A Long Table Dinner at the 2nd Annual Oyster Festival

Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek

A sure sign of the Spring thaw here in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley is when the doors are unlocked at our local wineries. This week I was fortunate enough to attend an oyster themed long table dinner at Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek Winery, along the Golden Mile near Oliver. The catalyst was the opening of the 2nd annual Oyster Festival. The restaurant which opened in 2011, blends Mediterranean-influenced cuisine, farm-to-table concepts and Ocean Wise Seafood with some of the regions top wines from Tinhorn Creek. Miradoro is a winner of Vancouver Magazine’s Best Winery/Vineyard Dining Award with chef Jeff Van Geest at the helm.

Tasty Afternoon on the Bench

The Venue - Van Westen Winery, Naramata

This past Sunday I was lucky enough to volunteer and attend the 3rd annual Feast of Fields in the agritourism area of Naramata about an hour south of here. Situated along a meandering country road with spectacular views of Okanagan Lake and surrounding mountains the Naramata Bench is one of the most scenic wine regions in North America. As a parking volunteer you could feel the anticipation and I saw a rare glimpse into the making of a word class event as the drama unfolded. Many of the Okanagan Valleys top chefs, vintners, and organic farmers arrived with their goods to create this one-of-a-kind experience. I can only imagine the thought, effort and collaboration it took each of them to get to this point to create a magical feast for over 300 attendees. I witnessed each participant being welcomed and ushered down the hillside. As each tractor load disappeared down the hill with all their goodies and displays I wondered how all of this seeming mayhem would transform in to the magic I have witnessed in previous years with gorgeous displays and beaming participants. Seeing an event from the beginning is very different than arriving once all the hard work has already been accomplished.

Follow the British Columbia Food Trail Beginning on the Coast with Grilled Spot Prawns

Grilled Spot Prawns with Lemon Fennel and baby Arugula Salad

As seen on Honest Cooking...Here in the interior of British Columbia we herald in Spring with tender local asparagus, freshly shelled peas, and crimson stalks of rhubarb but on the coastal waters of British Columbia nothing ushers in Spring better than fresh live Spot Prawns. From May 1 until July 1, we have the opportunity to devour some of the freshest and best-tasting prawns in the world here in British Columbia which are one of the most tantalizing things to be found in our coastal waters. Sweet, firm, peachy-pink and tender, these alien-looking prawns are sustainably harvested by local fishermen. This means we are able to enjoy eating them well into summer and still feel good about it. The summer has been sneaking up pretty quickly with the window of opportunity to enjoy this delicacy being relatively short but rest assured we have rolled up our sleeves and feasted on local Spot Prawns often.

Follow the British Columbia Food Trail with Creamy Morel Mushrooms on Grilled Ciabatta Bread

Creamy Mushrooms on Grilled Ciabatta Bread

As seen on Honest Cooking.

When sick, or tired, or far from home, everyone seems to yearn for the gastronomic equivalent of a warm sweater, a kiss on the forehead, or a favourite blanket. Comfort foods nourish the soul as well as our bodies and tend to be familiar foods that remind us of simpler times or of a contented childhood. Comfort food is generally associated with the onset of cooler weather but what comforts you when a Spring day turns wet, gray and cold and the weather feels anything but Spring-like? The best medicine is undeniably some delicious comfort food. Just like the pending season your senses can be awakened with anything from a creamy soup of garden fresh peas, an asparagus-heavy risotto or a pudding dotted with rhubarb.

Spring is a season where comfort foods reign. It is not uncommon even in Spring for my home to be filled with warm, fragrant and earthy aromas of a slow cooked roast or bubbling crock pot, but, there is absolutely NOTHING on the planet as comforting to me as a delicious, homemade macaroni and cheese. There's something very satisfying about making this classic yourself from start to finish. I serve my favourite Beechers Macaroni and Cheese with another favourite comfort food to reach culinary nirvana , a soul-satisfying creamy mushroom topped ciabatta . I make no apologies whatsoever for either dish with their cheese, butter and carbs.