GOODS: The Naramata Heritage Inn Is On The Lookout For A New Restaurant Manager

Naramata Heritage Inn & Spa is located at 3625 First St in Naramata, BC | 1.866.617.1188 | naramatainn.com

News from Scout supporter Naramata Heritage Inn & Spa

Naramata, BC | Naramata Heritage Inn & Spa seeking restaurant/catering manager. Wine knowledge/education essential, previous management/supervision experience in upscale casual dining required. You are: easy-going, passionate about food/wine, a born leader, results driven, a service pro, a computer nerd, creative, and grounded. E: jobs@naramatainn.com. F: 250.496.5001. Learn more about us after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Exclusive Barrel Room Dinner With Joy Road Catering At Le Vieux Pin Winery

Joy Road Catering operates May through Oct all over the Okanagan Valley | 250-493-8657 | joyroadcatering.com

The GOODS from Joy Road Catering

Penticton, BC | Planning a voyage to the Okanagan for Spring Wine Festival? Don’t miss this rare opportunity to enjoy an exclusive barrel room dinner with Joy Road Catering and Le Vieux Pin Winery on April 30th. Your evening will begin with a reception wine followed by a tour of the winery and a pre-dinner barrel sampling while Cam and Dana put the finishing touches on an amazing four course meal. We will even take a quick walk into the vineyard (weather permitting) and talk about the importance of the land. The range of wines includes a library selection in the intimate barrel room at Le Vieux Pin. The winemaker will join you for dinner and answer all your questions as we enjoy a wonderful evening of good food, good wine and good people. This dinner is limited to 30 people. Details after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Joy Road Presents 2011 “Cuisine du Terroir” Al Fresco Vineyard Dining Series

Joy Road Catering operates May through Oct all over the Okanagan Valley | 250-493-8657 | www.joyroadcatering.com

The GOODS from Joy Road Catering

Penticton, BC | Sourcing and showcasing  the bounty of the Okanagan continues to be a way of life for Cameron Smith and Dana Ewart, chefs and owners of Joy Road Catering. Their diverse culinary projects include a cult-worthy baking stand at the Penticton Farmers’ Market (of which Cameron has been voted President  for the 2nd year), the South Okanagan’s leading catering company, specializing in food and wine pairing for 10-200 guests and as hosts for their celebrated mountain top outdoor dining experiences.

This summer’s Sunday Al Fresco Vineyard Dinners will be hosted on the grounds of the heavenly God’s Mountain Estate B&B just South of Penticton. This unparalleled Okanagan dining experience begins May 29th and runs  through Thanksgiving.

These unique multi-coursed dinners unite curious diners, local epicureans and culinary tourists alike, at a communal, outdoor table overlooking one of the oldest Riesling vineyards in the Valley and shimmering Skaha Lake. The evening includes a sparkling wine reception and a carefully chosen, local wine pairing with each course. Get all the details after the jump… Read more

Field Trip Photo: Joy Road With JoieFarm On God’s Mountain Top

Pretty set up: a Joy Road catered supper paired with JoieFarm wines at God’s Mountain on the edge of Lake Skaha outside Penticton last night. Worthy of a run on sentence and then some and then some more.

P-Town’s Slice of Commercial Dr.

Granted, few travellers will set out to Penticton in blustery, blizzardy weather, and in the case of avoiding a long line up for the city’s (perhaps the world’s) best sandwich at Il Vecchio’s Delicatessen…I’m glad of it. I don’t want to share.

A few (million) snowflakes didn’t stop me from driving 10 kilometers straight across town to the off-the-beaten track deli where a trio of seemingly serious, hard-working Italian mamas put together delicious custom combinations of meat, cheese and condiments for less than five bucks. In fact, for less than five bucks ($4.47) I had the four-meat (prosciutto, salami, capicollo, ham), double cheese (hit me twice Havarti) sweet mustard, marinated artichoke, sun-dried tomato and lettuce combo on a crusty Kaiser roll with pickles on the side. Knowing this kind of quality sandwich is out there for such a fantastic price reminds me of that sad-looking, pre-packaged $9.99 USD Wolfgang Puck turkey bun I just couldn’t bring myself to buy during a hungry wait at the Orange County airport a few weeks back. This tiny slice of top notch Commercial Drive Italia (at retro prices) makes Il Vecchio’s a prized local institution. I figure if I give it up in winter I won’t get beaten up as much for making the worthwhile wait a bit longer.

You can find it at 317 Robinson Street, near the bus station.

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Wine Country Holiday Calendar

Catch the holiday spirit in the Okanagan this month with musicals, trains, hockey games, live music performances, multi-course dinners, New Year’s Eve bashes, winter markets and yes, even a celebrated Neil Diamond impersonator…

In Summerland & Penticton…

If your New Year’s resolution was less Access Hollywood and more culture vulture head down to the circa 1956 PenMar movie theatre for Saturday morning broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera. The cameras get so close you can see the spit fly! Next up Thaïs (Massenet), La Rondine (Puccini) and Orfeo ed Eruadice (Gluck), to name a few. Click here for complete schedules and story lines.

And in Kelowna

The Kelowna Farmer’s & Crafter’s Market is the biggest farmers market in the interior of BC with over 160 stands at the height of the summer. While smaller in the winter months, steadfast merchants still display their wares indoors at the Parkinson’s Recreation Centre.

The Okanagan Coffee Route

Now that I regularly drive the 1.5 hour journey from the Similkameen to Kelowna to teach my wine classes I have had to create a coffee route to keep me fueled along the way. One of the most important things for me in any place is to find out where to get the best latte. It’s easier said than done up here, but over the years in the Okanagan (and now Similkameen) a number of decent coffee houses have popped up in the towns along my new path.

The first stop as I head north is Penticton. There are now two very solid stops to be found. If you are heading up the hill towards the Naramata Bench, a visit to the Bench Market is essential for good coffee and panini (and you can pick up some Vij’s curry for dinner). The second stop in Penticton is a new entry, the Bellevue Cafe. This little spot on Main Street makes for a perfect break as you browse your way through the farmer’s market in the summer months, and with free wireless it is also a good stop en route from which you can send a few emails.

After jumping back in the car and heading north, you are probably just finishing one coffee as you roll into Summerland. The Beanery at the end of Main Street makes a pretty decent latte and I am visiting this place a lot more as the roadwork between Summerland and Peachland causes many unplanned delays.

By Peachland, you can drop into Bliss Bakery for a coffee or sandwich and kill some time by staring out over the lake, but it is the next stop that is probably the most exciting for me.

Now, in one of the many large strip malls that have popped up in Westbank, you can find the Okanagan’s first Caffe Artigiano. This is the now the best coffee in the Okanagan and a forced stop on any journey through the big-box storeland of Westbank. I was there on opening day a couple of weeks ago and was pleased to see the new staff just making latte after latte until they’d reached the expected perfection. It is nice to see such commitment to product quality.

The only challengers to the Artigiano crown are the two Bean Scene cafes in Kelowna (Bernard Ave and Ellis Street). The coffee they call the “Traditional Cappuccino” is actually a small, strong powerhouse with perfectly textured steamed milk and intense flavour. The Bean Scene food is very ordinary, but for coffee they were the first ones here who were really committed to training staff to make it properly.

I have yet to explore in-depth the caffeine scene of Okanagan Falls, Oliver and Osoyoos, or the north Okanagan around Vernon, but at least, for a good length of the Okanagan and Similkameen, we can be sure of finding a great cup of coffee now, another sign of the improving food scene in the Okanagan.

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Rhys Pender is a wine educator, freelance wine writer, wine judge and consultant to the industry. Visit his company Wine Plus+ online at www.wineplus.ca.

Penticton Christmas Market

I didn’t know that I wanted some furniture made out of old wine barrels before I stopped by the Penticton Christmas market in the heritage Cannery building this morning. The market is fairly slow and small but this is Penticton in November. It’s worth worth a stop.

oak barrel wine rack

I was crossing my fingers and toes that Joy Road Catering would have a table set up with their to-die-for homemade granola. No luck. But there was some fun stuff: sweaters and soap, baked goods and glass beads, jewelry and all the other crafty doodads you’d expect. Most interesting was The Broken Barrel Furniture Co., a business that makes handcrafted furniture from old oak wine barrels sourced from wineries in Naramata, Kelowna and Oliver. Their motto is something like “the tables are built strong enough to dance on.” Nice! I’d like one of the coat hangers made from barrel staves.

Julius Weber, of J&S Weber Fruit Summerland had a killer old-school fruit stand going on, stocking over seven varieties of organic apples and a slim selection of pears and fresh unshelled nuts. I loaded up on the MACs, Spartans and Fujis that were selling for 50 to 60 cents a pound.

Julius Weber selling his sweet wares

He was pushing the Newtown apples as stars for baking and cooking (clearly he doesn’t know me) and was also hawking Golden and Red Delicious, Jonagold, Mutsu and Sinta. You can find Julius and his lovely, tiny, tasty apples at the indoor Kelowna Farmer’s Market most often and around Penticton winter markets (as suits him).

The Cannery building is also home to the cozy CAN Coffee and the Cannery Stage. A neat, multi-purpose coffee shop turned theatre turned art gallery (local artist Joel Reid is currently on exhibit). It’s a great place to soak up that arty, local vibe with a newspaper or a friend over a steaming Americano.

The Penticton Christmas market runs every Saturday from 10am to 2pm until December 20.

Okanagablog: Eating P-Town

Joy Road doling out the goodies at the Penticton Farmer

Saturday, October 25 was the last Penticton Farmer’s Market of the season and I was pretty bummed as it’s definitely my favourite thing about the P-town. So off I went to eat my usual market breakfast feast and quickly learned why the market shuts down in the fall.

A wind-tossed tent lands on top of another

The number of stalls had dropped significantly since my last visit two weeks prior and the wind had made its blustery presence known. Tents blew up and over, hat stands came down with a crash, and leaves circled hurricane-like along with my hair.

I was surprised at how quickly the market atmosphere had changed, and instead of lazily loitering around the City Hall stairs eating this and that I headed straight to the good folks at Joy Road Catering for my usual seasonal fruit galette, cinnamon bun, and homemade granola. It’s more than I can (or should) eat but I need a taste of everything and like to lend my support, especially with it being the last market.

Dietz's bison sausage at the last Penticton Farmer's Market

Then it’s off to the Dietz sausage truck for a bison smokie loaded with sauerkraut and mustard. A look back down Main Street saw most stalls losing their tents and in danger of having their wares swept away. I guess it’s time to shut down the season.

I know the producers, farmers, chefs, bakers, knitters, chocolatiers, soap and candle makers have been working so hard since the early spring and are probably quite looking forward to the break. Cam Smith and Dana Ewart of Joy Road told me they were hosting 75 people for an end-of-season shindig at their place that night and were off to Maui the next day, and if anyone deserves a whole lot of R&R, it’s those two.

I also tried out a couple other restaurants in Penticton this weekend at opposite ends of spectrum. The seven month old Lee’s Fusion, a stylish addition to the city close to my part of town (Skaha Lake), and the fifty year old (plus) Capitol diner downtown on Main.

The Capitol has been under the same ownership for its entire existence – a couple from Greece. A little standoffish at first perhaps but owner Vicky warmed up 100% following some interest shown in her kitchen and history. Lunch Friday afternoon was a six dollar plate of bacon and eggs, served with four slices of toast and some pretty decent diner coffee. Remember when coffee cups held 6oz? Dig waaaay back.

The food was average and the atmosphere totally dated but there is something pretty cool about hanging out and watching the world go by in a place that has weathered many decades and is still around to serve locals their liver and onions.

We hit Lee’s Friday evening around 8:30pm, later than the norm in P-town, but there were a fair amount of people inside. We were happy to see that the seafood was Oceanwise and that all three types of Masa Shiroki’s Granville Island-produced Osake sake were on the menu. We had a few plates of good, if rice-heavy sushi, some toro and salmon sashimi, and my favourite: chopped scallop nigiri. Downing multiple teensy glasses of the mid-level sake option, we still ended up with half a bottle to take home…

The Crazy Grape Stomp

An overzealous competitor at Grape Stomp.

Strange times. I was one of four judges in the annual Grape Stomp here in Penticton last night. The competing teams were allowed to do anything to sway the judges, so it wasn’t exactly a quantifiable contest. At one point I had several shooters lined up in front of me (and in me), some cookies, scratch and win tickets, dollar coins, Mardi Gras beads, and bottles of wine whilst a revolving brace of women in various states of undress, intoxication, and age massaged me in earnest. Very odd. Slept like a baby at the Apple D’Or.