Naramata Inn’s Plotting a Delightful Spring Full of Seasonal Ingredients, Holiday Meals and Award Winning Talent

 

Are you yearning for vines, trails, beaches and lazy lakeside getaways?

Spring’s feeling like summer and Naramata Inn is ready to delight in this season of awakening. Enjoy the best of the Okanagan with our hyper-local culinary and wine program, our warm and welcoming service, and a gorgeous Inn that breaths warmth, relaxation and elegance. Naramata Inn is very intentional about the effortless experience we aim to offer our guests and that all starts with our amazing people. You’re going to like it here.

Join us for Easter Brunch April 16 and 17

Did you know that the Easter bunny visits Naramata a day early to drop eggs out of the sky for children in Manitou park? True story. This year it’s happening on Saturday, April 16 at 1pm. Click here for details. You now what goes perfectly with bunnies flying choppers? Brunch.

Chef de Cuisine Stacy Johnston has put together a delicious menu that will be offered on in addition to our lunch menu on Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17. We will be extending our hours to 11am to 2pm both days. Join us for a lovely lunch/brunch affair with special dishes included Eggs Benny, Sourdough Waffles and Sidestripe Shrimp Frittata. Click here for brunch menu details.

Book now.

Winning! Major recognition for three of our food and wine leaders.

Stacy Johnston, Minette Lotz and Emily Walker are in the well-deserved spotlight. Again. Chefs Stacy and Minette dabbled in nationwide fame via an A&W commercial filmed on location at Naramata Inn last summer. This year the talented duo will take their place as Resident Chefs at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

Wine industry superstar Emily has employed her skill, experience and passion to create an ever-evolving wine experience worth traveling for. Our wine list was noted as one of the best in the province by Western Living magazine last fall. The same well respected magazine has just named Emily as a finalists for Foodies of the Year.

Wine Bar, Wine Bar, Wine Bar

Okay. We’ll drop the teaser. The rumours are true. Ned, Emily, Maria, Lisa and Marnie are hard at work creating an exciting concept for the relaunch of our lower dining room wine bar that will start softly in early May. Stay tuned.

National Arts Centre’s 2022
All-Female Resident Chefs

Each year Ottawa’s National Arts Centre’s restaurant, 1 Elgin, presents the Resident Chef program, with the intention of creating a “stage” for Canada’s most promising culinary artists. Honourees Stacy and Minette will be in residence from August 25 to 28 to bring a taste of Naramata to Canada’s capital city at a collaborative dinner with 1 Elgin‘s Executive Chef, Kenton Leier. Watch their recent CTV interview to learn more.

Now That’s the Face of a “Foodies of the Year” Finalist

This picture is worth at least a thousand words. This is the grin of the all-in, pure-hearted oenophile that leads our wine program. Has Emily, as Western Living states it: “landed perhaps the highest-profile gig yet – curating the superlative list at Naramata Inn, where she is sussing out the most interesting wines in the Valley”?

Well, they were right about her wine list like no other last year, when author Neal McLennan suggested it may well be “not only the best wine list in the Okanagan, but in the province.” Who are we to argue? We too know a star when we see one.

View the entire list of finalists here. Shout out to fellow finalists, friends and neighbours – Carole Morton + Mike Bernardo at the Naramata General Store, Jen + Ryan Hawk at Wayne & Freda and the Kenyon family at District Wine Village. .

Our Leadership Goals
Normalizing women in leadership positions is a key tenet for Naramata Inn. While talent, skill, passion and hard work don’t have a gender, historically kitchens and restaurants have n0t been equally welcoming spaces for men and women to flourish. To say the least. Through deliberate choices and changes paired with education and consultation, Naramata Inn leadership strives to create an exceptional workplace for everyone in every position.

Come Work With Us
Naramata Inn is still hiring for our 2022 season. If you want to join an organization with big dreams and great opportunities, apply now.. We are currently hiring for front desk, night audit (overnight front desk), servers and bartenders.

Introducing a Brand New Role

Minette Lotz: Farmers, Fermentation and Foraging

When you live or die by the quality of your local and seasonal ingredients and experiences, as we do at Naramata Inn, it takes real commitment. With that in mind, we are excited to announce the new role of “Farmers, Fermentation and Foraging” perfectly fulfilled by our own Minette Lotz. In her previous role as Chef de Cuisine, Minette’s passion for foraging and sourcing wild ingredients and natural curiosity inspired her to seek out local, terroir driven plants, proteins, seeds, berries, shrubs, blossoms and so much more since she arrived in Naramata two years ago. Minette steps into this newly created role to strengthen the link between our culinary team and the most special ingredients on your plate. She will continue to play an essential role in bringing Naramata Inn’s hyper-local heartbeat to life. This focus and commitment ensures that our dishes are true to the exact time, place, and season they are being enjoyed in.

Spring Ingredients:
This season guests will find their food and drink infused with spruce tips, miner’s lettuce, watercress, wild roses, stinging nettle, elderflowers, fiddleheads, morel mushrooms and wild asparagus. The absolute ingredient of the moment are juniper berries. Here’s a great recipe that highlight two stars of early spring – Wild Pacific halibut and juniper.

Recipe: Wild Pacific Halibut with Juniper

With plenty of steps that you can do ahead of time, this one’s great for entertaining or a quick weeknight dinner as a perfect way to celebrate spring. View the recipe here. Tag us to share your creations at @naramatainn.

Information and images courtesy of the Naramata Inn.