A CULINARY LOVE LETTER TO THE B.C. WINE INDUSTRY
The B.C. Wine Lover’s Cookbook: Recipes & Stories from Wineries Across British Columbia
Jennifer Schell | Appetite by Random House
$35 | 288 pp
Jennifer Schell admits the most challenging element of putting together her latest book was narrowing down the list of winemakers and winery families that are featured within its pages.
“It was extremely difficult as there are so many families to celebrate in our industry,” Schell says. “I hand-picked a variety of wine families from across the province, some original pioneering families and some brand new.”
Together, she says, they paint a “unique portrait” of the business, reading like a love letter to the B.C. wine world, with 53 wineries from around the province — including the Okanagan, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island — sharing a favourite family recipe and wine matches for readers to enjoy.
“Over the past few years, the B.C. wine industry has taken its rightful place on the world stage. I wanted to create a book to celebrate both the history and the future of the families that make up this beautiful industry,” Schell explains of the final curation.
“The recipes in the book are family favourites and really represent the individual culture of each winery and how they choose to celebrate with their wines around the table.”
She summarizes the book as “a celebration of the passionate community of people, their stories, cultures, family recipes and traditions that are the essence of the B.C. wine industry.”
No stranger to the ins and outs of the B.C. wine world — Schell’s family owns the Schell Wines label and she’s co-producer of the Garagiste North Small Producers Wine Festival
in Kelowna — the author has long been a “passionate supporter” of the industry and its creators.
“I love the people and the constant vibe of excitement here,” she says. “It’s thrilling to taste the extraordinary evolution of B.C. wine.”
From large, established producers, to small startups, Schell says B.C.’S “dynamic wine scene” is one that leaves her feeling “constantly
amazed” by its growth and new achievements. That’s why, when presented with the idea of putting some of their stories on the page, she was determined to offer a diverse variety of stories and backgrounds that many people may not have discovered before.
“I’m always delighted and surprised when writing about people’s unique stories,” Schell says. “Where they came from, what inspired them, and in this book, the tenderness that resulted from sharing a family recipe and the story of its creator.
“Many recipes, because of their cultural diversity, surprised me and excited me with a new ingredient or cooking method that I had not tried before.”
And it’s this diversity that she hopes will surprise readers who pick up the book, as well.
“Our B.C. wine community has come from all corners of the world to practise their craft here — from France, Holland, Spain, India, China — we are a dynamic multicultural celebration of winemaking that, together, has formed its own culture,” she says. “It is also a reflection of the true spirit of Canada and our immigrant roots.”
As for a favourite recipe, Schell pointed to the Silk Scarf’s Upside-down Grape Leaf Rice Cake, which she says “was a revelation and super exciting to make.”
“While recipe testing, I was convinced that it wasn’t going to turn out, but it was perfect,” she says.
From the delectable dishes to the local wine pairings hand-picked by the people who made them, Schell says her greatest ambition for the book is to give readers a true sense of just how special the B.C. wine industry truly is.
“My wish is to recreate the magical sense of place through the recipes and stories, and to share the excitement and pride to be a part of this extraordinary B.C. food and wine love story.”
The recipes in the book are family favourites and really represent the individual culture of each winery. JENNIFER SCHELL