Garlic's been very good to Ken Stefanson
By Bruce Mason, Gabriola Sounder
Thursday, December 16, 2004
It's not his style to do things in small measures. So when Ken Stefanson's doctor advised him to eat garlic every day, he purchased Gabriola Gourmet Garlic and started taking care of business, big time, in these parts, or anywhere else, for that matter.
This Christmas season, for example, he has three more products on the market: Candied Ginger with Double Dipped Chocolate, Sugar Plums (with orange peel, raisins, dates, walnuts and brandy) and a "For the Love of Garlic" 2005 calendar, all available at Artworks.
Besides the dates, the latter contains tempting recipes and time-honoured wisdom from Aristophanes, Hippocrates and Stefanson himself, who writes on the March page: "Two people eating garlic is an aphrodisiac; for one, it becomes a contraceptive."
In order to sample the former the Sounder headed out to 1025 Horseshoe Road, global headquarters for Gabriola Gourmet Garlic and Definitely Different Chocolate, and home to Ken, Llie Brotherton and a world class menagerie.
"That's Rivka, who consistently ranks among the top five Schnauzers in Obedience Trials in Canada," he says, pointing to one of two examples of the breed, just inside the door, part of an enthusiastic greeting party that also includes two champion Brussels Griffons.
"Don't let them out, I'll show you around," he says, motioning me to back up, with no chocolates in sight. During the next few minutes I'm introduced to Peter the miniature horse, Abner the Angora goat, assorted chickens and roosters, Llie's lovely garden, Ken's grand plans and the studio where her handmade baskets and their garlic and chocolate products are on display.
Inside, a blind cat is stretched out in front of the fire. "It's doing just fine," he reports, handing me a copy of the calendar and warming to the topics at hand which add up to an impressive island success story, even without chocolate. "I want your readers to know why we didn't stage our annual Christmas Concert this year," he begins. "My musician friends are all busy and so are we. Just finished 19 straight days of Christmas Craft Fairs - here, Nanaimo, Duncan, Qualicum Beach and Shawnigan Lake. "Instead we made a donation to the school lunch program," he adds. "It will be back next year."
A quick check of his expenses shows 323 trips on ferries in 2004, to date, including one-day trips to Salt Spring, then on to Vancouver and home.
When Ken and Llie moved to Gabriola in 1999, he had suffered four strokes and his blood pressure was 200/120. Fascinated by the curative potential of garlic, he bought the crop, recipes and name of Gabriola Gabriola Gourmet Garlic, which had been in business for seven years at the south end of the island, producing chutney and cured and pickled garlic. He quickly added three more pickled products, hot pepper cayenne, basil and sherry.
Ken also took to dipping garlic cloves in chocolate. "Martha Washington did that and ate them every day," reports Llie, looking up from her Christmas wrapping. Apparently the first First Lady wasn't as fussy as Ken, and his friends, family and acquaintances who sampled initial efforts. "The garlic overpowered the chocolate and the two always seemed to separate," he recalls.
Then he met a chocolatier on a ferry - where else? - who helped set him straight and create 15 flavours of bars including mint, orange and coffee, as well as garlic. The most popular on Vancouver Island are Orange and Cafe Espresso; on the Lower Mainland it's the Red Hot Chili bar.
A new Decadent bar comprising rich dark Belgian chocolate and chocolate truffles inside a chocolate casing has just been introduced to the market. He can't keep up with the demand. Customers, however, have been keeping up with his Maca bar, which he claims is "the natural Viagra." And natural is why, in comparison, Definitely Different Chocolate bars make virtually every other chocolate bar taste like wax. That's a major ingredient in many of them. Ken prefers pure Belgian chocolate and natural ingredients, no additives, or filler, including wax.
Among other things, he has sold automobiles, furniture and advertising and promoted music in major centres and events. He created additional flavours of bars because he could offer merchants more than garlic, selling several boxes instead of one. They're now available in 48 locations, five on Gabriola alone. Sales are also based in six different Farmers Markets, including Ladner on the Lower Mainland.
Last year he and Llie opened a store in Chemainus selling chocolate and gelato. "Everyone sells the same ice-cream," he says. "I went to Vancouver to find something different and discovered handmade Italian gelato and sorbetos. After sampling it all, I found Dolce Amore to be the best, by far. They are my supplier."
The new store broke even the first year, a success in anybody's books. But Ken is moving to a better location on Willow Street and expanding into cookies and gourmet coffee. He's also added an item of interest to anybody who cooks - minced garlic. What's on the market is dehydrated and reconstituted with water. Then chemicals are added as preservatives.
"We use only apple cider vinegar - not white vinegar which contains chemicals - and add no water, which flattens the taste," he says. "The demand is so great that I'm going to have to open a processing plant."
At last, the Christmas chocolates arrive, among the best I've ever tasted. Treat yourself and try a product from Gabriola Gourmet Garlic and Definitely Different Chocolate. Stock up and offer them as gifts. The cured garlic was chosen as one of the 10 best food products on Vancouver Island by Eat magazine, but everything is good and good for you. Ken is living proof. Despite a hectic schedule, his blood pressure is now 120/70.
You can also buy directly from him - call Ken at 247-0132.
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