Author with McNeill roots presents cookbook
By Kathy O'Reilly, North Island Eagle, Oct. 23 2026
Looking to expand your culinary repertoire?
The Bookshelf at ShopRite at Home is hosting a presentation and book signing with author Sabrina Currie of her cookbook ‘West Coast Kitchen Garden’ on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be available.
Sabrina, currently a Campbell River resident, attended culinary school, is a sommelier and has photography training.
Her hobbies include foraging, fishing and supporting fresh and sustainably earth grown goods.
This has led to some amazing work and collaborations with local and national companies that share the same ethos. She has been honoured to work with farmers, fishers, whole food-based companies and makers, photographing, promoting and writing about their work.
Fresh out of high school in Port McNeill, Sabrina attended culinary school and worked for a few years as a sous chef. The pay and hours weren’t a great fit when she became a mother and she retrained as a medical lab assistant.
“I always knew I wanted to get back into food somehow, but needed to wait until my kids were older,” Sabrina writes on her website.
“As a creative outlet, I started posting my food and recipes on Instagram and then I decided to make a website for my content to live. Soon, a local magazine, Edible Vancouver Island, reached out and I began doing regular articles, recipes and photography for them. Next, local food brands started asking if I would do photos for them,” she writes.
“I did these jobs as a sideline to my ‘day job’ working in the hospital lab but last year, I realized my side hustle was earning more than my ‘day job’ so I decided to make the leap to full-time content creator,” Sabrina said.
“I love to make food look crave-worthy, and I am passionate about local foods and makers, so I tend to develop close, long-term relationships with the companies I work for.”
Her background growing up in a fishing family in Port McNeil with two grandmothers whose passion was gardening inevitably led her to a love of growing great food and creating wonderful recipes. She shares that creative joy in her cookbook.
Copies of Sabrina’s book will be available for purchase and signing. All are welcome, but a phone call or email to Linda Ash for a catering count would be appreciated. linda@shoprite.ca
Photo — Submitted
The Bookshelf at ShopRite at Home is hosting a presentation and book signing with cookbook author Sabrina Currie of her cookbook ‘West Coast Kitchen Garden’ on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m.
Award winning filmmaker to lead horror workshop
By Kathy O'Reilly, North Island Eagle, October 23 2026
By Kathy O’Reilly
Something super spooky is on the agenda Halloween weekend.
The North Island Film and Media Society is hosting a workshop in Sointula Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 featuring award-winning filmmaker and script supervisor Stephanie Rossel.
Rossel has been making films for 40 years and is a script supervisor whose credits include Deadpool, Juno, 50/50, Tully, When We Rise, and collaborations with Robert Altman and Gus Van Sant. She has written and directed award-winning shorts and co-founded the Comox Valley International Film Festival. A dedicated educator, Rossel delivers accessible, practical training that empowers rural and emerging filmmakers to tell their stories confidently.
“This will be a hands-on, step-by step course that takes participants through the process of making a narrative short film, from writing the script to completing a final film,” said Executive Producer Logan Alexander.
“We will focus on the horror genre and take a dive into how to tell a scary story. The emphasis won’t be on blood and gore, but more an exploration of shot angles, tone and story structures which elicit suspense, surprise and sometimes fear,” Alexander said.
“In the end, we’ll have a completed, festival ready film, which we will all have created as a team.”
Open to ages 16 and up, the workshop welcomes everyone from complete beginners to experienced filmmakers. The cost isa $100 which includes two lunches – even a spooky one provided by Coho Joe’s.
To register, email: northislandfilmmedia@gmail.com.
Photo — Submitted
The North Island Film and Media Society is hosting a workshop in Sointula Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 featuring award-winning filmmaker and script supervisor Stephanie Rossel.