Lance Staples

Lance is a great friend of The Acorn, based out of Victoria. Having worked with Lance for 6 years, our relationship and trust in his foraging has grown throughout time, and his findings have become an important part of our menu. 

Lance is a very experienced berry picker. Every visit with Lance comes with a laundry list of real food we’re always excited to dive into, such as salmon berries, salal, huckleberries, spruce tips, wild garlic, and more. As a forager with great respect for the land, he speaks with Indigenous leaders, and acts mindfully towards the provincial parks and reserves of the island. Lance’s picking is conscious of the land he inhabits. 

Additionally, the Acorn’s Head Chef Devon Latte has quite a special relationship with Lance, being fascinated by his foraging practices. According to Devon, Lance has a great knack for picking disturbed land plants (meaning, plants in areas that have been altered with paths, roads, etc.) Growing curious about foraging himself, Lance has even made room for our Chef to observe his foraging. He invites Chef Devon to crash on his couch to eventually be woken up at 4:30 AM, for the pursuit of all-day pickings. Clearly Lance knows the land inside and out, and he never runs out of steam, picking only the best with The Acorn in mind.

Lance is what we would call a wild food nerd when he arrived at our doorstep however many years ago, and we wouldn’t have it any other way! The mutual support we share with Lance extends beyond a forager and restaurateur relationship. Knowing the challenges foragers, and Lance, have experienced as a result of COVID-19 makes our championing of each other even stronger.