'Hands Across the Border' brings St. Stephen and Calais together
It's a summertime tradition for residents of St. Stephen, N.B., and Calais, Maine to meet in the middle of their international bridge to exchange flags, shake hands, and hug.
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Alex Kwok has his plate full: taking a bite out of New Brunswick's local culinary scene. 'New Brunswick as a whole has a lot of amazing places to eat, and no one's covering them,' Kwok tells CTV News Atlantic. Kwok is best known online as The East Coast Eater. Since 2020, the New Brunswicker has been creating upbeat videos and posting them online. Most feature him and his wife, Michelle, trying local restaurants, pubs and cafes. Alex Kwok Alex Kwok shares New Brunswick's culinary scene through his social media channel: The East Coast Eater. (Source: TikTok) 'It was another idea born out of COVID,' explains Kwok. 'We don't normally go to cities or places to see the museums. Like, we love learning about the history and the culture, but I think we learn a lot more through the food that we experience, and we always kind of tie a lot of memories to that.' Kwok, who doesn't work in the culinary scene, said he wanted to start his own video diary of his food experiences, filming on his smartphone and sharing it with others who had common interests. His videos caught on. Five years and some editing upgrades later, he has a strong following: Over 13,000 followers on Instagram (including N.B. Premier Susan Holt) and 28,000 on TikTok. 'It's been a really cool experience. I find that the people that follow are locals, and they're people who care about local restaurants, and supporting those local businesses. And so, I find that even though it's not a huge count, the engagement is wildly disproportionate to that of maybe some other accounts, and I credit that to the restaurants. I credit that to people who really care about New Brunswick businesses.' While primarily based in Fredericton and Saint John, Kwok films videos across the province. He visits restaurants, market vendors, food trucks and more. He often records himself finding the business, ordering and chatting with the owners, before filming the food and his reaction to the first bite. It could be a sit-down experience, out on a patio, or from a takeout container inside his car. 'I like focusing on the things that bring nostalgia, memories and comfort to me,' says Kwok. 'And that's why my coverage is everything from smashed burgers to six course Wagyu tasting menus. Everything has its own kind of story that needs to be told, and it also brings its own versions of comfort that we've all experienced to different points. And I think that's really what I end up loving showcasing.' Big bump in business One of Kwok's most viewed videos features Boulangerie Seoul, a bakery and cafe in the Silverwood-area of Fredericton. It was published in February 2024, and shows Kwok ordering egg tarts, a bombolone and a cookie. In the video, Kwok tears up on camera, saying 'this reminds me of egg tarts in Macau, wow, I'm getting a little emotional.' 'Alex's video had an incredible impact on our bakery for about three weeks after he visited,' says Seulah Jang, the owner of Boulangerie Seoul. 'Literally, everything in the shop was selling out, every single day. It was such a happy, overwhelming experience.' Seulah Jang Seulah Jang is the owner of Boulangerie Seoul in Fredericton, N.B. (Source: Seulah Jang) The bakery, which opened in 2023, serves French pastries with Korean aesthetics. Jang, who owns the café with her husband, Seungho Kim, says their business has tripled in the past year, resulting in the hiring of two more staff members. 'We don't have big marketing budgets or fancy campaigns, but someone like Alex shines a light on what we do,' adds Jang. 'One year later, we still have people from across Atlantic Canada coming into our business saying they came because of that video.' Seulah Jang and Seungho Kim Seulah Jang and Seungho Kim, owners of Boulangerie Seoul in Fredericton, N.B. (Source: Seulah Jang) Jang also attributes Kwok's genuine video as part of the reason for its popularity. 'I think that authenticity makes all the difference,' says Jang. 'He came because he loved our food. I think that honesty is what made his video connect with people, that's what brought them through our doors.' Authenticity is also one of the 'main things' Kwok looks for while dining. 'Something that has culture and heart baked into the menu and into the presentation,' adds Kwok. 'I actually don't necessarily care if it's a fancy place or not, but I do care that there is that love and care and time put into a menu.' Taste trip It's that taste of home that hit Kwok in the heart-and stomach, after eating at Boulangerie Seoul. 'I grew up in Ontario, and I'm a Chinese background,' says Kwok. 'Food is such a big part of Chinese culture. I have such strong memories associated with certain flavours that I just didn't necessarily get to experience as much in New Brunswick. And that's no fault of anyone, but I just hadn't seen a lot of that flavour profile out here. So, when I took that first bite of the egg tart, I just had this very nostalgic, sentimental attachment to it. All these memories of childhood dim sum experiences – all that flooded into my head. And it just made me emotional because it's reminding me of family. It's reminding me of my culture, my upbringing, my background and just being able to experience that was a gift they were able to give me.' Alex Kwok Alex Kwok as a child. (Source: Alex Kwok) As for what he's ordering next, Kwok is planning on putting the focus on summer seafood. 'That's a big thing that I haven't really done a whole lot on my channel, and I know it's a New Brunswick staple,' he says. 'There're so many fun opportunities that we've had just because of the channel. I feel really blessed and honoured to be able to represent New Brunswick in that way.' For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CBC
21 hours ago
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Food forests offer way to address food insecurity and also have fun
Beneath an oak tree lies a checkered blanket and a picnic basket, surrounded by a sea of fruit trees and rows of root vegetables. The St. Mary's Community Food Forest is just behind the community's Anglican Church in Sitansisk, also known as St. Mary's First Nation, in the Fredericton area. People can pick organic, fresh food at any time of day — for free. Andrew Mathis, who runs the food forest at St. Mary's, is organizing a provincewide tour of 17 such gardens, along with Sima Usvyatsov. "A food forest is a diverse planting of mostly food-bearing plants that aims to mimic a natural ecosystem," Usvyatsov says. Mathis hopes people from across the province will visit the food forest in Sitansisk, which is just one stop on the New Brunswick Food Forest Tour. "It's really a food security project," he said. "Not everyone has a front lawn to grow food on, so these community spaces that don't have individual plots really make it very accessible." At St. Mary's Food Forest, Mathis said, you don't have to plant something to be able to harvest. He said members of the community are welcome to grow their own food as long as they don't mind sharing. Growing in the food forest this season is a variety of fruit, including apples, kiwi, peaches, pears, cherries and berries. Vegetables like squash, carrots and string beans can also be seen growing in the garden beds. The food forest even has a heartnut tree, a walnut native to Japan, and is growing bamboo and willow as well. "It's really open to whatever you want it to be," Mathis said of the food forest. "Maybe somebody focuses on medicine … another person focuses on medicine and mushrooms. Somebody else wants to grow mostly chestnuts." Food forests growing in popularity Farther south, on the Kingston Peninsula, Usvyatsov operates Sima's Roots & Fruits, a food forest that sells plants and hosts gardening workshops. Usvyatsov said there has been more awareness about food forests in recent years. "We're seeing more people planting stuff in their own yards, but we're also seeing municipalities plant and run food forests," she said. In June, 30 fruit trees were planted in Fredericton's Wilmot Park as part of a municipal project. The food forest tours will continue until September. Usvyatsov said about 150 people are registered. "I'm very big on community building," Usvyatsov said. "Seeing people learn from each other … is such a tremendous thing." Mathis said the tours are a learning opportunity but are also about access to food. "It's a really great way to provide some food security to individual households but also to experiment and have fun and see what we can grow here." Mathis said. The St. Mary's Community Food Forest is also building a pizza oven, expected to be completed in September. "We wanted to have something that would be able to draw people into this space and use it more consistently than just when certain things are in season," Mathis said.
