Foodie Roadtrip: Part 2

This morning I toured The Village of Sun Peaks, B.C., a close-knit community of shops, restaurants, hotels and residences situated at the base of Tod, Sundance and Morrisey mountains. As soon as your feet cross any threshold here, you're just a tiptoe from the hills.

At Macker's, I had breakfast with Canada's 1968 Olympic champion ski racer Nancy Greene. There Nancy introduced me to two local faves: Eggs Blackstone (eggs, cheese, bacon and tomato topped with hollandaise on a bagel with a side of home fries) and Mighty Leaf's fragrant green tropical tea. Apparently "mountain people" are big tea drinkers.

On the slopes, Nancy was a picture of graceful athleticism. Me on a snowboard: rusty. But the snow! Dry, powdery and abundant. Until then I'd only experienced Eastern snow: wet, sticky and barely blanketing the ice below. Instead of bruising my damp bones, I was able to bounce back up and keep going.

But not being Gumby, I needed a massage at Sun Peaks Lodge's spa before heading to the Magic of Dessert and Icewine event. This face-off between pairs of chefs and winemakers satisfied every sweet-tooth craving I've ever had. Later I was treated to a horse-drawn sleigh-ride before sitting down to the seven-course Winemaster's Dinner. Held at the Delta Sun Peaks Resort, Executive Chef Ian Riddick's team delivered plate after topnotch plate paired with wines from Peller Estates and Tinhorn Creek. The wines were stellar, but equally so were the stories told by the two female winemakers, Peller Estates' Stephanie Leinemann and Tinhorn's Sandra Oldfield – two of 12 in the Okanagan. Outstanding and inspiring!
- Tory Healy, Food Associate

Sun Peaks Photography by Adam Stein