Food Fetish: Cilantro

Where would we be without comedy? How many bad moods, break-ups, job losses and general melancholic moods have each of us battled victoriously with a good dose of humour?

Personally, I have an emergency pile of DVD's on hand that will put a smile on my face no matter what. So it's no surprise that I have a soft spot for people that make the world laugh.

Local actor Nicolas Ouellette does his part for humanity in a comedic cops & bad guys web series that he co-created.

In the following interview, he shares how that project got off the ground, and also offers a privileged peek inside his charmed life here in Vancouver. And of course, gives a first hand account of his freshly picked food fetish!


V: Why Cilantro, Nic?

NO: Cilantro compliments pretty much anything! It’s good for soups, salads, sandwiches. It's my go to herb.

V: You're native to Winnipeg. What brought you to Vancouver?

NO: I love it out here. The weather, the coffee, the beer, the restaurants & bars, the new friends I call family, my girlfriend, camping. Not to mention Grouse Mountain, 3rd Beach, the seawall. And the bike trails are pretty rad too.

But it was Vancouver's acting scene that initially lured me out here.

V: When did you start acting?

NO: Almost a decade ago. I first trained under teacher/producer Onalee Ames in Winnipeg. I cut my teeth on film and TV during that time, and also secured my full union actor status before moving to Vancouver four years ago.

It's been a blast. I had the opportunity to be Christopher Lloyd’s “ghost son” in an episode of “Fringe”, and I just finished shooting a guest-star appearance on the YTV show “Mr. Young”.

Right now most of my energy goes into the action-comedy web series POLICE COPS: a fast-paced, character driven, sexy-action romp, uncensored by industry “big-wigs”.

Myself and fellow co-stars write, act and produce all the episodes ourselves.

V: How did you land that opportunity?

NO: Three years ago I was talking to my colleague Suzanne Kelly who was also a fairly new arrival to the West Coast. We had both come to the same realization: if you want work out here, the easiest way to get it is to create your own project.

We teamed up with actor/co-creator Martin Van Steinburg and editor/co-creator Bryan Sullivan and found inspiration to write POLICE COPS. The four of us really love being able to use the show and its characters as a vehicle to explore issues that inspire or shock us.

Since then, the four of us have written and shot six episodes. The first 4 episodes are online right now!

V: What else keeps you busy?

NO: I work at Chill Winston in Gastown. Working there has opened my eyes to a lot of amazing food. Ethical Eaters will delight in the “ethically sustainable” Kangaroo Carpaccio. The highly inventive cocktail list and relaxed atmosphere certainly warrant the name “Chill” Winston.


Photography: Kristy Montgomery





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Check out POLICE COPS to watch Nic's character "Lazlo Hartigan", his partner "John Farraday" and clumsy femme fatale “Birdie” take on a "deadly gang of international Chinese guys"...



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SPICY PUMPKIN CILANTRO SOUP

1 small pumpkin or medium kabocha
1 can coconut milk (+ additional coconut cream for garnish)
1 T grapeseed oil
1/2 bunch cilantro
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t salt
2-3 T ginger, minced
pinch of cayenne

Peel and cut pumpkin into chunks. Boil in coconut milk and oil until very tender. Add most of the cilantro, garlic, salt and blend all until smooth.

Turn off heat and stir in ginger. Add more salt if necessary.

Serve garnished with cilantro sprig, coconut cream, cayenne as desired.


CILANTRO COOLER

1/2 C chopped cucumber
cilantro leaves, 2 sprigs (one to muddle, one for garnish)
2 oz vodka
1 lime juiced
1 oz simple syrup
club soda to taste
ice

Muddle cucumber and 1 sprig cilantro.
Add other ingredients and shake well.
Serve on ice.