Donné Thornton and her fiancé, Rory Riley-Gillespie, both have a passion for food and festivals, but his allergy to gluten and dairy means there’s often little they can eat at events.
“We’re also both pescetarians by choice, so we don’t eat meat – just fish and veggies,” explains Thornton. “At a festival we’re not going to go to the burger stand or the hot dog stand, and the taco stand usually uses flour tortillas, so we can’t go there either.”
Energy bars often keep them going at gigs, she says, but when they’re at home, it’s a different story.
Both are keen chefs, and Riley-Gillespie has a knack of taking cupboard ingredients and creating something amazing. Often it’s a stir-fry with rice noodles, a dish that’s become such a staple meal in their household they thought others (especially those with restricted diets) might enjoy it, too.
Even as both were working long hours in kitchens and restaurants, they began experimenting with stir-fry dishes for a food stand and spent more than a year perfecting four sauces: two pad Thai sauces (one with and one without fish sauce), a peanut sauce, and a sizzling, spicy soy sauce.
They launched their food stand, The Rockin’ Wok, just weeks ago at Squamish Summer Farmers’ Market and already they have repeat customers, says Thornton, who describes their food as “fresh, light… super tasty and really healthy.” They cook in front of their customers.
The meat is local and organic, and dishes include beef with broccoli, chicken with onions, chicken with broccoli and a mixed vegetable dish, all of which are served with stir-fry rice noodles.
Riley-Gillespie is keen to move the operation to a food truck, but Thornton explains she’s taking one step at a time, preferring to try a farmers’ market season while mastering their offerings.
Working together in a small space, says Thornton, isn’t as tricky as you might think. “The rewards definitely outweigh the challenges. We’re both pretty understanding people and we work quite well together,” she says.
They also have distinct roles at the stand, with Riley-Gillespie working the grill and Thornton channeling her enthusiasm and energy into greeting customers and taking orders.
The hours can be long and they often have to return to Whistler to work a night shift after the market, but they both love what they do. “You’re surrounded by all this beauty. You’re cooking something that you believe in eating yourself, and the people and their response and the smiles… that combination is the whole reason we’re doing this.”
You can find the Rockin’ Wok at Squamish Farmers’ Market on the corner of Victoria at Cleveland Ave., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. throughout the summer season. They’ll also be at the Multicultural Festival in Whistler and hope to be at Pemberton Farmers’ Market soon.
