Sidney food lovers, book enthusiasts gather for Behind the Recipe

Published 5:45 am Monday, March 2, 2026

An event for both food lovers and book enthusiasts is coming to Sidney in March.

Behind the Recipe, conversations with three cookbook authors, is organized by Sidney and Peninsula Literary Society.

The afternoon will feature three celebrated cookbook authors, moderated by author and educator Carla Funk.

Funk, who served as Victoria’s inaugural poet laureate, is the author of five books of poetry and two memoirs. After 15 years of teaching in the University of Victoria’s writing department, she now leads independent workshops and online writing classes, and works as an editor and manuscript consultant.

Her memoir, Every Little Scrap and Wonder was published by Greystone Books in 2019, followed by Mennonite Valley Girl: A Wayward Coming of Age in 2021. She is currently finishing her first novel.

Joining the discussion is cookbook author, food stylist, and photographer Rebecca Wellman. She has cooked for and photographed several cookbooks, including the Outlander Kitchen series inspired by the novels of Diana Gabaldon.

She is also the author and photographer of First, We Brunch, which highlights Victoria’s beloved breakfast spots, and the co-author and photographer of Bisous & Brioche and Crust.

Based in Victoria, she is currently working on her latest cookbook, At the Brunch Table, due out later this year.

Also appearing is Denise Marchessault, a classically trained chef who studied French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa.

Marchessault previously taught from her commercial kitchen, French Mint, and authored British Columbia From Scratch (2016). Her 2022 cookbook The Artful Pie Project received a silver medal at the 2023 Taste Canada Awards.

Her upcoming plant-forward cookbook, Vegan Sundays, is scheduled for publication in 2027.

Completing the lineup is Bruno Feldeisen, an internationally experienced chef who has worked at Le Louis XV in Monaco, Patina Restaurant in Los Angeles, and in Four Seasons hotel kitchens across North America.

He currently serves as executive chef at the Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, Washington, and is a judge on The Great Canadian Baking Show. His cookbook Baking with Bruno: A French Baker’s North American Love Story, won the Best Cookbook Award at the 2021 NYC Big Book Awards.

The event will be held on March 21, running from 4 to 6 p.m. at Deep Cove Winery. Tickets are available at Tanner’s Books (2436 Beacon Ave). Attendees are encouraged to wear their favourite aprons.