Everyone loves Italian
Cooking Italian is fun and easy for sous chef Heather Brumwell. “I spent three-and-a-half months in Italy cooking and eating,” she said. “Italian is definitely my favourite food.” As such, Brumwell, who works seasonally at the Terrace restaurant at West Kelowna’s Mission Hill Family Estate, was a natural to lead the first half of the winery’s Traditional Italian Culinary Class.
The winery’s culinary theatre, tucked behind the Chagall Room, seats just 32 wine-and-food lovers to watch demonstrations by winery chefs and, of course, eat the results paired with Mission Hill wines.
Before my wife and I even get to the culinary theatre, we had a welcome glass of Reserve Limited Edition 2017 Viognier in the Chagall Room.
Once in the theatre, Brumwell started be whipping up a tuna crudo salad, matched to the 2017 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc.
To go with the 2016 Reserve Chardonnay, she created a pappa al pomodoro tomato dip with buratta cheese.
And then, her piece de resistance, giant egg yolk ravioli cacio d pepe, served with 2016 Reserve Pinot Noir.
Sous chef Garrett Rotel took over to present the braised beef with risotto, paired with 2016 Reserve Meritage, and the zabaglione with biscotti dessert, enhanced by the 2015 Reserve Late Harvest Vidal.
When Mission Hill introduced culinary classes just a few years ago, it offered just 10 over the fall, winter and spring.
This year there are 60 classes and most of them sell out quickly.
That’s why the winery has released a new batch of 37 sessions January through March ranging from more Traditional Italian, seafood, Classic Mediterranean, Spanish Fiesta and Discover Thailand to Cooking with Wine, South American Fusion, Mystic India, Mexican Fiesta and Greek Dynasty. Most classes are priced around $139. Check out MissionHillWinery.com.