20 August 2008

A Treasure in the Okanagan

With working mega hours at the Easter Seal camp for disabled and challenged children this summer I had not taken my weekly trip to the local farmers market as I would have liked to. When I had some precious time off I ventured down to the market here in K-town as well as browsed many of the hundreds of local fruit stands scattered across the valley. There is no need for a CSA box with an overabundance of fruits and vegetables to sustain us from one end of the Okanagan Valley to the other. Throw in hundreds of wineries where that special bottle of British Columbia wine can be found and a superb meal is complete. In this we can have pride and honour our local producers, vintners and farmers who have set our tables for so long. We need to embrace our complex environment and eat locally as much as possible.

The last few times I have ventured to the local Farmers Market I came across a real Okanagan treasure in the form of Okanagan Street Food where they follow this life choice as much as possible.


Owner and chef Neil Schroeter began his "foodie" career at the age of 14 in the provinces of Saskatchwan and Alberta. He obtained his chef's"red seal" at the Culinary Arts Program in Calgary at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) . He also completed the Sommelier course at the highly recognized George Brown College in Toronto. During his career so far he has gained valuable experience at many recognized and prestigious restaurants and resorts in Quebec, Toronto and Whistler. He then ventured to the sunny Okanagan where to use his own words "he was able to fine-tune his passion for food and wine creating fresh creative dishes as the Chef de Cuisine at the ‘Cellar Door Bistro’ at Sumac Ridge Estate Winery in Summerland".

Neil says, "The thought behind Okanagan Street Food was to promote real, unprocessed food from local, regional and Canadian sources." He and his wife/business partner Heather commissioned a custom-made truck from Armenco Cater Truck Inc. in Sun Valley, California and their business was born!!! The photo in this post is of Neil on the right with his long time friend and foodie Ian.

They can be found at the farmers and crafters market till October in Kelowna on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and Thursday evenings. You will also be lucky enough to find them at the Naramata market on Wednesday evenings and in Lake Country on Friday evenings.



At his market location Neil prepares made to order innovative dishes such as Risotto Fritters with Candied Salmon and Yogurt Dipping Sauce, Fresh Vegetable Chips with Roasted Garlic and Local Goat's Cheese Dip, and Roasted Merguez Spicy Lamb Sausage. He also serves up delicious fries with homemade blackberry ketchup or truffle mayonnaise. You can also take home his classic homemade fresh pastas, innovative sauces and stocks as well as his homemade wholewheat rosemary Parmesan or toasted fennel crackers. Create your own delicious meals at home!!!!!!!!! His retail line is also available in two locations. Okanagan Grocery in the Guisachan Village here in Kelowna where we both say Monica makes the best bread and jams in the city...this I can attest to...and Victoria Street Deli and Bistro in Summerland. Neil says, "Try Roger's duck ham panini!!!!!!"

As part of his catering business he prepares fabulous platters, hors d'oeuvres & executive box lunches which can be picked up at the market if you so wish or delivered with droolworthy dishes such as Poached Lemongrass Prawns, House Cured Salmon Bruschetta Platter, Roast Sablefish with Pickled Pear Beurre Blanc and Angel Food Cake with Ice Wine Marinated Seasonal Berries and Cream.

Fresh, seasonal and local food is the focus. "Whether it’s classic or inventive cuisine you are after, Neil can help you create a very memorable, one-of-a-kind event."

I for one am glad that we have this Okanagan treasure in the form of Okanagan Street Food here in the valley. A visit to the farmers market is just that more exciting when I know I can have a gourmet breakfast or lunch. We need more entrepreneurial spirit to create a foodie paradise and destination here in the Okanagan Valley. I think I'll try the risotto cakes next........

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. Best Blogger Tips

4 comments:

  1. Posts like this make me extremely happy Val! You have such a good selection there...what an abundance of choice. They sound like they work wonders with the local produce.

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  2. darn are you lucky. have you thought about sending this to Jen from Modern Beet for her Farmer's market carnival?

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  3. Sis, you are so lucky to have them. They are very talented to make all those lovely recipes but they are also lucky to have you and write so many wonderful things about them.

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  4. I am back to scroll through your blog... and now I know you are in Kelowna... wasn't sure originally. I used to live and work in Kelowna.

    I used to drive Easter Seal buses for a couple of years in between years at different dental offices ... ...so it is fun to see that you worked at the camp.... small world, hey?

    thanks for adding me to your list of Canucks.... okay..off to scroll through more postings....

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Welcome to my home. Thank you for choosing to stay a while and for sharing our lives through food. I appreciate all your support, comments, suggestions, and daily encouragement.

Val

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