“My mother always loved cooking,” says Hilary Haseltine, chef and creator of Holy Grail sauces at Squamish Farmers’ Market.
When her mother passed away, Haseltine wanted to create a personal tribute in memory of her. For the previous 25 years she’d been a photographer, but life in the darkroom was becoming increasingly lonely. So, inspired by her mother’s passion for food, she changed tack and enrolled in cooking school.
“I really didn’t understand my mother’s love for cooking, but when I went to cooking school I finally found out how she could be so passionate about it. It was my tribute to her and it inspired me greatly. I really wish she was around so see what I’m doing now and see my equal love for it.”
After graduation, Haseltine worked in professional kitchens, but she found restaurant life too repetitive and craved personal creativity. She started making food for friends and began with caramel sauces.
“Then I started getting involved in the farmers’ markets. At first with the caramel sauces, and then I expanded into chili sauces, chocolate sauces and tapenades.”
Five years on, she offers 20 varieties including savoury sauces, marinades and condiments for barbecues; tapenades for brushing over crackers and toast; and sweet sauces for drizzling over anything tasty. She also follows the seasons and makes tapenades using fresh fruits when they’re available.
Haseltine’s sauces are available only through farmers’ markets – currently Ambleside and Squamish though potentially Granville Island this summer too.
She enjoys the connection with her customers. “I like the contact with people. I love the feedback on my products because it really, really helps me develop my product and refine my taste and my own palate. I really take the feedback to heart and that helps me grow too…. I just love that contact. I did the darkroom thing for many, many years, but it’s a very isolating profession. I found I needed to have more people contact.”
The business name Holy Grail represents the experience of creating an elixir by layering different ingredients together, she explains.
“Sauces are a reduction of all your effort and all your flavours and all your expertise. It is the pièce de résistance of everything. Like the icing on the cake, it’s a beautiful finishing,” she says and adds, “How you feel about food and how passionate you are about your production really comes through in a good sauce.”
As for the future, Haseltine says she’ll always be doing something creative. “My spirit dies if I don’t create…. If it’s not food it’ll be something else. It could even go into dog training.” That’s something she may be able to put to good use this summer when her new puppy arrives.
You can find Holy Grail sauces at Squamish Farmers’ Market on alternate Saturdays in Squamish Elementary School, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The next market is March 21. For more details visit www.holygrailkitchenco.com and www.squamishfarmersmarket.com.
