Special Features - Voracious 2014

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Kootenay Vineyards

Q&A

with Whitewater Cooks Author

Friendly. Healthy. Community owned. organic produce, hundreds of bulk items, prepared foods, fresh meat & seafood, grocery, vitamins & supplements, healthy bodycare products...

Open every day 7:30am - 9pm Kootenay Co-op 295 Baker St, Nelson

vis it us on lin e :

t: 250 354 4077 follow us on facebook

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www.kootenay.coop

5 Kootenay Vineyards 8 Q&A with Shelley Adams 11 Recipe 12 Trends 13 Craft Beer

514 Hall Street, Nelson BC, V1L 1Z2 • 250-352-1890 Publisher: Writers: Designer: Advertising Sales:

Karen Bennett Sam Van Schie Eli Geddis Amy Robillard Katelyn Hurley Natasha Rose Kiomi Tucker Christine Esovoloff Tara Langhorn

publications@westkootenayadvertiser.com This material, written or artistic, may not be reprinted or electronically reproduced in any way without the written consent of the publisher. The opinions and statements in articles, columns and advertising are not necessarily those of the publisher or staff of Black Press. It is agreed by any display advertiser requesting space that the owner’s responsibility, if any, for errors or omissions of any kind, is limited to the amount paid by the advertiser for that portion of the space as occupied by the incorrect item and there shall be no liability in any event greater than the amount paid for the advertisement.

THE ROYAL ON BAKER SUPPORTING OUR TALENTED LOCAL ARTISTS, DANCERS, MUSICIANS AND SERVERS! AMAZING FOOD * FULL LIQUOR LICENSE * FAST LUNCH SPECIALS HAPPY HOUR 4-6 APPIES 1/2 PRICE * JUGS $12 * FREE POOL LIVE DINNER MUSIC 6-8 BAND OR DJ TO FOLLOW

OPEN DAILY 12AM TO 12PM

330 Baker St. * 354-7014 Check out the Events Calendar and Menu at

ROYALGRILLNELSON.COM

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery is a local Kootenay

Shop for fresh, organic and natural foods for those special dishes!

award-winning winery in Creston.

We are open at the winery for tastings and tours mid May to Mid September

Mon - Sat 9am - 6pm • 523 Front St. Nelson B.C. • 250-352-3181 • ellisonsmarket.com

Daily lunch and dinner specials.

Something new every day!

Tues-Fri 9:30-9:30 Sat-Sun 9-9:30 Closed Mondays

655 Jorgenson Rd

P: 250.352.1633

www.amandasrestaurant.ca

2014 BC Wine Awards

Platinum Medal Award Winner for the 2012 Cab Franc Gold Medal Award Winner for the 2012 Pinot Noir 1140 27th Avenue South, Creston

250-428-8768 www.bailliegrohman.com

Kootenay Vineya ds Not

Just

Another

Okanagan

by Eli Geddis

Over the past few years, the Kootenays have seen a rise in the number of wine grape vinyards being set up across its vast and varied terrain. With the prominence and esteem of the many established Okanagan and Similkameen Valley wineries mere hours away, what does this new wave of Kootenay wine bring to the palate? From the first Kootenay winery, the Columbia Gardens Vineyard and Winery, which opened up in Trail in the fall of 2001, to

relative newcomers like Fruitvale’s SOAHC Estate Wines and Wynndel’s Wynnwood Cellars, the Kootenays are developing a story and approach unique to our climate and limits. Ask any wine maker in the Kootenays and one of the first things they’ll tell you is that we’re not the next Okanagan. But our unique position and advantages can produce some of the most exciting new award-winning wines around.

Kootenay Vineya ds Not

Just

Another

Okanagan

Bob Johnson and Petra Flaa, proprietors of Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery in Creston, whose first vintage was released in 2010, are well aware of their unique position in the world of B.C. wines.

“This area is considered ‘on the edge,’” says Johnson, in terms of climate, “and we use this as our marketing advantage. We’re from somewhere different. But this is a double-edged sword; you need to back it up with quality wine.” And from all accounts, they have.

Their Pinot Noir 2012 vintage was just awarded a gold medal at the 2014 British Columbia Wine Awards.

Their Pinot Gris 2011 was also awarded gold at the 2014 InterVin International Wine Awards in September.

Johnson and Flaa, alongside their estate wine maker, the celebrated New Zealand-born Dan Barker, see an interesting future for Kootenay Wine: “You need to be very careful selecting your site and varietals,” says Johnson. “The Kootenays are only appropriate in very specific micro-climates, and only certain grapes will grow in certain areas. We are only beginning to understand these new blocks [of grape planting] in a totally new area, and our grapes will only get better as we gain knowledge.”

Nobody understands the importance of taking advantage of the Kootenay’s unique micro-climates better than SOAHC Estate Wine’s owner Jamie Fochuk. Fochuk, a lifelong vineyard worker, in looking to set up his own vineyard, conducted an exhaustive study of Kootenay micro-climates, gathering infor-

mation about weather, humidity, temperature, facing slope directions, and altitude to find the best place for aromatic varietals. What he found was a perfect micro climate on the mountainside near Fruitvale, where he spent four years fallowing the soil, logging, stumping, and rock-picking by hand. “My guess is there are 300 acres over here at most [suitable for grape growing],” Fochuk says. “Our farm is 150 acres but we’ll only ever grow twenty or twenty-one acres of grapes.”

“The main factor in coming here was the soils and the rainfall,” he says. “We don’t have to irrigate and the soils are super mineralized. Over in the Okanagan, it’s so dry and it’s not getting any wetter.” What this singular grape growing region amounts to is a very different taste and story than you’re likely to find anywhere else. “I worked with the super famous [grape grower] Alain Sutre from Bordeaux, France, to choose the specific varietals for this spot,” he explains, “so it tastes different than any others. Our Chardonnay is very lean, it doesn’t taste North American at all. I was even told to send it to Europe because it would be really appreciated there.” Fochuk hopes that his completely organic vineyard, along with an organic fruit orchard and vegetable crop, will one day warrant an on-site restaurant and tasting patio.

Kootenay wines are also making an impression on local sellers. “I’m very excited about this as an emerging

Kootenay Spice

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Seasoning blends & Sauces Over 40 flavours to choose from!

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Visit us online today! kootenayspice.com /kootenayspice Kootenay Spice Trail, BC info@kootenayspice.com

“Named one of the top 20 wineries in the country” - 2014 National Wine Awards

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wine area,” says Chantal Boisvert of B.C. Wine Guys in Nelson. “So many factors go into making wine. Not just the terroir,” which is comprised of the geographical features in a wine growing area, “but the style of the wine maker. For example, the wine maker from Skimmerhorn in Creston, [Mark Rattray] brings his own distinct style, so even though they’re right next to Baillie-Grohman, they can each make a Gewürztraminer and they’re going to be totally different.”

Whatever your wine preference, the Kootenays likely have a vintage for you. There’s Thrum’s Heron Ridge Estate Winery, operated by Paul Koodrin, which specializes in blueberry wine. “When people think of blueberry wine they think of a sweet, syruppy, desert drink,” Boisvert says, “but they’re doing an excellent job of producing a drier style table wine.”

There is also the Arrow Lakes Grape Growers Society, a colletive of grape growers in the Arrow Lakes Valley engaged in a 10-year research project to determine the best, most fruitful varietal that will grow in the region. In time, the society will take their most sucessful grape and develop a unique and special wine identity for the region.

So as the Kootenays develop as a wine region, don’t expect it to become another Okanagan or Similkameen. No, this is going to be something all our own.

Questions & Answers

by Amy Robillard

Nelson cookbook author speaks with Voracious about nostalgia, cooking for her family and her newest cookbook, Whitewater Cooks with Passion.

What was your first paid job in a kitchen?

SA: I was maybe 14 and a friend’s dad hired a bunch of us junior ski racers to work for three weeks at his stand at the PNE in Vancouver – I remember a lot of fried onions.

What was your favourite childhood food?

SA: I loved steamed artichokes, clams and Dungeness crab in black bean sauce. My mother worked in a bookstore and was always reading cookbooks...she loves the cover of the new cookbook because it looks like our kitchen table. She has a beautiful sense of esthetics.

It is your last supper – what do you order?

SA: Bouillebaisse and a really good baguette with sea salt butter on the side. Oh, and a shaved fennel and green bean salad. It is on page 78 of the new cookbook and I want to eat it this week!

What is your philosophy in the kitchen?

SA: Simple fresh food, perfectly prepared and beautifully presented.

What is your signature dish?

SA: It changes every season. This summer it was all about sablefish on a plank with miso marinade and polenta eggplant parmesan.

What has been your most challenging request in the kitchen?

SA: There were so many stuck-up stars during my catering years that were high maintenance and the first Coldsmoke at Whitewater was physically challenging. We had to feed so many skiers during the day and the huge amounts of food to prepare for the dinner buffet was a logistical disaster.

Do you have a culinary hero?

SA: My mom and Julia Child.

Your newest cookbook is titled Whitewater Cooks with Passion – how do you define this?

SA: For this cookbook, it was all about loving every recipe I included. I invented and sourced recipes that I am so excited about. I literally can’t wait for people to prepare them in their own kitchens and feel the same way I do!

What is your favourite meal to make for Conner, Ali and Mike?

SA: When they (Connor and Ali) come home, they are keen on tuna with wasabi lime sauce and they love Asian risotto... and Sunday night dinners usually include comfort foods like a whole roasted chicken.

Does your family ever cook for you?

SA: No. Well, sometimes on holidays.

Potluck season is upon us – what dish do recommend from Whitewater Cooks with Passion?

SA: For vegans, the mushroom nut loaf on page 96 is amazing. The green curried chicken on page 124 is so easy – you can put some tinfoil over a dish and away you go. The tourtiere with homemade ketchup would be great. I had the ketchup at a restaurant in Montreal -- Olive et Gourmando -- and replicated it when I got home. And for dessert, the luscious olive oil cake is very luscious.

When you ski at Whitewater, what do you order for lunch?

SA: Glory Bowl – I invented it and I love it!

How did Whitewater Cooks all start?

SA: I followed a cute boy in a red ski instructor’s suit from Whistler to Whitewater...it was Mike of course.

Ingredents for the perfect

Dinner Party Gouda Bread Ham Grapes

Here at Safeway we have everything you need to create the perfect dinner party. From gluten free products to specialty cheeses and deli meats, we have you covered.

(250) 365-7141 1721 Columbia Ave, Castlegar

www.safeway.ca

Recipe from Shelley Adams’ new cookbook Whitewater Cooks with Passion This is a very uncomplicated cake and the olive oil makes it so rich and moist. My Mom used to make one similar to this when we were young, I can picture it on our kitchen table decorated with fresh orange slices and dusted with icing sugar! This is a recipe shared by the “Queen of Cakes”, Petra Lehman.

Serves 8

2 cups all purpose flour 1 ¾ cups sugar 1 ½ tsp salt ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder 1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil 1 ¼ cups whole milk 3 large eggs, room temperature 1 ½ tbsp orange zest ¼ cup fresh orange juice ¼ cup Grand Marnier or sherry

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray on sides and bottom and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.

Whisk together the olive oil, milk, eggs, orange zest, orange juice and Grand Marnier in another bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and skewer comes out clean when inserted.

Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack, remove pan and let cool completely for 2 hours.

Garnish with any type of edible flowers or kumquats and sliced oranges.

Fresh Ideas

For quality cookware and so much more

574 Baker Street Nelson • 250-352-9777

In the Kootenays

by Sam Van Schie

Beer has long been the quintessential Canadian drink, and thanks to an explosion in craft breweries over the past 30 years, liquor stores are bringing more variety than ever to their beer sections, and consumers are loving it. Here in BC, craft beer sales doubled in the past four years and are expected to continue growing.

Small breweries are popping up everywhere. It’s the golden age for craft beer.

All this is good news for Nelson Brewing Company, which has been producing all-natural ales in small batches since 1991. Brew master Mike Kelly says consumers seeking out different types and styles of beer has made his job more interesting. He recently developed a limited release Pacific Northwest-style IPA at the request of a bar in Fernie, and earlier this year he brewed up a lager to sell in Alberta.

In the Kootenays “Formulating new recipes is always a fun part of the job,” Kelly says. “With craft brewing there’s the freedom to try new things because we’re working on a smaller scale, both in terms of production and distribution. We can have a limited release, targeted at a very small market segment — that’s no trouble for us.”

An idea for a new beer usually originates from members of the sales team who come to Kelly with a request for something they think would sell in a certain place or during a certain time of year, like pumpkin beer around Thanksgiving or chocolate beer at Christmas.

Sometimes important local anniversaries or events are celebrated with a new NBC brew. In 2012 the brewery released Shambhalager to recognize the 15th anniversary of the Kootenay-based electronic music festival Shambhala, and NBC’s popular Wild Honey Organic Ale was originally produced to mark the 25th anniversary of Nelson’s Whitewater Ski Resort in 2001 (since then Wild Honey has been added to NBC’s regular lineup).

“We really try to reflect the local community in all the beers we make,” Kelly explains. “People buy our beer over on the coast or in Alberta and we want them to give them an idea of what Nelson is all about.”

In 2006, NBC became certified organic, which

meant sourcing all its hops, grains and other ingredients from organic farmers. It wasn’t an easy undertaking, but Kelly says it was an important step in aligning the beer with Nelson values.

“Over time the people of Nelson have adopted [NBC] as their brewery,” Kelly says, noting the foodie trend of locavorism has helped. “People are more concerned about where a product comes from and want to support their local producers.”

There are more than 50 micobreweries operating in BC, the majority of which are based on the lower mainland and Vancouver Island. Kootenay beer drinkers looking for craft brew produced closer home have a few options: Nelson Brewing Company, Fernie Brewing Company and Mt. Begbie Brewing Company in Revelstoke. There are also two new nanobreweries that just opened this past summer — Rossland Beer Company and Nelson-based Torchlight Brewing Company. Both are tiny, two-man operations that sell their beer in refillable glass growlers, straight from their respective downtown breweries.

Rossland Beer Company was started by Petri Raito and Ryan Arnaud, both age 38, who previously ran a U-Brew shop called Trail Brewing, located in the neighbouring community of Trail. Raito says running the U-Brew was, “like going to school for us. It’s how we learned about brewing and realized our true dream of opening a small brewery of our own.”

The pair opened their brewery in Rossland because that’s where most of their previous customers were from. They now have a stable lineup of four beers sold exclusively at their storefront — though they aren’t always all available on tap.

“Depending on the week and how busy we are, we might only have one or two beers on tap, either because we’ve sold out of everything else or we just aren’t brewing as much,” Raito explains. “Our focus is on having the freshest beer possible.”

It’s a similar situation over at Torchlight Brewing Company in Nelson. There, they have three taps and an appetite for endless experimentation.

“We want to be always changing what we offer,”

explains Josh Secord, 25, who teamed up with 32-year-old Craig Swendson to open the brewery, after securing their start-up funds through an IndieGoGo campaign.

They have one set beer — the underdog pale ale — that they serve year round and their two other offerings change with the season and availability of ingredients.

“We want to show people that the way they’ve gotten used to drinking beer isn’t the only way,” Secord says. “You don’t have to pick a favourite beer and buy the same thing every time — you can change it up. There’s so much variety out there, you can really have fun with it.”

250.352.3582 • nelsonbrewing.com 512 Latimer Street Nelson B.C. Canada