Naramata Heritage Inn Fall Winemaker’s Dinner Series; Araxi’s new cookbook sings of land and sea; Thanksgiving Dinner at Elixr Bistro; Cabana Grille hosts second Terasen Gas Gourmet and Grapes Gala at the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival; De Dutch Customers Denounce the HST.
Naramata Heritage Inn Fall Winemaker’s Dinner Series
If you haven’t yet picked your pleasure for the 2009 Okanagan Fall Wine Festival, don’t delay! We have some exciting opportunities for your dining pleasure.
This, our ninth year, we are excited to feature the following wineries and their winemakers for an intimate and interactive evening: Kettle Valley Winery, Poplar Grove Winery, Nichol Vineyard Estate Winery, La Frenz Winery and Cedar Creek Estate Winery!
Kettle Valley Winery, Friday October 2: Join winemakers/proprietors Bob Fergueson/Tim Watts as they discuss the intricacies and longevity of their perpetually award-winning wines!
Poplar Grove Winery, Saturday October 3: Join winemaker Ian Sutherland and viticulturist Val Tait as they discuss the past present and future os Poplar Grove during this exclusive evening of paired wine and cuisine!
Nichol Vineyard Estate Winery, Sunday October 4: Join winemaker/proprietor (and new Dad!) Ross Hackworth as he guides us through the evening of paired food and fine wine and find out what sets Nichol Vineyard apart!
La Frenz Winery, Friday October 9: Join winemakers/proprietors Jeff and Niva Martin as they discuss their Australian wine making style and walk us through an evening of their highly sought after wines paired with Inn’s culinary creations!
Cedar Creek Estate Winery, Saturday October 10: Join Cedar Creek President Gordon Fitzpatrick for an evening of fine wine, incredible cuisine and intriguing conversation as we close the 2009 Winemaker’s Dinner Series!
Join us for first course wine reception with canapes at 6:30pm sharp, followed by dinner service starting at 7:00pm. As in previous years, the non-refundable ticket price for this multi-course, wine paired event is $155 inclusive of all taxes and gratuities. Please contact us if you are interested in attending one of these memorable epicurean events.
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Araxi’s New Cookbook Sings of Land and Sea
Mountain + Valley + Ocean
Araxi’s elegant yet easily approachable cookbook champions the seasons and its locale
Whistler, B.C. – From the pans of Whistler’s famed Araxi Restaurant and executive chef James Walt, to the pages of Araxi’s new cookbook, come seasonal recipes accessible to the home cook, and packed with regional flavours of ranch, field and sea.
Available at fine booksellers on October 3rd or online now, Araxi: Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant, champions its locale in Whistler’s two distinct seasons: summer and winter.
Already, the book has received high praise from fellow chefs, and repeat guests of the restaurant, Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal. “What a book to have! Inspiring and creative–a must-have ingredient in any kitchen,” says Ramsay. “This book is full of the attention to detail, freshness and passion that makes eating at Araxi so special,” says Blumenthal.
A special harvest menu section showcases the region’s bounty with a tasting menu based exclusively on items grown, produced and harvested within 100 miles of the restaurant, epitomizing Araxi’s commitment to local, seasonal food and to the food and wine-producing communities that support the restaurant all year round.
Published by Douglas & McIntyre, also featured are more than 100 photographs by noted culinary photographer John Sherlock, as well as companion text by Jim Tobler, illustrating the essence of the place, and the talented team that has built the restaurant’s international reputation.
HOW TO PURCHASE
In person at Araxi or our sister restaurants in Vancouver: Blue Water Cafe, CinCin, and West.
Order online for a personalized copy and receive complimentary shipping within Canada.
Or, pick up a copy at fine booksellers, including Barbara-jo’s Books to Cooks in Vancouver and Chapters locations across Canada.
FEATURED RECIPE
Herb-crusted Halibut with Pea Purée and Coriander Vinaigrette
Click here for the recipe. Also featured on pages 60-63 of the cookbook.
The culinary cornerstone in the heart of Whistler Village, Araxi enjoys a long-held international reputation for excellence in food, wine and hospitality. Executive Chef James Walt celebrates carefully sourced local ingredients from nearby Pemberton Valley farms, where he collaborates frequently with local growers. 4222 Village Square, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. 604 932 4540, www.araxi.com.
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Thanksgiving Dinner at Elixr Bistro – Sunday, October 11 & Monday, October 12
Elixir has a plan to get you out of the kitchen to celebrate this festive season, by offering two gourmet options: Thanksgiving Dinner in our Bistro, or have Elixir Turkey Dinner to go.
Thanksgiving Dinner in Elixir Bistro featuring two celebrated Jazz artists. Executive Chef Don Letendre prepares a gourmet Thanksgiving dinner that will be sure to rival Mom’s. In fact, we think it’s better! So indulge, linger over the to die for dessert and celebrate no dishes, while enjoying some of Vancouver’s best jazz. Sunday, October 11 & Monday, October 12
3 course menu – from $50.00 per person
Plus applicable taxes and gratuity
For more information or to make a reservation call 604.642.0557
Elixir Turkey Dinner to-Go!
Want to impress the in-laws with a Gourmet Thanksgiving meal with out any of the headaches? Allow Executive Chef Don Letendre and his team to create a traditional feast to take home. We won’t mind if you take all the credit!
Turkey with all the trimmings – from $40.00 per person plus applicable taxes
*Please Note: All to go orders must be taken by Wednesday, October 8 by 4:00pm. To place your order, please call 604.642.6787 ext. 2026
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Cabana Grille hosts second Terasen Gas Gourmet and Grapes Gala at the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival – Sunday, October 4
Celebrate Harvest with Top Okanagan Chefs and Wineries
Get a Ringside Seat for the Friendly Iron Chef Showdown Between Top BC Chefs Ned Bell and Wayne Martin
Kelowna, BC. Cabana Bar and Grille is thrilled to be hosting 2009’s second Gourmet and Grapes Gala presented by Terasen Gas and part of the ten-day, 29th Okanagan Fall Wine Festival. Sold out this spring, Gourmet and Grapes has become one of the new signature Okanagan Wine Festival events. This time around, well-known Vancouver restaurateur/chef and Four Seasons alumni, Wayne Martin is stepping up to the plate to challenge spring winner and Cabana Executive Chef and Co-owner, Ned Bell.
This mixing, mingling and grazing event will boast food stations helmed by some of the Okanagan’s best chefs including: Ned Bell – Cabana Grille, Mathew Batey – Mission Hill, Malcolm Gibb – Wild Apple Restaurant, Reg Hendrickson – Dairy Farmers of Canada, Jeremy Luypen – Hotel Eldorado Dining Room, Roger Planiden – Great Estates of the Okanagan and Heath Cates – The Harvest Restaurant.
Participating wineries include: Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, Gray Monk Estate Winery, Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, Pentage Wines, Sandhill Vineyards, and Great Estates of the Okanagan including Nk’Mip Cellars, Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, See Ya Later Ranch, Jackson-Triggs Vintners and Inniskillin Okanagan Vineyards. Get up close and personal with your favourite vintners and chefs, sample and swirl the best of new fall releases and enjoy the excitement of the friendly Iron Chef showdown. Cabana’s own celebrity chef Ned Bell welcomes Wayne Martin, executive chef and co-owner of Vancouver’s Fraiche Restaurant, Crave Beachside and Crave Main for the fun cook-off that was a hit at the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival.
Chef Martin spent 16 years with the internationally famed Four Seasons Hotel Group, before deciding to “get back in the kitchen” in 2005 and opened his first restaurant – Crave Main, an extremely popular Lower Mainland eatery. Since then the award-winning chef and entrepreneur has been turning out refined classics at the elegant, mountain-top Fraîche Restaurant, named one of Canada’s Top Ten Best New Restaurants of 2008 by enRoute Magazine and the more casual seaside Crave Beachside which opened in West Vancouver in 2008.
Tickets are $79, include entrance, wine tastings, food stations, complimentary wine glass and entertainment and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 250.860.1470 or going online to www.ticketmaster.ca. Event supporters include presenting sponsor Terasen Gas, Valley First Credit Union and Sysco Kelowna.
With a premier position on Lakeshore Road just steps from stunning Okanagan Lake, Cabana Grille is a globally inspired, locally created upscale eatery owned and operated by three local restaurateurs, Jay Blackford, Michael Borg and Ned Bell. The restaurant blends a casual, relaxed atmosphere with exceptional food and drink led by Executive Chef Ned Bell who honed his culinary prowess at renowned restaurants across Canada including Lumiere, Accolade, Senses, Murrieta’s, Redwater Grille and Vintage Steakhouse. Bell was a regular on Food Network Canada’s “Cook Like a Chef” and currently films “It’s Just Food” for CTV. Focusing on fresh, local produce cooked in innovative ways for a wide range of tastes and budgets.
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De Dutch Customers Denounce the HST
Surrey, BC: De Dutch customers have joined the restaurant’s public stand in full support and continue to denounce the proposed HST in response to a point-of sale campaign launched August 21st in all eighteen De Dutch restaurants in BC featuring the restaurant’s position against the proposed HST.
The campaign which includes menu covers as well as printed postcards addressed to Premier Gordon Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen generated a quick and loud response from customers as soon as the campaign started. Customers continue to fill out postcards during their dining experience as well as take copies home for friends and family to voice their opinion. Some are making trips to the restaurants specifically to obtain a supply of postcards. As a result, only one week after the launch, the 10,000 postcards which were initially printed were already running low and an additional 8,000 postcards were distributed to the restaurants at the beginning of September.
De Dutch President, Bill Waring says, “The instant and strong response from our customers clearly indicates our customers’ opposition to the proposed HST. I personally have received numerous e-mails and phone calls from customers to express their thanks for taking a public stand and expressing a vocal position against the implementation of this tax. I have also heard several stories about surrounding business owners coming to our various locations throughout the province to obtain the postcards for distribution and even that a customer drove from Creston to Prince George specifically to pick-up some postcards. We as a company will continue to offer to mail these postcards for our customers to Premier Gordon Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen and monitor all feedback that we receive.”
Bill Waring expressed the following opinion at the launch of the point-of-sale campaign, “Based on industry findings, if the HST is implemented and the PST is applied to restaurant meals, you can simply expect to pay 7% more for every item on every menu at every food service outlet in the province. Come July 1st, 2010, we will all have 7% less to spend on restaurant meals because the government will be taking that money out of our pockets. This concerns me as a BC consumer, business owner and employer. Therefore, it is our main intent to stop the HST. If the Government however continues with its plan to implement the HST, we ask that the food service industry continue to be exempt from what would be the PST portion as other major food providers such as grocery stores will be.”
The thirty-four year old De Dutch franchise with 19 locations in Calgary, Alberta and BC’s Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Fraser Valley, Okanagan, and Cariboo has successfully carved a niche in the competitive food service industry. While offering dinner at its Strawberry Hill location, De Dutch Pannekoek House specializes in breakfast, brunch and lunch, offering their customers a unique blend of European ethnicity in its menu items. The Pannekoek, a 12″ in diameter Dutch-style pancake, is their signature dish and continues to draw loyal customers.
For more information and a listing of De Dutch locations, visit www.dedutch.com.
