  Culture and Community
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 Arts Council of the Central Okanagan 140-1735 Dolphin Ave, Kelowna, BC V1Y 8A6 Email: Click Here. Elke Lange, Executive Director Telephone: 250.861-4123 Produced in association with the Okanagan Institute
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 LATEST CULINARY ARTS ITEMS |
CULINARY ARTS
Okanagan Book Launch & Charity Dinner: Chefs’ Table Society, Vancouver Cooks 2
Forget what you’ve heard about too many cooks in the kitchen, Mission Hill Family Estate will host the official launch of the Chefs’ Table Society of British Columbia cookbook, Vancouver Cooks 2, with an exclusive reception and five-course dinner, October 9. Sharing the evening’s spotlight with Mission Hill’s Winery Chef Matthew Batey are four of British Columbia’s premier chefs, including: Pino Posteraro of Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill, Vikram Vij of Vij’s and Rangoli, Ned Bell of Cabana Bar and Grille, and Rob Feenie of Cactus Club Restaurants.
A reception in the Wine Shop will kick off the festivities, with an optional tour for guests of the underground Barrel Cellar. A sumptuous five-course wine and food pairing will follow in Mission Hill’s Chagall Room, named for the exquisite tapestry by Russian-born painter Marc Chagall that adorns the room - one of only 29 Chagall tapestries ever made.
Guests will enjoy a culinary homage to British Columbia with delicious selections prepared by the all-star chef line-up. The menu features cookbook-inspired dishes by the chefs paired with Mission Hill’s premium wines a sampling includes fennel marinated sablefish with Reserve Riesling, seared Qualicum scallops and squash ravioli with Perpetua, and south Okanagan Valley venison with Quatrain.
Completing the evening will be a special take-home gift -- each guest will receive a copy of the Chefs’ Table Society cookbook, Vancouver Cooks 2 with the authors available for personalized book signings.
Later this autumn, Mission Hill will also be offering a special Chefs Table Society culinary workshop at the winery based on recipes from the new cookbook.
Details:
Chefs’ Table Society Book Launch
Reception and Dinner
Mission Hill Family Estate, Chagall Room
Date: Friday, October 9, 2009
Time: 6:30 - 11:00 pm
Cost: $175 plus taxes (per person)
About The Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia
The Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia is a chef-administered, province-wide collaborative dedicated to creating a foundation for the exchange of information between culinary professionals. The Society supports innovative and sustainable programs that will inspire, educate and nurture its chefs, producers and the local food industry, all the while promoting standards of excellence with the aim of enhancing the reputation of regional cuisine.
About Vancouver Cooks 2
A second helping of recipes celebrating the BC food scene, served up by 70 well-known and emerging chefs. Five years after Vancouver Cooks, which sold more than 13,000 copies, the Chefs’ Table Society returns with over 100 new recipes from 70 chefs around Vancouver, Victoria and the Okanagan. Divided into four sections—local food, international flavours, emerging talents and pioneering chefs—Vancouver Cooks 2 celebrates the key elements that have forged Vancouver’s unique culinary culture and made the city a world-class dining destination. We also see the industry behind the scenes, understanding its heritage and the innovative strides Vancouver chefs are taking.
Written for the home cook, Vancouver Cooks 2 pairs more than 50 full-colour photographs with the mouthwatering recipes, each with wine notes. Royalties from the sale of this book go to the Chefs’ Table Scholarship and Bursary Fund.
About Mission Hill Family Estate
Mission Hill Family Estate is world renowned for its award-winning wines, stunning setting and architecture, and its Cuisine de Terroir-based Terrace Restaurant. Honoured as one of the Top Five Winery Restaurants globally, the restaurant and epicurean program is led by Chef Matthew Batey. The winery’s vineyards are located in five distinct growing regions of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Reflective of the origin and unique character of the Valley and of the careful ‘pruning to bottle’ program, Oculus, our signature Bordeaux-inspired wine, represents the pinnacle in premium winemaking. Proprietor Anthony von Mandl and winemaker John Simes produce elegant internationally acclaimed wines with New World flavours and Old World refinement from this incomparable lakeside mountaintop winery. Visit www.missionhillwinery.com for more information.
A reception in the Wine Shop will kick off the festivities, with an optional tour for guests of the underground Barrel Cellar. A sumptuous five-course wine and food pairing will follow in Mission Hill’s Chagall Room, named for the exquisite tapestry by Russian-born painter Marc Chagall that adorns the room - one of only 29 Chagall tapestries ever made.
Guests will enjoy a culinary homage to British Columbia with delicious selections prepared by the all-star chef line-up. The menu features cookbook-inspired dishes by the chefs paired with Mission Hill’s premium wines a sampling includes fennel marinated sablefish with Reserve Riesling, seared Qualicum scallops and squash ravioli with Perpetua, and south Okanagan Valley venison with Quatrain.
Completing the evening will be a special take-home gift -- each guest will receive a copy of the Chefs’ Table Society cookbook, Vancouver Cooks 2 with the authors available for personalized book signings.
Later this autumn, Mission Hill will also be offering a special Chefs Table Society culinary workshop at the winery based on recipes from the new cookbook.
Details:
Chefs’ Table Society Book Launch
Reception and Dinner
Mission Hill Family Estate, Chagall Room
Date: Friday, October 9, 2009
Time: 6:30 - 11:00 pm
Cost: $175 plus taxes (per person)
About The Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia
The Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia is a chef-administered, province-wide collaborative dedicated to creating a foundation for the exchange of information between culinary professionals. The Society supports innovative and sustainable programs that will inspire, educate and nurture its chefs, producers and the local food industry, all the while promoting standards of excellence with the aim of enhancing the reputation of regional cuisine.
About Vancouver Cooks 2
A second helping of recipes celebrating the BC food scene, served up by 70 well-known and emerging chefs. Five years after Vancouver Cooks, which sold more than 13,000 copies, the Chefs’ Table Society returns with over 100 new recipes from 70 chefs around Vancouver, Victoria and the Okanagan. Divided into four sections—local food, international flavours, emerging talents and pioneering chefs—Vancouver Cooks 2 celebrates the key elements that have forged Vancouver’s unique culinary culture and made the city a world-class dining destination. We also see the industry behind the scenes, understanding its heritage and the innovative strides Vancouver chefs are taking.
Written for the home cook, Vancouver Cooks 2 pairs more than 50 full-colour photographs with the mouthwatering recipes, each with wine notes. Royalties from the sale of this book go to the Chefs’ Table Scholarship and Bursary Fund.
About Mission Hill Family Estate
Mission Hill Family Estate is world renowned for its award-winning wines, stunning setting and architecture, and its Cuisine de Terroir-based Terrace Restaurant. Honoured as one of the Top Five Winery Restaurants globally, the restaurant and epicurean program is led by Chef Matthew Batey. The winery’s vineyards are located in five distinct growing regions of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Reflective of the origin and unique character of the Valley and of the careful ‘pruning to bottle’ program, Oculus, our signature Bordeaux-inspired wine, represents the pinnacle in premium winemaking. Proprietor Anthony von Mandl and winemaker John Simes produce elegant internationally acclaimed wines with New World flavours and Old World refinement from this incomparable lakeside mountaintop winery. Visit www.missionhillwinery.com for more information.
23 Sep 2009
PERCY SCHMEISER ON Genetically Engineered Food
PERCY SCHMEISER RETURNS TO B.C. - SEPTEMBER 15-20
Internationally-Renowned Saskatchewan Farmer Continues His Journey of Warning
Farmers and Eaters of the Risks of Genetically Engineered Food.
It's not often that farmers reach celebrity status and between September 15-20, communities throughout the interior of the province will be welcoming one of the most celebrated farmers in the world - Percy Schmeiser.
Between 1998-2008, Saskatchewan's Percy and Louise Schmeiser have waged a classic David versus Goliath struggle against one of the most influential multinational agricultural corporations - Monsanto.
Their ongoing battles have reached such international recognition, that in December 2007, the Schmeisers became the recipients of the Right Livelihood Award; often referred to as the "alternative Nobel". The award was presented in honour of the Schmeisers' "courage in defending biodiversity and farmers' rights, and challenging the environmental and moral perversity of current interpretations of patent laws".
Since the mid 1990s, the food supply of Canada has become increasingly dominated by genetically engineered (G.E.) foods. The process of transgenic engineering involves the placement of DNA from one species or kingdom into the cells of another. Such processes do not take place within nature or from conventional breeding and the technology expectedly continues to receive widespread global opposition. Canada remains among a small minority of countries who support such foods and has welcomed G.E. ingredients into our food supply. Canada even goes so far as to aggressively lobby other countries to do the same.
It is estimated that over three quarters of foods on grocery store shelves now contain G.E. ingredients. Most Canadians remain completely unaware of their presence. With the technology having not received any long-term human safety studies, Canadians have become the product of one of the largest human feeding experiments in history. The foods/ingredients that are most often genetically engineered are corn, soy, canola and cottonseed. These crops represent the foundation for most foods consumed today including soft drinks, breakfast cereals, oil-based foods, dairy, meat and eggs among others.
The genetic engineering of the food supply continues to expand. In 2008, G.E. sugar entered the food supply for the first time, and in early 2009, an industry-led campaign was launched to encourage the future introduction of G.E. wheat.
The Schmeiser's visit marks their second to B.C. in the past 14 months. In July 2008, Percy addressed audiences in Castlegar, Vancouver and Vancouver Island, where he urged communities there to protect the local food supply and support efforts to establish G.E. Free Zones (regions that could remain free of genetically engineered plants and trees). Since that visit the municipalities of Nelson, Rossland and Kaslo have all passed policies that oppose the cultivation of such experimental technologies. The groups hosting Percy on this tour will either be continuing their efforts to establish such zones and/or will be introducing the idea.
Farmers' Rights
Among the many environmental and health concerns of G.E. foods, farmers' rights are also of great concern. When a plant is genetically engineered, it can then be patented. Once private ownership of the lifeform is established, the company then owns the plant regardless of where it ends up. This is of significant concern because G.E. plants can freely cross with non-G.E. varieties over long distances. In the Schmeisers' case, Monsanto's RoundUp Ready canola ended up in their fields of non-G.E. canola even though the Schmeisers had never purchased the G.E. seed. The Schmeisers, who had been saving seed for decades, were left to harvest seeds that were now owned by a multinational corporation. It didn't take long before they found themselves in a courtroom with a powerful corporation demanding that they pay the company royalties for having used their patented technologies (seeds).
This shocking example of the corporate control of our food supply is the clear direction in which our food system is heading.
Following years of legal battles, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled 5-4 in favour of Monsanto in 2004. The decision sent shockwaves to farmers around the world.
The battle continued when another incident between Monsanto and the Schmeisers was sparked in 2005. This time, it was the Schmeisers challenging Monsanto, and this time, the Schmeisers were the victor. In March 2008, Monsanto paid the Schmeisers $660 in an out-of-court settlement. While the sum was small, the message was powerful, and the Schmeisers have since been touring the world sharing their story of this victory.
In July 2008, Percy Schmeiser helped launch the G.E. Free Kootenays campaign at a packed event in Castlegar. The campaign has been successfully working towards the establishment of a region that will remain free of genetically engineered plants and trees. As part of this latest return to B.C., Schmeiser will continue to lend his experience to farmers and eaters and further encourage the establishing of G.E. Free regions throughout the province.
Supporters: Society for a G.E. Free BC, Okanagan Greens Society, Okanagan College, FASNO, Shuswap Seed Savers, G.E. Free Kootenays, Kootenay Food Strategy Society, Deconstructing Dinner, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), Grand Forks and Boundary Regional Agriculture Society, Creston Food Action Coalition
For more information on the tour, visit www.gefreebc.org
Dates / Venues:
Vernon
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Okanagan College - Lecture Theatre, 7000 College Way, Vernon, B.C.
7:00pm
Admission $5
Kelowna
Sunday, September 20, 2009
4th Annual Organic Okanagan Festival
@ Summerhill Pyramid Winery,
4870 Chute Lake Road, Kelowna, B.C.
1:00pm
Admission $5
Internationally-Renowned Saskatchewan Farmer Continues His Journey of Warning
Farmers and Eaters of the Risks of Genetically Engineered Food.
It's not often that farmers reach celebrity status and between September 15-20, communities throughout the interior of the province will be welcoming one of the most celebrated farmers in the world - Percy Schmeiser.
Between 1998-2008, Saskatchewan's Percy and Louise Schmeiser have waged a classic David versus Goliath struggle against one of the most influential multinational agricultural corporations - Monsanto.
Their ongoing battles have reached such international recognition, that in December 2007, the Schmeisers became the recipients of the Right Livelihood Award; often referred to as the "alternative Nobel". The award was presented in honour of the Schmeisers' "courage in defending biodiversity and farmers' rights, and challenging the environmental and moral perversity of current interpretations of patent laws".
Since the mid 1990s, the food supply of Canada has become increasingly dominated by genetically engineered (G.E.) foods. The process of transgenic engineering involves the placement of DNA from one species or kingdom into the cells of another. Such processes do not take place within nature or from conventional breeding and the technology expectedly continues to receive widespread global opposition. Canada remains among a small minority of countries who support such foods and has welcomed G.E. ingredients into our food supply. Canada even goes so far as to aggressively lobby other countries to do the same.
It is estimated that over three quarters of foods on grocery store shelves now contain G.E. ingredients. Most Canadians remain completely unaware of their presence. With the technology having not received any long-term human safety studies, Canadians have become the product of one of the largest human feeding experiments in history. The foods/ingredients that are most often genetically engineered are corn, soy, canola and cottonseed. These crops represent the foundation for most foods consumed today including soft drinks, breakfast cereals, oil-based foods, dairy, meat and eggs among others.
The genetic engineering of the food supply continues to expand. In 2008, G.E. sugar entered the food supply for the first time, and in early 2009, an industry-led campaign was launched to encourage the future introduction of G.E. wheat.
The Schmeiser's visit marks their second to B.C. in the past 14 months. In July 2008, Percy addressed audiences in Castlegar, Vancouver and Vancouver Island, where he urged communities there to protect the local food supply and support efforts to establish G.E. Free Zones (regions that could remain free of genetically engineered plants and trees). Since that visit the municipalities of Nelson, Rossland and Kaslo have all passed policies that oppose the cultivation of such experimental technologies. The groups hosting Percy on this tour will either be continuing their efforts to establish such zones and/or will be introducing the idea.
Farmers' Rights
Among the many environmental and health concerns of G.E. foods, farmers' rights are also of great concern. When a plant is genetically engineered, it can then be patented. Once private ownership of the lifeform is established, the company then owns the plant regardless of where it ends up. This is of significant concern because G.E. plants can freely cross with non-G.E. varieties over long distances. In the Schmeisers' case, Monsanto's RoundUp Ready canola ended up in their fields of non-G.E. canola even though the Schmeisers had never purchased the G.E. seed. The Schmeisers, who had been saving seed for decades, were left to harvest seeds that were now owned by a multinational corporation. It didn't take long before they found themselves in a courtroom with a powerful corporation demanding that they pay the company royalties for having used their patented technologies (seeds).
This shocking example of the corporate control of our food supply is the clear direction in which our food system is heading.
Following years of legal battles, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled 5-4 in favour of Monsanto in 2004. The decision sent shockwaves to farmers around the world.
The battle continued when another incident between Monsanto and the Schmeisers was sparked in 2005. This time, it was the Schmeisers challenging Monsanto, and this time, the Schmeisers were the victor. In March 2008, Monsanto paid the Schmeisers $660 in an out-of-court settlement. While the sum was small, the message was powerful, and the Schmeisers have since been touring the world sharing their story of this victory.
In July 2008, Percy Schmeiser helped launch the G.E. Free Kootenays campaign at a packed event in Castlegar. The campaign has been successfully working towards the establishment of a region that will remain free of genetically engineered plants and trees. As part of this latest return to B.C., Schmeiser will continue to lend his experience to farmers and eaters and further encourage the establishing of G.E. Free regions throughout the province.
Supporters: Society for a G.E. Free BC, Okanagan Greens Society, Okanagan College, FASNO, Shuswap Seed Savers, G.E. Free Kootenays, Kootenay Food Strategy Society, Deconstructing Dinner, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), Grand Forks and Boundary Regional Agriculture Society, Creston Food Action Coalition
For more information on the tour, visit www.gefreebc.org
Dates / Venues:
Vernon
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Okanagan College - Lecture Theatre, 7000 College Way, Vernon, B.C.
7:00pm
Admission $5
Kelowna
Sunday, September 20, 2009
4th Annual Organic Okanagan Festival
@ Summerhill Pyramid Winery,
4870 Chute Lake Road, Kelowna, B.C.
1:00pm
Admission $5
25 Aug 2009
Hundred Foot Feast
August 30, 5:00
at Crannóg Ales
706 Elson Rd, Sorrento
Tickets in advance only. Call for reservations: 250-675-6847
$75 includes all taxes and gratuity
You've heard of the Hundred Mile Diet? For one night in August, feast on the Hundred Foot Diet.
On August 30, Crannóg Ales and Stellar Seeds host a midsummer feast at their farm and brewery in Sorrento. Picture long tables set with linen and crystal, outside beneath the cherry trees, surrounded by the gardens from which your dinner came. French meets fresh, in this inspired combination of local food and drink.
This year's Feast is a five course extravaganza of our own farm-raised food, from lamb to basil, heritage tomatoes and garlic. Our chef this year is Geoffrey Couper of The Corked Cook, an inspired chef dedicated to seasonal food. He teaches in the Culinary Arts department at Okanagan College as well as running his own catering business featuring fine local ingredients. Each course is paired with a fresh ale from Crannóg Ales, including some special cask-conditioned ales made only for this event!
The art of cooking seasonally is at its peak during tomato season. Our chefs will provide inspiration and delectation for your own seasonal eating, while brewer Brian MacIsaac will explore the art of pairing beer and food. Sophistication and fresh foods are the bywords of this feast, bringing you the very best our farm has to offer.
This very special dinner is by advance ticket only, $75.00 includes taxes and gratuity, five courses and all the alcohol. Please call Crannóg Ales at 250-675-6847 for reservations. We accept all credit cards, cheques or cash.
at Crannóg Ales
706 Elson Rd, Sorrento
Tickets in advance only. Call for reservations: 250-675-6847
$75 includes all taxes and gratuity
You've heard of the Hundred Mile Diet? For one night in August, feast on the Hundred Foot Diet.
On August 30, Crannóg Ales and Stellar Seeds host a midsummer feast at their farm and brewery in Sorrento. Picture long tables set with linen and crystal, outside beneath the cherry trees, surrounded by the gardens from which your dinner came. French meets fresh, in this inspired combination of local food and drink.
This year's Feast is a five course extravaganza of our own farm-raised food, from lamb to basil, heritage tomatoes and garlic. Our chef this year is Geoffrey Couper of The Corked Cook, an inspired chef dedicated to seasonal food. He teaches in the Culinary Arts department at Okanagan College as well as running his own catering business featuring fine local ingredients. Each course is paired with a fresh ale from Crannóg Ales, including some special cask-conditioned ales made only for this event!
The art of cooking seasonally is at its peak during tomato season. Our chefs will provide inspiration and delectation for your own seasonal eating, while brewer Brian MacIsaac will explore the art of pairing beer and food. Sophistication and fresh foods are the bywords of this feast, bringing you the very best our farm has to offer.
This very special dinner is by advance ticket only, $75.00 includes taxes and gratuity, five courses and all the alcohol. Please call Crannóg Ales at 250-675-6847 for reservations. We accept all credit cards, cheques or cash.
13 Aug 2009
Ricardo's Cops for Kids Fundraiser Dinner
Date: Monday, August 17
Time: 5pm-close
Location: Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen, 415 Commonwealth Rd, Kelowna
Dine out at Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen and make a difference! On August 17th, enjoy authentic Mediterranean cuisine with an Italian flare at the Okanagan Valley's hidden treasure. Ricardo's will donate 25% of food sales to Cops for Kids, a charitable foundation providing financial support to children in medical, physical or traumatic crisis in the Southern Interior Region of BC. There will also be a silent auction with some terrific prizes!
To reserve your table, please call: 250-766-6810
www.CopsForKids.org
About Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen
Tucked away on a quiet road just outside Kelowna, BC Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen offers gratifying, authentic dishes echoing from the Italian countryside and the Mediterranean basin. From mama’s hand-rolled, homemade meatballs to organic produce grown in the family garden, chef-owner Ricardo Scebba honors his Italian heritage and serves favorite family recipes that offer a true taste of Mediterranean life. The Tuscan-inspired 50-seat room designed by Georgia Award-winner, Tara Trumpetter makes the perfect place to savor Ricardo’s time-honoured taste creations with family, friends and lovers. Since opening in 2001, Ricardo's has won numerous awards including "Best Restaurant", "Best Service", “Best Italian” and "Best Romantic" from Okanagan Life Magazine. Situated in the Holiday Park Resort just 20km north of Kelowna, Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen is the Okanagan's best-kept secret. For menus and more info, visit: www.ricardos.ca
Time: 5pm-close
Location: Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen, 415 Commonwealth Rd, Kelowna
Dine out at Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen and make a difference! On August 17th, enjoy authentic Mediterranean cuisine with an Italian flare at the Okanagan Valley's hidden treasure. Ricardo's will donate 25% of food sales to Cops for Kids, a charitable foundation providing financial support to children in medical, physical or traumatic crisis in the Southern Interior Region of BC. There will also be a silent auction with some terrific prizes!
To reserve your table, please call: 250-766-6810
www.CopsForKids.org
About Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen
Tucked away on a quiet road just outside Kelowna, BC Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen offers gratifying, authentic dishes echoing from the Italian countryside and the Mediterranean basin. From mama’s hand-rolled, homemade meatballs to organic produce grown in the family garden, chef-owner Ricardo Scebba honors his Italian heritage and serves favorite family recipes that offer a true taste of Mediterranean life. The Tuscan-inspired 50-seat room designed by Georgia Award-winner, Tara Trumpetter makes the perfect place to savor Ricardo’s time-honoured taste creations with family, friends and lovers. Since opening in 2001, Ricardo's has won numerous awards including "Best Restaurant", "Best Service", “Best Italian” and "Best Romantic" from Okanagan Life Magazine. Situated in the Holiday Park Resort just 20km north of Kelowna, Ricardo's Mediterranean Kitchen is the Okanagan's best-kept secret. For menus and more info, visit: www.ricardos.ca
10 Aug 2009
A Healing Gathering at Thursday Express
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A CELEBRATION OF NATIVE HEALING ARTS
» Thursday 23 October 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan ARTS. Join us as Rebecca Cameron, Carol Derrickson, Patricia Morven, Roxanne Lindley and Gayle Liman share personal experiences of aboriginal healing traditions throughout the Americas.
» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Native Healing Arts the Focus of Special Event
Health care may not have been top on the political agenda this federal campaign, but for thousands of people in the Okanagan it is the most important issue they face on a daily basis. Whether we are coping with a diagnosis of cancer or heart disease, or dealing with mental illness or elder care, our physical wellbeing has a direct impact on our day-to-day experience.
While traditional Western medicine has focused on fixing our health, aboriginal tradition has focused on healing, which often takes a more holistic view of the person by examining not only the physical body, but the mental and spiritual body as well.
The Okanagan Institute Express series has invited a powerful group of experts in the field of aboriginal healing to share their personal experiences of healing - and how it has affected their lives and others. The event touches on not only Okanagan practices, but aboriginal healing traditions throughout the Americas. Aboriginality: A Celebration of Native Healing Arts takes place October 23, at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café.
Rebecca Cameron
is a teacher and new mother. She'll discuss her personal experience
with aboriginal healer Tis Mal Crow, an internationally known herbalist
and Native American Root Doctor of Cherokee and Hitchiti decent, and
author of the book Native Plants, Native Healing.
Carol Derrickson
is a member of the Westbank First Nation, who has worked as an
administrator in social development for the last 15 years, with a
particular focus on Pine Acres, the band-owned 63-bed elder's residence
which offers intermediate care. A mother and grandmother, Derrickson
speaks to the importance of caring for the whole person as we age. 
Patricia Morven,
of Nisga'a and Thompson decent, teaches life skills for the ROADS
Program through Westbank First Nation. An expert in designing programs
that use art as a form of healing, Morven will talk about how the arts
has helped people overcome addiction.
Roxanne Lindley
is a carrier of cultural and traditional medicines. A member of the
Westbank First Nations, she will talk about the aboriginal world view
with regard to plants and medicine.
Gayle Liman
is the research curator for the Westbank First Nation. She will discuss
a holistic approach to healing involving mind, body and spirit and her
personal healing journey that took her from Mexico to Guatemala and
beyond, where she learned about plants and medicines from numerous
Aboriginal healers.Aboriginality is an ongoing series underway as part of the Okanagan Institute's Express Series, which aims to bring diverse groups of people together in the interest of improving our understanding of culture and the arts, and celebrate the breadth of talent expressed in the Okanagan.
Aboriginality: A Celebration of Native Healing Arts is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 63rd event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Since that time, the series has played host to 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 and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, architect Jim Meiklejohn, broadcaster Mari0n Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Where Enquiring Minds Gather. Okanagan Institute at the Bohemian Café A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home. Express is sponsored in part by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Publishing, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna.
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Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
17 Oct 2008
Eating Well is the Best Revenge at Express Thursday
|  |
CREATING CULINARY ART
» Thursday 9 October 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan ARTS. Join us as Frank Dieter of Okanagan Spirits, Dale Zeich of Little Creek Gardens, and Perry Bentley, chef instructor at Okanagan College share their culinary enthusiasms.
» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Celebrating the Rich Flavours of Culinary Art
If author Malcolm Gladwell was a foodie and lived in the Okanagan, there's a good chance he would say this region is at the tipping point of becoming one of the biggest and brightest stars in the firmament of Canadian cuisine.
From award-winning restaurateurs to first-class purveyors of fine artisan food and drink, the Okanagan is virtually exploding with culinary riches. The challenge, of course, in this supermarket world of the 21st Century is to remind ourselves of the riches that are coming from the earth beneath our feet. And remind ourselves as well of the fine products that are produced from those riches.
On Thursday, October 9 at 5 pm at the Bohemian Café, the Okanagan Institute Express series of free public presentations examines the local food culture from the ground up with Artisanal Fare: Creating Culinary Art. Featured speakers are Frank Dieter of Okanagan Spirits, Dale Zeich of Little Creek Gardens, and Perry Bentley, chef instructor at Okanagan College.
Frank Dieter,
a forester by trade, returned to his homeland of Germany to study
fermentation and distilling processes from Herbert Roesch, one of
Germany's top distillers, and Italian grappa master Vittorio Capovilla.
To add a touch of the Old World to his operations, he imported a
traditional German wood-fired copper-pot still that is specifically
designed to capture the fruit aromas.Passionate about all the fruit this valley has to offer, Dieter produces a variety of fruit brandies. But recently he's been in the news for his efforts to get national distribution for Taboo � his crafty name for the legendary absinthe he now produces as well.
Dale Ziech
is a board director with the North Okanagan Organic Association and
co-owner of Little Creek Gardens, was among the first in the valley to
"go organic" back in 1984 when traditional farmers scoffed at the idea.
The farm became Certified Organic in 1991, and grows a variety of
gourmet mixed greens, tomatoes, baby vegetables and edible flowers.
Perry Bentley
is a chef instructor at the Okanagan College culinary arts program.
Born into a foodie household in a rural setting, where bread was baked
each morning, the eggs collected and the goats milked, likely made his
career inevitable. Bentley did his initial apprenticeship in cookery
after studying hospitality business at technical college in the south
of England and then completed his training in one of the large London
hotels. Perry lived in France and Australia before coming to Canada in the early '90's, he now specializes in bakery and pastry arts and has just returned to teaching after a year's sabbatical studying food and wine in Italy and Argentina.
"Canada has a fantastic food culture, it's a great place to be in the hospitality business and to teach Culinary arts, and the Okanagan is really going to be more and more of a food and wine destination".
Artisanal Fare: Creating Culinary Art is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 61th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Since that time, the series has played host to 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 and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, architect Jim Meiklejohn, broadcaster Mari0n Barschel and others from a variety of creative fields.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
The Okanagan Institute invites you to join us for ...A Celebration of the Culinary Arts
At the Bohemian Café
Thursday 9 October 7-9pm
A Stimulating Evening of Entertainment,
Artisanal Food and Liquid Refreshments
Only 10 Seats Left. Reserve Yours Now.
This Thursday, October 9 at 7 pm at the Bohemian Café, the Okanagan Institute invites you to experience our wonderful local food culture from the ground up with Culinaria: A Celebration of the Culinary Arts. The event has attracted the support and participation of dozens of local artisans - purveyors of locally crafted beverages and cheeses, organic produce, and succulent meats.
Culinaria features a five-course dinner artfully put together by chef Hans Birker of the Bohemian. Throughout the meal, host Karin Wilson
provides a verbal guide through the valley."This event isn't only about
filling our stomachs, it's also about filling our minds with knowledge
about the depth and breadth of food produced in this valley," she says.Performing at the dinner will be local vocalist Barbara Samuel, a professional voice instructor and lead vocalist for the local band, Cista B and the Boyz. As a soloist she sings a wide variety of classics, from Jazz standards to the latest hits. She'll be accompanied by Neal Klassen.
The producers who generously supported this event include: Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan, Cherry Hill Coffee, Elephant Island Wines, Falcon Ridge Farms, Gellatly Nut Farm, The Jammery, Little Creek Gardens and Dressing, Maggadean Farm, Nuttier than a Fruit Cake, Okanagan Grocery Artisan Breads, Okanagan Spirits, Okanagan Game Meats, Poplar Grove Cheese, Raven Ridge Cidery, Vale Farms, and Vinegar Works.
Tickets for this fundraising event benefitting the Kelowna Food Bank are $50 plus $2.50 GST. Seating is limited to 50, of which there are only 10 left, so we suggest reserving as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
| Click the Add to Cart button to reserve your places now. |
Where Enquiring Minds Gather. Okanagan Institute at the Bohemian Café A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home. Express is sponsored in part by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Publishing, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna.
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Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
03 Oct 2008
A Celebration of the Culinary Arts
The Okanagan Institute invites you to join us for ...
A Celebration of the Culinary Arts
At the Bohemian Café
Thursday 9 October 5-9pm
A Stimulating Evening of Entertainment,
Artisanal Food and Liquid Refreshments
Only 50 Seats Available.
Reserve Yours Now.
The great press baron Lord Northcliffe used to tell his journalists that four subjects could be relied on for abiding public interest: crime, love, money and food. Only the last of these is fundamental and universal. Food, moreover, has a good claim to be considered the world's most important subject. It is what matters most to most people for most of the time.
It is with that inspiration, and in light of the continuing excellence of the artisanal food and drink producers in the Valley, that the Okanagan Institute has planned a very special event for the evening of Thursday October 9th - Culinaria: A Celebration of the Culinary Arts.
The evening starts with our usual 5 to 6:30 pm free public presentation - a continuation of our food series exploring the struggles and triumphs of Okanagan artisanal producers, moderated by the Institute's associate director Karin Wilson. Featured speakers will be Frank Dieter from Okanagan Spirits in Vernon, Dale Zeich of Little Green Gardens speaking on the future of organics, and Perry Bentley, chef at the Okanagan College culinary arts program.
Following the presentation, at 7 pm we welcome you to join us for a special 5-course meal
featuring generous portions of some of the best meats, vegetables,
fruit, cheeses, and sweet and savoury treats - all prepared under the
masterful direction of Hans Birker, our host at the Bohemian Café, and accompanied by a selection of liquid refreshments (wines, beers, juices, liquors, and spirits).
The creation of this unique culinary feast includes products from Vale Farms Grassroots, Okanagan Game Meats, Second Wind Farm, Carmelis Cheese, Kekuli Aboriginal Foods, Okanagan Grocery, Nuttier than a Fruitcake, Vinegar Works, The Jammery, Poplar Grove Cheese, Elephant Island Winery, Falcon Ridge Farms, Cherry Hill Coffee, Okanagan Spirits, Maggadean Farm Garlic, and Little Creek Gardens.
We promise you stimulating discussion and artful presentations, along with delightful musical interludes featuring Barb Samuel and Neal Klassen. It will be a wholesome - and fulfilling - evening.
Tickets for this fundraising event benefitting the Kelowna Food Bank are $50 plus $2.50 GST. Seating is limited to 50, and places at the tables are going fast, so we suggest reserving as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Don't forget this week's Thursday Express:
Re:Verse
RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY
» Thursday 2 October 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan ARTS. Join us as Marion Barschel, Jeremy Auld, David Crawley, Carl Hare, Janet Anderson and Valerie Stetson present a stimulating journey of discovery into the magical world of poetry.
» For more information, click HERE.
» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
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 invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
A Celebration of the Culinary ArtsAt the Bohemian Café
Thursday 9 October 5-9pm
A Stimulating Evening of Entertainment,
Artisanal Food and Liquid Refreshments
Only 50 Seats Available.
Reserve Yours Now.
The great press baron Lord Northcliffe used to tell his journalists that four subjects could be relied on for abiding public interest: crime, love, money and food. Only the last of these is fundamental and universal. Food, moreover, has a good claim to be considered the world's most important subject. It is what matters most to most people for most of the time.
It is with that inspiration, and in light of the continuing excellence of the artisanal food and drink producers in the Valley, that the Okanagan Institute has planned a very special event for the evening of Thursday October 9th - Culinaria: A Celebration of the Culinary Arts.
The evening starts with our usual 5 to 6:30 pm free public presentation - a continuation of our food series exploring the struggles and triumphs of Okanagan artisanal producers, moderated by the Institute's associate director Karin Wilson. Featured speakers will be Frank Dieter from Okanagan Spirits in Vernon, Dale Zeich of Little Green Gardens speaking on the future of organics, and Perry Bentley, chef at the Okanagan College culinary arts program.
Following the presentation, at 7 pm we welcome you to join us for a special 5-course meal
featuring generous portions of some of the best meats, vegetables,
fruit, cheeses, and sweet and savoury treats - all prepared under the
masterful direction of Hans Birker, our host at the Bohemian Café, and accompanied by a selection of liquid refreshments (wines, beers, juices, liquors, and spirits).The creation of this unique culinary feast includes products from Vale Farms Grassroots, Okanagan Game Meats, Second Wind Farm, Carmelis Cheese, Kekuli Aboriginal Foods, Okanagan Grocery, Nuttier than a Fruitcake, Vinegar Works, The Jammery, Poplar Grove Cheese, Elephant Island Winery, Falcon Ridge Farms, Cherry Hill Coffee, Okanagan Spirits, Maggadean Farm Garlic, and Little Creek Gardens.
We promise you stimulating discussion and artful presentations, along with delightful musical interludes featuring Barb Samuel and Neal Klassen. It will be a wholesome - and fulfilling - evening.
Tickets for this fundraising event benefitting the Kelowna Food Bank are $50 plus $2.50 GST. Seating is limited to 50, and places at the tables are going fast, so we suggest reserving as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
| Click the Add to Cart button to reserve your places now. |
|  |
Re:Verse
RANDOM ACTS OF POETRY
» Thursday 2 October 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan ARTS. Join us as Marion Barschel, Jeremy Auld, David Crawley, Carl Hare, Janet Anderson and Valerie Stetson present a stimulating journey of discovery into the magical world of poetry.
» For more information, click HERE.
» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
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Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
01 Oct 2008
Farm Forward: The Food Chain in Transition
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THE FOOD CHAIN IN TRANSITION
» Thursday 11 September 2008 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing people and ideas featured in Okanagan ARTS. Join us as we present three experts who have played key roles in energizing our local cuisine. Heidi Noble is a chef, co-owner of Joie Wines in Naramata and author of Menus from the Orchard Table. Donna Denison is the creator of Little Creek Dressings, and Dale Ziech is a board director with the North Okanagan Organic Association and co-owner of Little Creek Gardens.
» This is a free event. Refreshments will be available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
The Time is Ripe for an Okanagan Cuisine
Whether it was the advent of the 100-Mile Diet that started it, or the migration of "slow food" from Europe to North America, or even our growing frustration with the perils of processed food, something is cooking right here in the Okanagan.
Farmer's markets are rising in popularity, our wineries have emerged from a place of vineyards to homes of fine cuisine, and pressure is mounting on local stores to bring in local, and organic. Our food is in transition.
On Thursday September 11, 5 pm at the Bohemian Café the Okanagan Institute Express series of public eventsexamines these issues in Farm Forward: The Food Chain in Transition, featuring three experts who have played key roles in energizing our local cuisine. Heidi Noble is a chef, co-owner of Joie Wines in Naramata and author of Menus from the Orchard Table. Donna Denison is the creator of Little Creek Dressings, and Dale Ziech is a board director with the North Okanagan Organic Association and co-owner of Little Creek Gardens.
Ziech was among the first in the valley to "go organic" back in 1984 when traditional farmers scoffed at the idea. How times have changed.
"You could call it the 20 year overnight success story, and I'm quite happy. But even though it's very trendy and in the news, the conventional food industry has really still got a hold on what we do and eat and consume," he says. "There are more and more regulations coming down under the guise of protecting us and what's occurring is a fight between big business and small business."
Little Creek is one of those small businesses that has had to struggle with some big regulation - in particular the new label requirements and nutritional analysis. The original labelling regulations stretched from eight pages to 200 pages, and yet there are no requirements to reveal the use of radiated or genetically modified products.
Whether we realize it or not, all of these issues play a role in what lands on our table - all the more reason to cultivate a taste for local, argues Noble. Think local and seasonal, and what comes about naturally will be the creation of a distinctive and delicious local cuisine.
"The birth of a cuisine is a form of self-awareness," she writes in her breakthrough book.
Dale Ziech and Donna Denison
moved to Little Creek in 1984. Located on the west shores of Okanagan
Lake, the property has been in the Denison family for more than 60
years. Over the years, the couple cleared the forest and created Little
Creek Gardens, which has been Certified Organic since 1991. Dale grows
a variety of gourmet mixed greens, tomatoes, baby vegetables and edible
flowers. Little Creek Dressing was created by Donna in 1995 as a
"value-added" product to complement the salad greens grown by Dale. The
dressings are produced on site in their certified kitchen. Each recipe
includes farm fresh ingredients and country vinegars made at Little
Creek.
Heidi Noble
is a working winemaker, trained chef & sommelier and published
author. She is co-owner of Joie Wines in Naramata, BC, where she and
her husband Michael Dinn operate a five acre vineyard and winery.Heidi's book, Menus from an Orchard Table (Whitecap Books, May 2007) chronicles the development of Joie's Farm Cooking School and the famous Orchard Dinners which she and Michael ran under the stars for four summer seasons 2003-2006. With commemorative menus, Okanagan food producer profiles, and Joie's collection of recipes, the book demonstrates the Okanagan's potential to develop its own identity within the spectrum of BC's regional cuisines.
Farm Forward: The Food Chain in Transition is a free event, and takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 57th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007. Since that time, the series has played host to 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, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, architect Jim Meiklejohn, and others from a variety of creative fields.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Where Enquiring Minds Gather. Okanagan Institute at the Bohemian Café A hearty feast of lectures, presentations, workshops and showcases celebrating our culture and community. Produced by the Okanagan Institute in association with Wheat King Publishing magazines: Okanagan Arts and Okanagan Home. Express is sponsored in part by the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan, Wood Lake Publishing, UBCO-FCCS, and in support of Project Literacy Kelowna.
05 Sep 2008
WAM at the Rotary Centre
Don't miss a minute...
A fabulous event such as the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival demands a fabulous evening of revelry to follow. Featuring live music, fabulous artwork, fantastic wine, and a funky, vibrant atmosphere, WAM! is the exclusive late night event to attend during this year's Wine Festival.
Come celebrate the Okanagan Wine Festival with WAM!
A fabulous event such as the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival demands a fabulous evening of revelry to follow. Featuring live music, fabulous artwork, fantastic wine, and a funky, vibrant atmosphere, WAM! is the exclusive late night event to attend during this year's Wine Festival.
Experience artists at work, sample locally produced artisan breads and cheeses and enjoy gourmet truffles paired with a delicious variety of fine Okanagan wines while partying the night away!
Voted the 'Best Cultural Attraction' this year by WestJet's Up! In-Flight Magazine, the Rotary Centre for the Arts is the perfect venue for family, friends and out-of-town guests to enjoy wine art and music in a casual, upbeat atmosphere.
Tickets to the event are $50 per guest and can be purchased by calling (250) 717.5304 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.ca. Ticket holders will also receive fifty WAM! dollars to be used during the event towards the purchase of any art or gift items from participating venues. Join us for this exclusive Saturday evening soiree and finish your Wine Festival experience off with a WAM!
About the Rotary Centre for the Arts
Located in the heart of Kelowna's Cultural District, the Rotary Centre for the Arts is a multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts centre and a rental venue providing enjoyment of a wide array of events and festivals. At the RCA, the community can experience artists and performers in action, and share in the excitement of developing and strengthening art and culture in the Okanagan.
29 Aug 2008
News from Minstrel Cafe & Bar
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27 Aug 2008
