Skip to content

Head for the hills to feast on food and wine

IT'S just over one week now until Whistler hosts the most exciting multidiscipline event of the fall. No, it's not the luge or giant slalom - it's Cornucopia, the best annual excuse going to head for the hills and eat and drink to total satiation.

IT'S just over one week now until Whistler hosts the most exciting multidiscipline event of the fall.

No, it's not the luge or giant slalom - it's Cornucopia, the best annual excuse going to head for the hills and eat and drink to total satiation.

There are still tickets left for some key events. Here are just a few.

Aura Restaurant in the spectacular Nita Lake Lodge kicks off the fest with a new event, the Pacific Coast Road Trip dinner on Thursday Nov. 10.

Featuring the culinary talents of Executive Chef Tim Cuff and Restaurant Chef Owen Foster, guests are invited to join them for an indulgent road trip down the West Coast with select wines from award winning Sheridan Vineyards, Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards and Sineann Winery. According to a release, the evening will unfold with specially selected vintages and Nita Lake Lodge's own proprietary cocktails paired with a six-course dinner featuring some of the season's finest and freshest. Tickets for the dinner are priced at $200 and are available by calling the hotel directly.

On hand to answer questions and add to the evening will be Van Potts from Conn Valley Winery, Chef "Big" John Caudill from Sheridan Vineyards, and Peter and Elizabeth Crews from New World Wine Imports.

The hotel is offering a Pacific Coast Road Trip package that includes one night of accommodation together with a ticket to the evening. Rates start at $333.89 based on double occupancy.

For reservations or more information about Nita Lake Lodge, visit www.nitalakelodge. com or call 1-888-755-6482.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the fancy food and wine, check out the new Butcher and Brew Master event, a charcuterie and beer night set for Nov. 11 at the Dubh Linn Gate. For $25 guests can enjoy six unique, distinctive (and hard-to-find) Granville Island Brewery beers, each paired with meats from the family-run Oyama Sausage Company. Butcher and Brew Master runs 7-10 p.m.

Tickets are required for this event and can be purchased from the team at Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub, at Granville Island Brewery in Vancouver or at either of the Pan Pacific Whistler Hotels in Whistler. Guests may wish to call the pub in advance to secure a spot. Visit www.dubhlinngate.com for information.

After a five-year hiatus and many pleas to resurrect the most outrageous party of the weekend, Bearfoot Bistro owner André Saint-Jacques has re-invented Masquerave as a benefit event for One Drop, an initiative of Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil. The gastronomic extravaganza takes place Saturday, Nov. 12 from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.

With the culinary experience taking centre stage, the evening will highlight six chefs from British Columbia and six chefs from the province of Québec, each creating masterful canapés at separate food stations, to complement creations designed by Bearfoot's award-winning executive chef, Melissa Craig.

Guests will sip from a range of 40 local and international wines, and celebrate with Dom Pérignon champagne.

Chefs lending their skills to the event include C Restaurant's Rob Clarke, Gord Martin from Bin 941 and Go Fish, Cioppino's Pino Posterero, Vikram Vij from Vij's and Hidekazu Tojo from Tojo's Restaurant; also joining the chefs will be Joe Forte's oyster shucker "Oyster Bob."

International DJs with live musicians, light shows, burlesque-style entertainment, and circus art performance will ignite the evening, while models adorned with wineryinspired body paintings will add the element of eroticism now synonymous with Masquerave.

The evening will also feature a special charity auction. Infiniti has donated the Infiniti G37 Anniversary Art Project Vehicle to be auctioned during Masquerave, with proceeds also going to One Drop.

Cirque du Soleil will do a special unveiling performance to take place at the party, kicking off the start of the auction. Saint-Jacques said in a statement he hopes to donate a significant sum of money to One Drop, which fights poverty worldwide through supporting access to water. Funds will also support Whistler's Ecole La Passerelle (Francophone school) and the WhistlerBlackcomb Foundation.

Tickets are $295 per person, at 604-932 3433 ext 1, by emailing masquerave@ bearfootbistro.com or by purchasing via Paypal. For more information, visit www.bearfootbistro.com/ masquerave.

dlancaster@nsnews.com