On Saturday, October 28, we hosted our Wine Club members for our fall ‘Dare to Pair’ wine and culinary experience. This finale member event welcomed three visiting chefs from well-known local kitchens to compete for the best pairing.
MEET THE CHEFS & PAIRINGS
Jeremy Luypen
Chef Jeremy Luypen is an award-winning chef with brilliant creative skills and extensive food & beverage experience, known as one of the top chefs in the Okanagan. Jeremy is the current president of the Okanagan Chefs Association and is an instructor in the Okanagan College’s Culinary Arts Program, developing cooks & apprentices. His recent endeavors include overseeing 16 restaurants across B.C. as Director of Operations at Noir Food Services and Culinary Director at Summerhill Pyramid Winery.
Chef Jeremy Luypen prepared rolled pork belly with pistachio mousse, persevered lemon and celery root purée, crab apple reduction and crispy curry chicharron. This delicious dish was paired alongside a rare library release of 2011 Quails’ Gate Dry Riesling.
Bernard Casavant of Lakehouse Kitchens Cooking School
Chef Bernard Casavant, a fixture in Okanagan’s culinary scene since 2006, is known for his unwavering commitment to farm-to-table cuisine and local ingredients. As the Culinary Director of Lakehouse Kitchens, he brings with him an impressive career including roles as Executive Chef at Chateau Whistler, Chef/Owner of Chef Bernard’s Bistro in Whistler and involvement with esteemed establishments like Manteo, Burrowing Owl, Okanagan College and RauDz Creative Concepts.
Chef Bernard Casavant prepared Fraser Valley duck leg confit terrine with Salt Spring Island Juliette Blue polenta, blackberry gel and beet root powder. This delicious dish was paired alongside new release 2021 Plume Cabernet Sauvignon, Similkameen Valley.
Rod Butters of RauDZ Creative Concepts Ltd.
Chef Rod Butters is a culinary pioneer in the Okanagan Valley. He owns acclaimed restaurants including RauDZ Regional Table, Sunny’s Modern Diner and The Okanagan Table, all committed to supporting local cuisine. With a rich background that includes opening the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino and working with prestigious establishments like Scaramouche Restaurant and the Four Seasons Hotel group, Rod has earned international recognition.
Chef Rod Butters prepared a fowl soup with ‘smokey’ mushroom, turkey & cherry dumpling, bitter greens, pine mushroom broth and basil oil. This delicious dish was paired alongside a rare library release of 2014 Quails’ Gate Pinot Noir.
CROWNING A WINNER
Congrats to Chef Bernard Casavant for taking the winning spot at our fall event! While it was a tight race between these three OG chefs, our wine club members loved his dish paired alongside the 2021 Plume Cabernet Sauvignon.
NEW RELEASE ALERT
Chef Bernard had the pleasure of working with our newest release, 2021 Plume Cabernet Sauvignon.
Three generations of the Stewart Family’s talent and passion culminate in Plume. Plume embodies a story of innovation and flight and in the case of this special release of Cabernet Sauvignon, the exploration of terroir in the Similkameen Valley. We are proud of our long standing relationships with our community of meticulous growers who share our passion for farming grapes of the highest quality.
This Cabernet Sauvignon is refined and irresistible. On the nose, a foray of black pepper and red currant are followed by a palate rich with blackberry and notes of tobacco and sagebrush — complexity of flavour matched by an abundance of soft tannins.
This wine is exclusively available in the Wine Shop at Quails’ Gate and is currently showcased in the Big Reds feature tasting — a must-try experience that celebrates the rich diversity of Quails’ Gate’s red wine offerings. Reserve your Big Reds tasting here.
