Naramata Inn: Season of Culinary ~ Collection of creative wine, food and guest chef events light up Friday night dining

NARAMATA INN LAUNCHES SEASON OF CULINARY

Collection of creative wine, food and guest chef events light up Friday night dining

With the fall harvest underway in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, the Restaurant at Naramata Inn is getting ready to celebrate this important time of year with a series of creative culinary events highlighting the region’s producers: wineries and distilleries, cheesemakers and farmers, ranchers and fishers.

“We’re not just a great restaurant with rooms,” says Chef Ned Bell. “We’re also a great place to bring people together to collaborate. We’re thrilled to be able to invite some of our favourite like-minded chefs and winemakers to join us here, and host a top line-up of dinners and creative wine-focused evenings this fall.”

Each Friday night, starting on October 23, will see the Restaurant at Naramata Inn abuzz with culinary excitement, with an exclusive event. The inaugural dinner will see Chef Bell collaborate with Chef Scott Jaeger, formerly of The Pear Tree, and recent recipient of the Vancouver Magazine’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award. Subsequent events include a wine harvest dinner with three much-loved Okanagan and Similkameen wineries, guest chef dinners with both Chef Mike Robbins (AnnaLena, Vancouver) and Chef Derek Grey (Row Fourteen, Cawston), and a unique evening bringing together the wine and farm products from Naramata favourite, Bella Wines. The series ends on December 4, with an event to usher in the holiday season, featuring large format wines and an indulgent feast.  Tickets for the first two events are currently open for purchase, the others will open up shortly.

Tickets are available for purchase by the table (2, 4 or 6 guests) to ensure a COVID-friendly experience, and can be booked via NaramataInn.com/events. A $50 per person deposit is required at time of booking via credit card on Open Table.

Guests are also invited to turn their dinner experience into a sleepover by booking one of Naramata Inn’s 12 Mission-style heritage guest rooms. Rooms are going quickly. Guests who purchase tickets to any of our Friday night events are also eligible for a ten percent bonus on Naramata Inn gift cards valued at $100 or more. Share a copy of your ticket with our Front Desk team to redeem.

The full event calendar is as follows: 

October 23 – Guest Chef Dinner: Scott Jaeger, The Pear Tree

The recipient of Vancouver Magazine’s 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award, Chef Scott Jaeger joins forces with Chef Ned Bell to showcase their shared passion for local ingredients. Dinner features 6-courses paired with wines selected by Wine Director, Emily Walker and is priced at $125 plus tax and 18% gratuity. Book Now

October 30 – Harvest Wine Dinner

Toast the wine harvest with three of our favourite BC wineries: Roche Winery (Naramata Bench), Lightening Rock Winery (Summerland) and Orofino (Cawston) as they talk you through their 2020 harvest experience (and offer a sneak peek from “backstage”) while you enjoy previous vintages carefully paired with Chef Ned Bell’s menu. Dinner features 5- courses  paired with wines selected by Wine Director, Emily Walker and is priced at $150 plus tax and 18% gratuity. Book Now

November 6 – Bella and the Beast(s)

Local wine pairs best with local food, and tonight’s dinner will centre around both, with bubbles from Naramata sparkling producer, Bella Winery — along with a couple of cameos from their neighbours, Nichol Vineyard — and a menu sourced from Bella’s own farm. Dinner features 5-courses paired with wines selected by Wine Director, Emily Walker and is priced at $150 plus tax and 18% gratuity. Book Soon – Check our Events page for updates

November 13 – Guest Chef Dinner: Mike Robbins, AnnaLena

Chef Mike Robbins from Vancouver’s AnnaLena joins Chef Ned Bell for a creative evening of collaboration bringing together international influences and locally-sourced ingredients for a truly modern take on Canadian cuisine.  Dinner features 6-courses paired with wines selected by Wine Director, Emily Walker and is priced at $125 plus tax and 18% gratuity.   Book Soon – Check our Events page for updates

November 20 – Meet the Misfits Wine Dinner

Join Wine Director Emily Walker as she shines the light on some lesser known grape varieties being produced beautifully in British Columbia. Enjoy the local expression of each grape alongside its more famous international counterpart, both matched with a Naramatian interpretation of the wine’s traditional menu pairing. Dinner features 5-courses paired with wines selected by Wine Director, Emily Walker and is priced at $150 plus tax and 18% gratuity.

Book Soon – Check our Events page for updates

November 27 – Guest Chef Dinner: Derek Grey, Row Fourteen

Like Naramata Inn, Cawston’s Row Fourteen is known for its commitment to hyper-local ingredients. Chef Derek Grey joins Chef Ned Bell for a culinary ode to the farmers and producers of both the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys. Dinner features 6-courses paired with wines selected by Wine Director, Emily Walker and is priced at $125 plus tax and 18% gratuity. Book Soon – Check our Events page for updates

December 4 – Here Comes the Big Guy

Kicking off the holiday season, we’re welcoming one big guy (Santa) by opening a slew of other “big guys” — wines in large format bottles! Join us for an indulgent feast, from magnum to “roast beast.”  Dinner features 5 decadent courses paired with wines selected by Wine Director, Emily Walker and is priced at $225 plus tax and 18% gratuity. Book Soon – Check our Events page for updates

The Restaurant at Naramata Inn launched in late June, following the reopening of the Inn’s boutique accommodations earlier the same month. The 112-year-old Inn holds a special place in Naramata’s history, and new owners Ned Bell, Kate Colley, Paul Hollands and Maria Wiesner are honoured to contribute to its enchanting story and share it with guests. Click here to learn more about Naramata Inn.

About Naramata Inn:

Constructed 112 years ago by the town’s founder, J.M. Robinson, Naramata Inn would welcome some of the Okanagan’s very first tourists and go on to weave a colourful thread throughout Naramata’s history. Naramata Inn is still making headlines as the best way to enjoy the full bounty of the Okanagan Valley. The Inn delivers a proudly “Naramatian” experience, from the best local growers and artisans in Naramata and the Valley, through to showcasing the true depth and breadth of award-winning wines produced by British Columbia’s winemakers.

About Ned Bell:

Ned is a well-known Canadian culinary talent who has forged a path as a chef advocate, keynote speaker and educator, and now owner and chef at Naramata Inn. As one of the country’s leading chefs, he has used his voice, outgoing personality, and indomitable spirit to stand up for the world’s lakes, oceans and rivers. Ned has earned many honours over the years, most recently: Fellow of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (2019), Honorary Doctorate in Technology from Vancouver Island University (2019), SeaWeb Seafood Summit Global Champion Award (2017), and author of the best selling cookbook Lure: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the West Coast.

Media release and image provided by Krista Lochhead, Colley Communications.