Pairing outstanding wines and food is at the forefront at the Sonora Room Restaurant at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery. It’s all about using local produce - in season - to create a culinary experience that reflects the best the Okanagan Valley has to offer. And – thanks to the patio heaters recently installed – you can enjoy al fresco dining even longer this year!
Summer menus start coming together toward the end of May when the majority of the culinary team is in place. The Chef will have checked with local suppliers to see when produce will be coming off the farms and for how long. Creative input is encouraged from all the culinary team, giving them a sense of ownership in what will be prepared and presented. Equally important is the cross-promotional aspect of menu planning, utilizing produce from Harker’s Farms (Cawston), Fester’s Peppers (Oliver), and wild sockeye salmon from the Okanagan Nation Alliance.
Executive Chef Chris Van Hooydonk is a strong practitioner of the ‘farm to table’ concept. At home, his orchards produce: apricots, six varieties of early, mid- and late-season peaches, sour cherries, Bing cherries , nectarines, Italian and yellow plums, mulberries, apples and gooseberries. Fruits that aren’t used in the kitchen in-season form the back-bone of the winery’s retail preserving program - preserves are made for retail sale and used throughout the year in the kitchen.
This “locavore” approach to cuisine, delivered with exceptional service, paired with the outstanding wines of Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, experienced in the beautiful setting of 140 acres truly is “the essence of wine country dining”.
~ Allison Fader