton
Attention
Knowlton sushi lovers: Don’t despair! With the closing of La Poire Dorée natural food store, you can now find your
favorite fresh sushi next door at Marché Jimmy. Sutton’s Vanha
Fish Market will begin delivering a dozen of its most popular varieties of
sushi — vegetarian, cooked (shrimp or crab) and raw fish — to Jimmy’s on
Fridays, and more often during the busy summer months. Customers can also order
more than 40 different kinds of Vanha sushi at Jimmy’s.
Sushi has become an important niche for John Vanha and
his wife Lise Charbonneau, who have been in the fish business in Sutton for
almost 30 years. Along with their prospering fish business, they are also
Canada’ leading manufacturer of lobster tanks.
Owner John Vanha says that sushi must be made with the
freshest of fish — a natural for Vanha Village Fish Market, which supplies fish
to the region’s fish stores, grocery stores, restaurants, golf courses and
inns. “Because of our huge volume, we always have fresh, high quality
products,” explains Vanha, who buys most of his fish directly from fisher
co-ops in Canada and imports directly from Hawaii and Japan.
When the Vanhas opened their Sutton retail fish store
six years ago, they looked for a value-added fresh-fish product to offer local
shoppers. Sushi fit the bill and was an instant hit. At first, a Japanese chef
made their sushi. Since learning the art of sushi from two traditional Japanese
chefs, the Vanhas now make it themselves.
Every year, the Vanhas attend the biggest
international fish shows, where they find all the newest sushi products, like
the new lines of smoked eel and raw yellow-tailed tuna they now incorporate in
their sushi. Over the last year, they’ve introduced a Japanese seaweed salad, a
divine concoction combining two types of marinated seaweed, with sesame oil and
sesame seeds. They have just returned from this year’s show in Boston, where
they picked up new salads (calamar, octopus and seafood) and new types of tofu,
which will be on sale at Vanha’s in coming months. Their store carries all the
sushi fixings so that customers rolling their own can find everything they
need, including exotic vegetables and tofu.
In addition
to supplying sushi to Knowlton, Vanha’s also supplies the Metro Lussier in
Waterloo, the IGA Lefebvre in Granby, plus several Montreal-area stores. Very
soon, its sushi will be available in Cowansville, Farnham, Richelieu, Magog and
Sherbrooke. To ensure that every outlet gets a sufficient volume of sales,
Vanha’s supplies just one outlet exclusively in each town. Vanha’s goes even
further by running sushi workshops so that its outlets can advise customers
properly about sushi’s quality, nutritional value and typical serving portions.
“When you’re
eating raw fish, it has to be fresh,” says Vanha. “We are very selective. Our
fish has to come from unpolluted waters and be raised in an ecologically
friendly way. We like to know how our farm fish are raised and what they are
fed. Our goal is to sell quality products through knowledgeable merchants.”
Marché Jimmy
Tradition, 242 Knowlton Road, Knowlton. Tel: (450) 242-1144.
Poissonnerie du
Village Vanha, 27 Principale Nord, Sutton. Tel: (450) 538-FISH www.poissonnerievanha.qc.ca
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A Mother’s Day draw on May 12 will help launch Knowlton’s newest catering service, Sushi Chez Vous. What’s the prize? Sushi for 12 prepared in your own kitchen by owner/chef Chris Marks, who will even bring the chopsticks! Entry forms are available at Virgo Catering (255 Knowlton Road) and Hurricane Grace (285 Knowlton Road).
Sushi Chez Vous. For reservations call (450) 242-0834
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Last month, the Brome Lake Chamber of Commerce hosted its
first breakfast to welcome new businesses to the Town of Brome Lake. “We’re
returning to our original mandate ‘to bring businesses together for the
betterment of the community’,” explains Ian Warnock, now into his second term
as Chamber president. A welcoming committee chaired by Mireille Lemaître invited several new and
established businesses to Le Relais in downtown Knowlton, where they discussed
issues of common interest over breakfast.
New business owners were Joanne Wallace Vachon from Bright Colors (an art supplies service) and her husband, Peter Vachon, from PCV & Associates; Angela Pieracini and Larry Norton of Frostys Bistro (formerly Cedrics), all in Knowlton, and Albert and Martine Haller of The Eagle’s Nest B&B, in Brome.
Sharing their experiences with the newcomers were Knowlton businesswomen Jodi Mallinson, owner of Hurricane Grace, Debbie Hornig, manager of Woolrich, and Jeannette LeBlanc, owner of Eureka!.
“We want to make new business people feel welcome and give
them an opportunity to network,” says Lemaître. “The event also lets us explain the Chamber’s role in the
community.”
Established business owners interested in sharing their expertise with new businesses at an upcoming welcome breakfast should call the Chamber at (450) 242-2870. www.cclacbrome.qc.ca