Thoughts From My Belly

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to act as a judge for the Iron Chef competition at the IPE last Thursday. The event took place over the course of five days with winning teams moving to the next round with the ultimate goal of winning the finals on Sunday. The rules were pretty [...]

I am excited to have the opportunity to be a a judge the Iron Chef competition at The Interior Provincial Exhibition and Stampede this year! The competition runs throughout the course of the 5-day annual event in Armstrong and will pit local chefs against each other in “a battle to see who’s cuisine will reign [...]

The wonderful people at Poppadoms Restaurant are hosting a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. This should be a great event and I strongly encourage everyone to attend. Not only do I expect the food to be great, but its for a great cause and one that is very close to my heart. Last [...]

My wife and I went to the Westjet Wine Tastings @ The Delta Grand last night and both really enjoyed ourselves. I have to admit up front that I’m positive my taste buds weren’t functioning properly last night when it came to the white wines. Nothing was tasting outstanding, despite me trying a few “benchmarks” [...]

The Rotten Grape has been hosting a series of events that they’re calling “Wino Wednesdays” in their restaurant on Bernard (near The Sails). Basically they invite a winemaker/winery owner to the restaurant from 5pm and 8pm. Anyone who drops in during that time gets a flight of three 1.5oz glasses of wine from that winery, [...]

The Spring Wine Festival is fast approaching so I thought I would share a few tidbits from the local wine scene. 8th Generation Vineyards has a number of Wine Festival events coming up. I’m hoping to catch them at Vintages in the Park at The Father Pandosy Mission on May 1st or the following weekend [...]

I had a lot of fun at The Taste Of Kelowna this year, but I shouldn’t be surprised because it’s an awesome event every single year. Hats off to the BCRFA and all the restaurants who participated for putting together such a great event. I put a lot of my thoughts out there already over [...]

There are lots of great food related events coming up in Kelowna. Here is a spotlight on a few of the highlights: 7th Annual International Wine Exhibition – March 12th 7pm – 10pm @ The Capri Hotel – I’ve never been able to attend this event in the past, but have heard nothing but positive [...]

With the opening ceremonies mere hours away, I thought it would be a good idea to share some Olympic Food and Wine ideas with you. Opening Ceremonies – Olympic Opening Ceremonies usually aren’t short and concise, so you’ll want to be prepared with a good supply of your favourite beverage and some food to snack [...]

For those that don’t know, Wine and Dine Okanagan is a great event where local restaurants put together 3 course set menus for $15, $25, or $35. I love this event, because it let’s you try three different dishes (usually, but not always, an appetizer, main, and dessert) for an affordable price. If you go with a friend and the restaurant has options on their Wine and Dine menu, then you can share and try six different dishes!

This year the event starts today (Jan 13th) and runs through the end of the month. Wine and Dine is a great reason to visit your old favourites or some new flavours during what is typically a slow season for the foodservice industry. With over 50 BCRFA member restaurants participating there is something out there for everyone.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the media launch and sneak preview yesterday afternoon and I have to say that there is lots to be excited about. Here are a few of the highlights: