Get a taste of favourite Greater Victoria restaurants at home with a cookbook that funds food security along the way, courtesy of a trio of local business students.
Island Bites & Nibbles is a family-friendly digital cookbook celebrating Vancouver Island’s vibrant food scene, courtesy of a team of bachelor of business administration students from Royal Roads University. Developed by Sanskriti Shetty, Aliya Skandry-Stoelben and Phil Berna, the cookbook is part of the students’ Online Venture Challenge – blending entrepreneurship, community impact, and real-world learning.
“This cookbook isn’t just about food – it’s about connection. We wanted to create something meaningful that brings families closer and supports our community at the same time,” the student team said in a news release.
Each recipe comes from a local restaurant and includes a kid-friendly version, encouraging families to cook together and explore diverse Island flavours. It also includes stories behind each restaurant’s journey with each shown on a hand-illustrated map, and comes with a chance to win a $25 gift card to one of the featured restaurants.
Participating restaurants benefit from added exposure, cross-promotion, and the chance to give back to a cause that directly supports their own communities. Confirmed partners already include Liberty Kitchen, Kurry King, The Rose Pub, Colwood Pizza, and Habitat Café, with more beloved eateries from Greater Victoria joining soon.
“Island Bites & Nibbles is about spotlighting our amazing culinary scene while giving families tools to bond over something joyful – food.”
The icing on the cake is that proceeds support Rainbow Kitchen, an Esquimalt-based charity challenging food insecurity in the region.
Specializing in programs that aim to strengthen food security on the South Island, Rainbow Kitchen features hot meals and food sharing. Each month, the organization serves about 10,000 meals and rescues roughly 10,000 pounds of food from growers, farmers and wholesalers to distribute market-style. Another program supports five area schools with more than 6,000 meals a month.
The digital cookbook officially launches Aug. 7 with pre-sales live at islandbitesnibbles.myshopify.com. Learn more about the charity at rainbowkitchen.ca.
