Culinaria01

CULINARIA

RefreshingthePalate

a celebration of the culinary arts may 2010

THE OKANAGAN INSTITUTE IS A GROUP OF CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS THAT HAS GATHERED AROUND THE GOAL OF PROVIDING EVENTS, PUBLICATIONS AND SERVICES OF INTEREST TO ENQUIRING MINDS IN THE OKANAGAN. WE PARTNER WITH INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS AND BUSINESSES TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL CREATIVE AND SOCIAL IMPACT. OUR MISSION IS TO IGNITE CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION, CATALYZE COLLABORATIVE ACTION, BUILD NETWORKS AND FOSTER SUSTAINABLE CREATIVE ENTERPRISES. WE PROVIDE INNOVATIVE CONSULTATION, FACILITATION, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CREATIVE SERVICES. WWW.OKANAGANINSTITUTE.COM

CULINARIA

RefreshingthePalate A CELEBRATION OF THE CULINARY ARTS

wy EDITED BY KARIN WILSON

okanagan college & the okanagan institute spring 2010 1

Karin Wilson is a writer/broadcaster with more than 20 years experience in journalism and a well-developed taste for both the unusual and the refined. A seeker of food for the senses, Karin’s stories have covered the gamut from the granting of the first J license in BC, to the controversial removal of Six Mile Ranch from the Agricultural Land Reserve. Her work on both food and agriculture have appeared in Okanagan Arts, BC’s venerable Orchard and Vine, and on CBC Radio. Karin is an associate director of the Okanagan Institute where she distinguished herself by hosting the popular weekly Express series, and establishing Culinaria in 2007. An award-winning journalist, she currently works for CBC Radio’s Daybreak where she’s been known to arrive with homemade marzipan in hand.

Copyright © 2010 Okanagan College.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the authors. refreshing the palate: culinaria Published as part of Culinaria Initiative at Okanagan College 7000 College Way, Vernon BC v1b 2n5 in association with the Okanagan Institute.

Published May 2010 issn 1920-5050 ISBN 978-0-9810271-7-3 Culinaria is published 2 times a year. Electronic versions are available, in whole and in part, online at www.okanaganinstitute.com/culinaria for downloading to computer and mobile devices. library and archives canada cataloguing in publication Refreshing the Palate: Culinaria Edited by Karin Wilson ISBN 978-0-9810271-7-3 A catalog record for this publication is available from the National Library of Canada.

Publisher and designer: Robert MacDonald Printed in Canada by Rapid Printing

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TABLE OF CONTENTS wy Introduction A Celebration of the Culinary Arts w4y Jamie Maw Lip Service Notes on a Sustainable Food & Wine Culture in the Okanagan w5y Karin Wilson The Taste of Money w9y Judie Barta The Best of Both Worlds Bringing Mead to the 21st Century w 12 y

SPRING CULINARIA MAY 2010 the producers w 16 y the chefs w 21 y the recipes w 22 y the musicians w 25 y the organizations w 26 y

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INTRODUCTION

A Celebrationofthe CulinaryArts SPRING CULINARIA 2010

wy In  years the Okanagan has transformed itself from a valley of agricultural promise to one of culinary riches. Increasingly anyone with a hungry palate can choose to elevate eating to the level of pure pleasure where each singular taste commands the tastebuds to slow down and enjoy.

This is the moment when food transforms itself into art, and crafting the perfect Okanagan meal requires the right combination of thoughtful preparation and purveyors committed to providing the best this unique place has to offer.

It is in celebration of the culinary arts in all their multifaceted forms that the Okanagan Institute and Okanagan College host Culinaria events and publish this journal.

“Culinaria is a fantastic collaboration between the Okanagan Institute, Okanagan College and the many exceptional people working in the intensely creative field of the culinary arts,” says Robert MacDonald, director of the Okanagan Institute and Publisher in Residence at Okanagan College. “We hope this event and publication will give both newcomers and people who have lived here for a long time an opportunity to celebrate the depth and quality of the food and culture of this truly amazing region, unique in the world.”

The artisanal producers who have contributed food and beverages to this culinary exploration include some of the most dedicated and talented in the Valley. This publication provides information on them and their products – we encourage you to make a habit of supporting them.

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JAMIE MAW

Lip Service NOTES ON A SUSTAINABLE FOOD & WINE CULTURE IN THE OKANAGAN

wy Last January, at the Cabana Bar & Grille in Kelowna, I was eating a $10 pizza that was delicious, and that would go on to win a contest for the ‘Best Pie in Town’. Next to me, a family of five was dining on more pizzas, and well-crafted pastas, also for $10, except that the children in the party ate for free. The math was easy, maybe too easy: this teetotalling family of five was going to dine very well, in pretty surroundings, for $20. Oh yes, plus a three-dollar tip for their hardworking server. ‘Don’t do this at home,’ I reminded myself, ‘because you can’t.’

Being Scottish, it was almost enough for me to start a new family. It wasn’t lost on me that this food had been prepared by one of the most talented chefs in the province, a fellow who has starred on several television shows and who is widely respected by his peers.

Chef Ned Bell is a stand-up guy, but it also wasn’t lost on me that those talents – found standing in front of a pizza oven – were severely under-utilized on that cold night.

Those are the chilly economics of running a restaurant in the Okanagan: Survive the winter and shoulder seasons, flourish during the three months of summer, and pray that the weather gods shine down on your patio every day and night. In short: Make pay while the sun shines.

Just two months later, the apple orchardists of the Okanagan staged a protest to draw attention to their plight. They sold apples for 12 cents a pound, which is barely half of their production costs, even though their produce sells for $1.29 a pound in grocery stores.

They sold all 5,000 pounds in two hours but brought a new consumer-based advocacy to their challenge. I encourage you to add your voice by joining their website.

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Example three: At Enderby’s North Okanagan Game Meats, which grows outstanding European pigs and fallow deer and supplies to many local restaurants, rancher Richard Yntema was forced to spend $400,000 to upgrade his production facility to the new provincial standards imposed in 2008. He has been able – so far – to weather the financial burden, but needless to say, many small operators didn’t survive, and we are the poorer for it.

From these three examples (and there are many more), we can begin to understand the economic adversity that the food service industries face in the Okanagan. And importantly we can come to understand both meanings of sustainability. There is the one that politicians and green-washers pay lip service to, whether referencing property development versus agriculture protectionism, but there is also the one that we, as consumers, must pay more than lip service to: the economic sustainability of the people who grow and cook for us. It’s a squeeze play.

And to do that, we need to develop a code that serves us well.

In the housing industry, in which I am also involved, that means living in smaller and more cost-efficient spaces that don’t hurt where we live. In food, it means the same: The real meaning of sustainability is that we should pay a little more to eat a little less, but of higher quality and local origin. That allows for our local farmers and ranchers to sustain themselves. By the way, dinner will taste better too.

What action can we take? In the winter, buying local ingredients can be challenging, but in the growing season, do buy from local farms and roadside stands. And do ask the produce manager at your local grocery chain to ensure that he is carrying local produce. If he offers up a bureaucratic response, take your trade elsewhere, and tell your friends.

I also invite you to patronize those restaurants that display an enthusiastic interest in supporting local producers, and that adhere to both organic and the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise standards, and that serve fewer calories of higher quality.

Our new online magazine is one response to our frustration in finding current, accurate information in locating those restaurants.

Go Go Magazine will soon provide a list, divided geographically,

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that recommends restaurants that have adopted this code. They may range from fine dining, such as Mission Hill’s Terrace with a determinedly local menu, to something year round such Raudz Regional Table, which works with more than 140 local suppliers, or The Cactus Club, where chef Rob Feenie was an early partner with Ocean Wise.

Not incidentally, I believe that it’s no coincidence that our very best Okanagan restaurants are those that buy locally and organically, simply because the chefs are in the fields and pastures with the growers, and the growers are in the kitchens with the chefs and that this collaboration brings out the best in each other.

wy It’s no secret that the wine business in the Okanagan is maturing quickly. If it were a human, I’d say that it has just shed its pimply adolescence.

Wine tourism is growing in lockstep, with local companies such as Okanagan Wine Country Tours reporting record bookings for this season. If all is not completely well in the industry (there are also record numbers of vineyards and wineries for sale, and a surplus of wine, especially dessert wines), wine tourists are flocking to drink in our best, often in a spectacular setting such as Quails’ Gate’s tasting room with its expansive view of the lake, or Burrowing Owl, where the desert panorama speaks to where the big reds are grown.

The history of Okanagan Valley agriculture is written in water, from the open sluices of the East Kelowna Bench at the turn of the last century, to the installation of the massive aqueduct from Okanagan Falls to Oliver after the first war (did you know that Oliver at the time became known as ‘The Melon Capital of Canada’?), to modern irrigation practices today.

Drip irrigation has the combined benefit of dramatically lessening water consumption – by half – while equally dramatically decreasing the risk of botrytis fungus common to vineyards with overhead spray. One recent conversion example is the large-scale drip installation undertaken by Mission Hill at their Paradise Ranch vineyards.

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I’d also like to single out Mission Hill for one other important sustainable initiative. Mission Hill is now recycling over 700 cubic metres (imagine a parade of 100 dump trucks) of vineyard clippings, damaged grapes, marc and other waste right back into their vineyards. This mulched compost also delivers a double benefit: it is both organic fertilizer and retains moisture in the rows.

Should we adopt a code for drinking locally too? Well, of course, many of us already have, if not exclusively (those Argentine malbecs remain a tempting steal), especially when we’re entertaining visitors and stunning them with a bottle of Quatrain or Note Bene while playing the modesty card.

But yes, there are many reasons to drink locally know, and as we say in our family, when we get hungry we switch to red. Or to paraphrase Julia Child, ‘Here’s to moderation and lots of it.’

wy Jamie Maw was the Food & Travel Editor of Vancouver magazine for 14 years, and a frequent contributor to The Globe and Mail, Western Living, Bon Appétit, CKNW, the CBC and Shaw TV, and many places elsewhere in print and other media. He was recently a judge on FOX-TV’s Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsay. He has won National Magazine and Western Magazine awards on numerous occasions. Jamie was inducted into the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame last year, and in 2008, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Culinary Arts by Vancouver magazine. He was the founding editor of The Eating & Drinking Guide to British Columbia and the co-founder of The Chefs’ Table Society of BC, and is co-editor of the bestselling cookbooks, Vancouver Cooks and Vancouver Cooks 2. Jamie divides his time between his homes in Vancouver and Kelowna, where he contributes his weekly culinary news magazine ‘Eat My Words’ on AM 1150. He launched Go Go Magazine, an Okanagan lifestyle magazine, in April, 2010.

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KARIN WILSON

The Taste of Money wy “Our merchants and master-manufacturers complain much of the bad effects of high wages in raising the price, and thereby lessening the sale of their goods both at home and abroad. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits.”

– Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

A few years ago I spent a luscious 10 days drinking in the French Riviera, tasting and treating myself to whatever delicacies I could find.

The open air market swelled with so much bounty that it was hard choose. I was often overwhelmed and yet at the same time astounded at the simplicity of what was on hand – colourful baskets of fresh strawberries, mounds of dried red peppers, young zucchinis plucked especially for their precious delicate flowers waiting to be eaten.

The purveyors who had taken what the earth offered and elevated it even further were even more fascinating. Here my eye was drawn to the row upon row of shallow containers filled to the brim with more than a dozen styles of seasoned green, black, small and large olives, the cheese display offering no less than 200 types of cheese, coloured small cloth bags filled to the brim with dried Herb de Provence, and unassuming jars of white crystals which I later learned were filled with fleur de sel – hand harvested sea salt.

It didn’t matter what I ate during that holiday – it was all simple, and all good. I found myself slowing down to savour what danced on my taste buds. I ate less, and enjoyed more – without the aid of that popular French Women Don’t Get Fat cookbook.

On my return, I tossed out the margarine container and replaced it with butter. I got rid of the non-fat tasteless yoghurt and switched to organic where the flavour of the milk and the berries comes through.

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People will say to me: isn’t it expensive to eat like that? Isn’t it fattening? What are you doing?

And all I have to say is: look at the general North American population. We are swimming in obesity. Thanks to what I think of now as the real taste of money, we have been brainwashed into believing food is meant to fill our stomachs and little more. Pay less and we get more – of what? Certainly not quality or flavour.

What we get is quantity. And that’s just what the industrialization of food is designed to do.

The taste of money is this: cardboard cereals, Wonder bread that reverts back to its original form in our mouths, and so much salt and sugar our taste buds have forgotten what their job is – to distinguish what is good for us, and what isn’t – to remind us of moderation.

The taste of money is also found in the developers who have convinced government that economic growth and development is in “the public’s interests” above and beyond agricultural land. Such was the 1998 Six Mile Ranch debacle.

That year, the provincial government approved the removal of more than 300-acres out of the Agricultural Land Reserve in favour of a massive development. The provincial government went over the heads of the Commission of the day to approve the deal, arguing that it was in the “public interest” and arguably it would generate more public economic wealth.

Twelve years later and some might argue we’re still waiting for that wealth. Check out Pagebrook’s Tobiano website and you can see they’re still trying to build and sell the property, along with that ever-ubiquitous golf course on former agricultural land.

People argue – but what about the farmers? They can’t make a go of it. What choice to do they have but to sell.

In recent weeks we’ve watched as apple growers raise the alarm about their cost of production. They send their fruit out to the market, and get pennies in return. So where is the money going?

It’s going to distribution, and sometimes it’s going to manufacturing plants that suck all the juice out of what they have to offer and give the public pap in return.

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Ultimately we, the public, has been sold a bill of goods. We’ve been bewitched into believing that good food is expensive and only for the rich. That it’s about snob-appeal, rather than about true taste. Scarffing down that MacDonald’s hamburger becomes a way of being virtuous. I’m thrifty, or I’m “everyman” and don’t need to waste my money on such unimportant things as food.

But the truth is, like everything, there is a price to be paid.

So where does it end? More importantly, where can we start?

Canadians are notorious for giving away our resources, our bounty. We think nothing of shipping off raw logs, mining ore without creating our own manufacturing plants, trucking out our water even. If we want our food to be more than an apple a day, we need to put more of ourselves into what we produce.

That means farmers working with chefs and other experts to get the most out of the good things we put so much time and energy into. It also means lobbying government not so much for subsidies, but more access to distribution and breaking down of trade and other barriers.

Laws that limit grower’s ability to create the most from our food limit the public experience.

Following the taste of money has never brought wealth to producers. It’s brought wealth to the owners of industry, and producers receive the trickle down.

Most of all, growers need to trust that their taste counts – that they don’t just simply put seeds in the ground or plop a few cattle onto the range. They care, and it’s the care – that invisible ingredient – that makes the difference in the result.

So far, no one has been able to bottle “care” in mass quantities.

It always comes in limited supply. That’s what ensures diversity on the planet.

I think we should develop less of a taste for money, and more of a taste for heaven. It’s sweeter there, and it has an infinite capacity to sustain us.

wy

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JUDIE BARTA

TheBest ofBothWorlds BRINGING MEAD TO THE 21ST CENTURY

wy I’ve been told many times that I enjoy the path less travelled, and maybe that’s because I never really set out on a path – rather I choose to follow whatever life presents to me.

That’s what happened nearly 20 years ago when my nose woke up during a wine tasting seminar I was taking as a young staff member at the Banff Springs Hotel. The wine rep explained to us that the scent we were inhaling was a particular grape variety.

In an instant I knew I had found my passion. I realized we don’t use our noses like we can, and the fact that you can really smell something – smell where it came from, where it grew, the soil that it was in was a eureka moment for me. It was truly poignant.

That all sounds so old hat now, but back then the Canadian wine industry was still in its infancy, and even though both my parents come from Europe, it never occurred to me (or apparently many other Canadians) that different types of grapes were used for different purposes. We all knew the difference between a Macintosh apple and a Spartan, but a grape was a grape.

The call of the vine was on me now, so perhaps it wasn’t too surprising that I followed my nose to the Okanagan Valley where I landed on the doors of Sumac Ridge winery where Harry McWatters was starting to make noise about developing a world class wine industry here in B.C. Back then only a handful of wineries existed and it was hard to see what would happen. VQA didn’t even exist then, but I was convinced this was my path so I stuck with wine and worked as a rep learning more about the industry.

What I didn’t expect (and now we’re back to that path less travelled) was that the seminal moment for me wouldn’t take place in the cellar next to massive oak caskets, but in a friend’s kitchen.

He had what you might call “medieval roots”, and as a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms, one of his goals in

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life was to keep old traditions alive. We brewed a batch of mead – a honeywine – together and it was amazing, and it ages beautifully.

The nose has an ability to remember scents long after the fragrance has gone, so that experience must have lived within me somehow waiting for an opportunity to be reawakened. That moment came about a year and half ago when I accidentally bumped into an old winemaker friend of mine – Alan Marks – in a local deli. He was working now as a wine consultant, and I was looking for some fresh ways to launch a new venture. But I also knew that there were now 225 wineries out there. I needed to differentiate myself. We tossed around a few ideas, and then the memory of mead came to me, and that was it. It was like it was calling to me from the past, the ancient past.

The road hasn’t been easy. Bent on being organic, I struggled to find B.C.-based honey but the nearest product came from Alberta. That proved to be a problem and within a matter of weeks the sweet scent of making honeywine was smelling somewhat sour.

B.C. licensing regulations stipulate that wineries must use products from within the province. On the verge of smelling sweet success, I was shut down.

I guess I can credit my German and Czech roots, because I didn’t let that stop me. I learned there was one way to keep moving forward – go commercial. It comes with a price, but I’m hoping it’s worth it.

Two weeks ago Meadow Vista Honey Wines made it onto shelves in 12 B.C. stores.

If there was one thing I could hope for this valley, for the agriculture industry as a whole, it would be to move our regulations out of the dark ages and into the light. People want products that are sustainable, and life-affirming. For too long our liquor laws have been controlling us. There is more that needs to be done to move this province away from prohibition era thinking, into an industry that allows producers of all kinds to reach the people.

People like Harry McWatters had that vision 20-years ago, but now it’s up to this newer generation to take things even further.

If agriculture is to thrive in this world economy, we need to have the means to create new products from what we grow. This

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means allowing room for new ways of thinking, rather than clinging to the old.

There is a lot to be said for the past. I know because my business is founded on that tradition. But even so, I’m using modern technology and modern winemaking skills to lift mead into the 21st century. There is a modern palate, and we need modern policy to go along with it.

And if this creates some buzz, I’m okay with that.

wy Judie Barta is a pioneering entrepreneur with 18 years of experience in business development specializing in the wellness and wine industries.

Over the last two decades, Judith has built and sold several service businesses although her love of food, wine and her dream of purchasing land in the Okanagan Valley to establish an estate winery has never been too far from her heart. It was with this in mind that she has launched Meadow Vista Honey Wines – a premier certified organic honey winery producing Canada’s first organic sparkling honey wine! The perfect fit for Judie, who’s love for organic food, wine, supporting local farming and passion for honey bees is apparent to everyone she meets.

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CULINARIA

RefreshingthePalate A CELEBRATION OF THE CULINARY ARTS OKANAGAN COLLEGE, THURSDAY 13 MAY 2010

wy If there is one thing that Chef Geoffrey Couper believes it’s this: food is better when prepared by someone who understands not only the kitchen, but more importantly, the farm. For Couper, and fellow Okanagan College Chef instructor Perry Bentley, magic happens when chefs sit down with farmers to create food experiences that not only celebrate, but truly acknowledge the nurturing craft of farming. That's exactly what they're doing along with the students at Okanagan College's Culinary Arts program.

Spring Culinaria: Refreshing the Palate is seasoned in a decidedly new fashion Okanagan foodies will appreciate. For the first time, our diverse micro-regions are highlighted with special stations set up reflecting the the foods and culinary delights featuring the Similkameen, South Okanagan, Naramata Bench, Central Okanagan and North Okanagan regions.

wy Culinaria supports the Writing and Publishing programs of Okanagan College including Ryga: A Journal of Provocations and the publishing work of the Okanagan Institute.

wy We thank those who joined us for the meal and the entertainment portion of our culinary celebration.

We encourage you to continue to support all the wonderful local independent artisanal producers whose products we showcase.

And we hope to see you at the next Culinaria.

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THE PRODUCERS wy NORTH OKANAGAN North Okanagan Game Meats y Enderby

North Okanagan Game Meats started out life in the early 1990s as a deer farm and has since expanded into raising wild boar and lamb, along with the venison. Wildly prized by chefs up and down the valley, their hormone-free naturally raised meats has graced the plates at the best wineries, high-end lodges and ski hills in B.C. and elsewhere. With advance notice, the public can purchase special cuts. contact: 250.838.7980, nogm@nowcom.ca.

Fieldstone Granary y Armstrong

This granary opened two years ago with the aim of providing local quality whole grain. Ninety percent of their product list comes directly from farmers in the Valley. Grains include spelt, buckwheat, oats, barley, golden flax, and hard red spring wheat. They also sell flour mills and hand flakers so you can make your own muesli! contact: 250.546.4558, www.fieldstonegranary.ca.

Green Croft Gardens y Grindrod

A certified organic farm since 1988, Green Croft Gardens is located on 20 fertile acres bordering the Shuswap River. Most of their produce is sold at local farmers markets from Kelowna to Enderby.

They also cater to wineries and restaurants committed to a local, seasonal menu. contact: Farm gate sales by appointment.

250.838.6581, www.greencroftgardens.com.

Crannóg Ales y Sorrento

Crannóg Ales is Canada’s only Certified Organic farmhouse microbrewery, one of only a handful of such breweries in the world.

Crannóg brews unfiltered, unpasteurized ales using only organic ingredients, some of which come right from their own farm. All their ales reflect the Irish tradition of brewing full-flavoured, complex ales. contact: 250.675.6847, www.crannogales.com.

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refreshing the palate Okanagan Spirits y Vernon

Frank Deiter started out in 2004 inspired by the local fruits of this region crafting exquisite liqueurs, grappa, Eauex de Vie, and specialities such as absinthe-taboo and aquavitis-aquavit. This year the distillery received official designation as a master class distillery and took five gold and six silvers at the World Spirit Competition in Austria. contact: 250.549.3120, www.okanaganspirits.com.

Vale Farms Grassroots y Lumby

Charlotte and Michael Ruechel emigrated here from Germany in 1975 and opened their farm. By 2000, the farm was Certified Organic and today their beef and lamb meats can be found in various stores throughout the valley, and at farmers markets. contact: tollfree 1.866.567.2300, valefarms@telus.net.

Duggan Farms

Chefs from both Central and North Okanagan like to lay claim to this beautiful farm based in Winfield. Their produce has graced the table at RauDZ and tickled the tastebuds all over for their outstanding asparagus (best in show, so we’ve heard). contact: 250.766.2628

wy CENTRAL OKANAGAN Stoney Paradise Farm y Kelowna

Grower Milan Djordjevich, AKA the Tomato Man, has developed quite a name in Vancouver chef circles for his heirloom and hybrids, but the real secret is that his product is based in Kelowna.

His tomatoes are celebrated for their exceptional sun-kissed flavour. Certified organic. contact: 250.764.8828.

Meadow Vista Honey Wines y West Kelowna

The first premier organic honey winery in the Okanagan offers up a Canadian first – sparkling organic honey wine (proudly made a la method traditionelle, where the secondary fermentation takes

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place in the bottle. The winery’s Cloud Horse took Gold at the 2010 Mazer Cup International Commercial and Home Mead Competition in Boulder Colorado. Not bad for a newcomer! contact: 250.769.2337, www.meadowvista.ca.

Little Straw Vineyards y West Kelowna

In 1996, the three Slamka brothers took on the challenge of establishing their own winery. They blended traditional growing techniques with modern wine making practices, and mature vines. The result is an exceptional artisanal winery whose products grace shelves in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and throughout the Okanagan. contact: 250.769.0404. www.littlestraw.bc.ca Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan y Kelowna

Experts in crafting European-style goat cheese, the Barmor proprietors make their cheese from 100% goat’s milk produced on their own farm, as well as milk bought from an organic goat farmer in Grand Forks. contact: 250.870.3117, www.carmelisgoatcheese.com

wy SOUTH OKANAGAN Forbes Family Farm y Oliver

A certified organic 13-acre home farm of fruit, vegetables, and freerange animals (chickens, turkeys, pigs) located just north of Oliver.

Operating since 1974 and organically since 1995, brothers Gord and Steve have kept step with consumers who are curious about their food. A small portion of the farm is a wetland that the Forbes family has preserved with The Land Conservancy of BC and the town of Oliver. contact: 250.498.4264, gordforbes@cablerocket.com Fester’s Peppers y Oliver

There was a time when the pepper had one form only – green. But these days, people go potty for peppers – whether hot or mild, used in salads or sprinkled sparingly to kick things up a notch (or five.) contact: festerspeppers@gmail.com

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refreshing the palate Sezmu Meats y Oliver

Stick to the best, and that means the beautiful naturally marbled Angus cattle that enjoy a diet of grass.Once they reach a desirable size they are fed daily a proprietary blend of grains with the human equivalent of a glass of red BC wine until production. The beef is then dry-aged for 28 days resulting in a very distinct beef flavour, improved colour and longer shelf life than traditional beef. A true AAA grade delicacy. contact: 250.681.0580, www.sezmumeats.com.

Nk’Mip Cellars y Osoyoos

The Osoyoos Indian Band has a long history of growing grapes thanks in part to the ownership of 340 acres at the NK’Mip Vineyard LP, which was first planted in 1968. Award-winning winemakers Randy Picton and Justin Hall (who studied at Okanagan College), have crafted celebrated chardonnays, succulent syrahs and premium pinot noirs. contact: 250.495.2985, www.nkmipcellars.com.

wy NARAMATA BENCH Poplar Grove Cheese

From creamy camembert to a blue cheese with real bite (hence the name Tiger Blue), Poplar Grove has established itself as an Okanagan delicacy found in artisanal food markets throughout the province and even into Toronto where it melted the heart of Globe & Mail food writer Sue Riedl. contact: 250.492.4575, www.poplargrove.ca Wineland Dressings

Wineland Dressings was founded in 2000 by Peter & Valencia Young. Peter is the executive chef at Hillside Estate Winery and clientele were continually pestering him for his delicious salad dressings. Roast Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette was soon followed up by a second masterpiece – Raspberry and Black Pepper Vinaigrette.

Available at listed speciality stores throughout the valley. contact: www.wineland.ca.

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culinaria | may 2010 The Fruit Guy

Michael Welch is known for his dried fruit created from naturally grown produce harvested from orchards on this bucolic bench. The landscape offers a perfect southwest exposure with mineral rich clay loam soil. The result is complex fruit that is a perfect addition to meals – whether in baking or with a favourite breakfast concoction. contact: 250.490.0174, www.driedfruitguy.com.

wy SIMILKAMEEN Harkers Organics y Cawston

A true pioneering family that has held onto its roots, the Harker family settled in the Similkameen in 1888 and has now farmed its land for five generations. Harker’s Organics grows a large variety of tree fruits, ground crops and specialty items like Cape Goose Berries. They’ve established themselves as suppliers for Capers/ Wholefoods, Urban Harvest, Discovery and Ellisons Market. contact: 250.499.2751, www.harkersorganics.com.

Orchard Blossom Honey y Keremeos

In operation since 1981, this family farm operates 300 colonies of honey bees. The company name comes from their practice of placing beehives in the local orchards to assist in pollination of the fruit trees, and later moving them to their homes – the hay meadows and desert-like areas of the Similkameen Valley and the Peace River area of Northern British Columbia. contact: 250.499.2821, www.orchardblossom.ca Rustic Roots Winery - Cawston

A literal outgrowth of Harker’s Farm, Rustic Roots is an illustration of the creativity and ingenuity required to run a successful farm in the 21st century. Their wine pays homage to sustainability by incorporating the product of 15 organic growers. contact: 250.499.2754, www.rusticrootswinery.com.

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THE CHEFS wy Geoffrey Couper

is an instructor in the Culinary Arts Program at Okanagan College.

He’s also the founder of the CorkedCook Food & Wine Company, which is dedicated to exposing the food and wines of British Columbia to a wider audience. Geoffrey came to the Okanagan seven years ago to work with Mission Hill on their food and beverage program and quickly established a reputation as a life-long chef and supporter of local products and producers. President of the Okanagan Chefs Association, Geoffrey believes there are tremendous unrealized opportunities in the value-added segment of the agriculture industry.

wy Perry Bentley

grew up on a small rural acreage in southern England where he was surrounded by fresh produce, goats to milk, and eggs to collect.

Initially he studied hospitality but then switched to cookery and the pastry arts. Over the years he’s worked at large London hotels, studied the culinary traditions while living in France and Australia, Italy and Argentina. Bentley, who holds the Certified Chef Cuisine designation (the highest level of accreditation for cooks in Canada), recently received the president’s award from the Okanagan Chefs’ Association.

wy We extend a special thanks to the students from the Culinary Arts and Hospitality programs at Okanagan College who have worked together with the chefs to create a fabulous meal.

You are our future, and we are grateful you put your heart into what you do.

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THE RECIPES wy From the Similkameen

Organic Onion & Apple Cider Soup ~ Spring Herb Cream Yield: makes 6 servings Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 6 large onions (about 3 pounds) peeled, halved, thinly sliced • 5 cups vegetable stock • 2 cups natural apple cider • 12 large thyme sprigs • cup whipping cream – whipped to soft peaks • 1 tablespoon each snipped chives, chopped fresh thyme and parsley Preparation

Melt butter with oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until very soft but without colour, about 25-30 minutes.

Add vegetable stock, cider, and thyme sprigs. Bring to boil.

Reduce heat; season with salt and pepper. Slowly simmer soup, uncovered, 25 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. (Soup can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Re-warm over medium heat before continuing.)

Lightly whip cream to soft peaks, season with salt and pepper and fold in chopped herbs.

Divide among 6 warm soup bowls, garnish with spring herb cream, and serve.

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wy From the Naramata Bench

Crostini of Wineland Preserved Fruits ~ Crumbled Poplar Grove Tiger Blue Yield: makes 6 servings Ingredients

• 12 thin slices baguette • 3 tablespoons olive oil • cup mixed dried fruits - diced [ apples, apricots, cherries etc. ] • 1 cup boiling water • cup Okanagan Wineland Dressing Peach Chutney • cup Poplar Grove Tiger Blue Cheese - crumbled • 1 tablespoon snipped chives Preparation

To make the crostini, brush the sliced baguette with the olive oil and bake in a 350 degree oven until crisp and golden, approximately 7 minutes. Cool.

Pour the boiling water over the diced dried fruit and allow to soften for 5 minutes. Drain well. Toss the fruit with the peach chutney and then divide among the crostini. Place a teaspoon of the crumbled blue cheese on top of the fruit and garnish with the snipped chives.

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culinaria | may 2010

wy From the North Okanagan

Duggan Farm Asparagus Salad ~ Wild Boar Pancetta Verjus & Chive Vinaigrette Yield: makes 6 servings Ingredients

• 1 large bunch cooked and chilled asparagus – cut into 1” pieces • 18 slices wild boar pancetta – baked until crisp • 1 shallot – finely chopped • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard • cup – verjus • cup – extra virgin olive oil • 3 tablespoons finely cut chives Preparation

Make the verjus vinaigrette by whisking together the shallot, Dijon mustard and verjus. Slowly beat in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lightly toss the asparagus with 2 tablespoons of the chives and just enough of the vinaigrette to moisten. Lightly season. Reserve the remaining dressing for another salad.

Divide the asparagus among 6 chilled salad plates. Top with the crisp pancetta, freshly ground black pepper and sprinkle with the remaining chives.

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THE MUSICIANS wy Barb Samuel y Sista B and the Boyz Refreshing the Palate: Spring Culinaria is all about food - but perhaps more importantly it’s about what it really means to live and breathe the essence of this valley. Giving voice to that song will be the soulful sounds of Kelowna’s own Barb Samuel, along with her band Sista B and the Boyz.

“It’s a joy for me to perform for this event,” says Samuel, who has charmed audiences around North America, including a transfixed crowd of 2500 when Deepak Chopra came to Kamloops in 2008.

Samuel’s style is reminiscent of American artist Alicia Keys.

Like Keys, Samuel came to music early in life – starting out with classical. Her father was a cellist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the San Francisco Philharmonic, so it was natural that Samuel picked up the flute and performed with the Edmonton Youth Orchestra.

But her mother loved Motown and R&B, and now that Samuel has settled into her own voice, she’s like an angel on steroids - gently soothing her audience when she flies acoustic, or soaring with them as she takes to new heights, her rock-based band backing her every step of the way.

Samuel will be treating the Culinaria audience to both her styles – acoustic light-jazz at the pre-dinner, followed by an after dinner performance that will make dancing irresistible.

“The intensity is there no matter what we’re playing. People say I’m dialled into 11 all the time,” she laughs. “I love doing this because I get to feed off the audience and I’m simply moved to answer.”

Samuel’s band started life as the house band for the Centre for Spiritual Living, where she continues to be the musical director and staff minister. Five years ago, the group went public and have been regularly playing gigs ever since. Accompanying Samuel are “the Boyz”: Neal Klassen (lead guitar, piano and vocals), David Knapp (drummer, vocals), and Kevin Zacharias (bass).

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THE ORGANIZATIONS wy The Writing and Publishing Programs of Okanagan College The Kalamalka Institute for Working Writers

In 2000 the Kalamalka Institute for Working Writers was formed as a publishing, teaching and research endeavour and as a larger umbrella context for supporting writers that included the operation of Kalamalka Press, established in 1987 by the Kalamalka New Writers Society. The Institute serves writers in the Okanagan by offering a wide variety of courses in writing and researching, to enable writers to acquire professional self-sufficiency, a high level of knowledge of commercial and literary genres and the skills required to succeed in those markets.

Prospective students have access to a wide variety of specialised courses in writing, and can package courses in distinct ways: a Bachelor's Degree in Creative and Commercial Writing, a FACE Certificate in Commercial Creative Writing, an Associate Degree in Creative and Commercial Writing, a FACE Electronic Publishing Certificate, and the opportunity to complete Master classes in specialised genres. The combination of degree and certificate programs allows flexibility so that it is possible to further an education while working. All offerings are student-centered: they may be packaged in accordance with financial, professional and academic needs.

The signature offerings are the Diploma in Writing and Publishing (English) and the Diploma in Media and Cultural Studies, and others are in the works.

The Kalamalka Campus of Okanagan College has set up the Kalamalka Institute For Working Writers as its signature program, to bring both academic and non-academic courses in writing under one roof. KIWW also serves as the vehicle for touring writers’ public performances, and a Digital Archive that focuses on writing and writers.

In 2003 the Kalamalka Institute, in association with Mackie Lake House Foundation, established a writing residency. Since then the Writer-In-Residence at the Mackie House have been Ron Ayling,

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refreshing the palate

Dennis Cooley, David Pitt-Brooke and Christine McPhee, Robert Kroetsch, Dawne McCance and Gary Geddes. A number of important publications have issued from the residency.

KIWW is managed by a steering committee composed of faculty, staff and administrators who represent a variety of areas of Okanagan College.

In addition to the growing reputation of the writing programs offered by the College, the publcations of Kalamalka Press have positioned the program for taking a leadership position in literary publishing in western Canada.

The Ryga Initiative

The Ryga Initiative at Okanagan College, in association with the Okanagan Institute, consists of a number of existing and prospective programs which honour the legacy of George Ryga (1931-87), author of Canada's best known English-language play, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, first produced in 1967. He was one of Canada’s most prolific authors – he maintained a taxing work program as a short story writer, novelist, radio and television dramatist, poet and film scenarist, not to mention ventures into the world of ballet and opera. In a period of 14 years while resident in the Okanagan he produced 190 plays, two cantatas, five screenplays, two longplaying albums, three novels, and a book of poetry, and a considerable body of unpublished and unproduced work.

Ryga: A Journal of Provocations consists of a single or multiple works by writers whose work the editor considers worthy of readers' attention. It is published as a 250-page book, on good quality recycled paper, with a full colour laminated cover, 4 times a year.

One of Canada’s best-know writers, Robert Kroetsch, has stated: “Ryga: A Journal of Provocations is the necessary tug at the shoelace that prepares one for the marathon. It is the sentinel of discovery.”

Each section of the Journal is individually designed in keeping with the intentions of the writer and the nature of the material presented. Some of the individual sections are also published as chapbooks, in saddlestitched paperback format.

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culinaria | may 2010

The Okanagan Institute The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that have gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.

Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We provide innovative consultation, facilitation, professional development and creative services.

The Institute has conducted more than 140 public events since our weekly Express series got underway in July 2007, and we now offer regular programs in Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon. We have hosted many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet laureate and professor John Lent, creative entrepreneur Nikos Theodosakis, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and many others from a wide range of creative fields.

In addition, the Institute has published a number of important books by Okanagan writers, and on topics of interest to Okanagan readers. It has also presented special events which examine the important role that the arts, ideas and technology play in the creative economy of the Okanagan, and fostered proactive engagement between the creative and other sectors in the community.

The Institute has reached out to a broad range of institutions and organizations in the Okanagan in order to understand the needs of the creative community, and provide guidance on how collective action will foster opportunities for creative individuals and organizations in all disciplines.

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CULINARIA

RefreshingthePalate

a celebration of the culinary arts may 2010

THE OKANAGAN INSTITUTE IS A GROUP OF CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS THAT HAS GATHERED AROUND THE GOAL OF PROVIDING EVENTS, PUBLICATIONS AND SERVICES OF INTEREST TO ENQUIRING MINDS IN THE OKANAGAN. WE PARTNER WITH INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS AND BUSINESSES TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL CREATIVE AND SOCIAL IMPACT. OUR MISSION IS TO IGNITE CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION, CATALYZE COLLABORATIVE ACTION, BUILD NETWORKS AND FOSTER SUSTAINABLE CREATIVE ENTERPRISES. WE PROVIDE INNOVATIVE CONSULTATION, FACILITATION, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CREATIVE SERVICES. WWW.OKANAGANINSTITUTE.COM

BILL OF FARE

Refreshing the Palate SPRING CULINARIA THURSDAY 13 MAY 2010

wy NORTH OKANAGAN appetizer Duggan Farm Asparagus Salad with Wild Boar Pancetta Verjus-Chive Vinaigrette North Okanagan Game Meats main North Okanagan Game Meats Venison Loin with Sage and Preserved Sour Cherries dessert Okanagan Spirits Canados Baba ~ Canados syrup beverages Crann贸g Ales y Okanagan Spirits

wy CENTRAL OKANAGAN appetizer Stoney Paradise Arugula, Preserved Tomatoes & Leeks with Carmelis Goat Feta main Sesame Crusted Vale Farm Rack of Lamb Hoisin Glaze dessert Grape and Quince Cr猫me Brule Rhubarb Compote Stoney Paradise beverages Little Straw Vineyards y Meadow Vista Honey Wines

wy SOUTH OKANAGAN appetizer Composed Salad of Heritage Beans & Micro Greens Smoked Vegetable Vinaigrette Forbes Farms

main Fester’s Peppers Rubbed Sezmu Beef Flank Steak Red Onion Marmalade dessert Forbes Farm Nectarine Sorbet beverages Nk’Mip Cellars

wy NARAMATA BENCH appetizer Crostini of Preserved Fruits with Crumbled Tiger Blue Wineland Dressings, Poplar Grove main Poplar Grove Harvest Moon & Grilled Vegetable Napoleon Basil Aioli and Micro Greens dessert Baked Okanagan Double Cream Camembert Poplar Grove

wy SIMILKAMEEN appetizer Organic Onion & Apple Cider Soup ~ Spring Herb Cream Harker’s Organics, Rustic Roots Winery main Braised Beef Short Ribs with Yellow Onions & Sugar Pea Shoots Harker’s Organics dessert Honey & Chocolate Terrine Similkameen Wildflower Honey Ice Cream Orchard Blossom Honey beverages Rustic Roots Winery

wy Fieldstone Granary Assorted Breads

wy Additional beverages reflecting the region available for purchase at the bar.