As an accomplished Canadian actor, and familiar face to many around the world thanks to her role as Jocelyn Schitt the iconic comedy series Schitt's Creek, it's hard to deny the charm of Jennifer Robertson.
Now recognizable from the current hit Netflix production Ginny & Georgia (which is currently in pre-production for season three), Robertson's latest role is that of host for CBC's buzzworthy new series The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down. As the name implies, it's a sister concept to The Great Canadian Baking Show so it's fair to expect a similar mix of dynamic challenges and heartfelt content.
Challenges involving clay and glazes as a collective medium will put 10 potters from coast-to-coast to the test over the course of eight episdes as they battle (fire?) it out to the finish line.
All the clay, all the feels! (A perfect tagline, if you ask me!)
Host Jennifer Robertson is joined by comedic actor/producer/director Seth Rogen (who serves as executive producer courtesy via Point Grey Pictures and will moonlight as a guest judge), award-winning artist and ceramics instructor Brendan Tang and renowned ceramicist and educator Natalie Waddell of Toronto.
The host said that she truly had the time of her life filming this reality-competition series and cannot wait for Canadians to tune in when it premieres on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. If I may be as bold to speak for the entire country, we can't wait either!
We're always all ears for restaurant recommendations here at Eat North, so GCPTD premiere week felt like the perfect time to have Jennifer Robertson weigh in on where to eat in the Vancouver area. From a coffee shop with a lot of heart to a delicious contemporary Vietnamese eatery on Vancouver's Main Street, her picks are top-notch.
Breakfast
I live in Port Moody which is just outside Vancouver proper, and my favourite local coffee shop is Black Sugar Coffee House.
They make delicious breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, gluten-free or gluten-laden pastries, and, of course, great coffee. The baristas are awesome and I adore the owners Tonia and Troy.
Lunch
Lunch is usually scarfed down at my desk, but sometimes I tear myself away for lunch with friends.
A recent discovery is Liberty Bakery & Café on Main St. in Vancouver. Everything is made in house: baked goods, adorable Totoro cookies, soups, and killer sourdough bread.
Dinner
Also on Main St. is Anh and Chi. Everything about this family-owned Vietnamese restaurant is perfect.
My faves here are the Saigon Rolls filled with fresh herbs, thFresh Mango Salad, and Wok Fried Noodles. Everything is SO delicious, and reservations are by donation with the funds going to community-based charities.
Drinks
Here at Port Moody’s Rocky Point Park we have a number of microbreweries lined up along the waterfront known as The Port Moody Ale Trail or Brewers' Row. You’ll find beer, cider, hard kombucha, and some places offer cocktails as well.
There are also food trucks so you can grab dinner and bring it in with you to a brewery, or you can take your bevvy and your lobster roll down to the water and watch the sunset. For dessert, house-made ice cream from Rocky Point Ice Cream. It doesn’t get any better on a summer night!
Here's a few great breweries: Brave Brewing, Moody Ales &Co., Parkside Brewery, Rewind Beer Co., Twin Sails Brewing, and Yellow Dog Brewing
The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down Season 1 airs weekly on Thursday nights on CBC and CBC Gem.
