Cornucopia Whistler has come and gone, and the massive hangover can be felt around town as abandoned Masquerave masks blow in the wind like tumbleweeds. Luckily, the mountain will be opening soon to help us work off the massive amounts of cheese, wine and champagne we consumed this weekend.

Still, as we nurse headaches and sleep deprivation today, the culinary celebration can continue long after Cornucopia is gone. The appreciation of finer things in life can continue in the homes of all Whistlerites.

All you need is cheese and wine.

Cornucopia combined two of life’s best things into one delicious seminar with the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Blasted Church and Summerhill Pyramid Wineries yesterday.

Four of the six cheeses sampled were finalists in the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, a worthwhile resource if you’re looking for a delicious cheese to bust out at the next social gathering. The odyssey of fromage took us on a journey across Canada, from Prince Edward Island to Quebec, and then to BC. To sample cheese, one must touch and smell, then put a small piece on the top of the tongue, gently warming it with the roof of the mouth.

Contrary to popular belief, white wines generally pair better with cheeses, according to our tasting coaches; and blue cheeses often taste best with a dessert wine. My biggest take-away from this seminar was this: Life’s short, so cut the cheese! And always, whatever you do, accompany that cheese with a healthy pour of wine.

Here are six pairings you may want to try:

1. Cheese: Island Brie – Little Qualicum Cheeseworks
Wine: Summerhill Pyramid Winery – Cipes Brut N/V

2. Cheese: Aged Lankaaster – Glengarry Fine Cheese
Wine: Blasted Church Wines – Chardonnay Musqué 2010

3. Cheese: Le Mont Jacob – Fromagerie Blackburn
Wine: Blasted Church Pinot Gris 2010

4. Cheese: Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar – Cows Inc.
Wine: Blasted Church Wines – Big Bang Theory 2010

5. Cheese: Cracked Pepper Veredelait – Natural Pastures Cheese Company
Wine: Blasted Church Wines – Pinot Noir 2009

6. Cheese: Bleu Benedictin – Abbaye St. Benoît
Wine: Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Chalice N/V

Top 25 Wines

If you’ve managed to check off the above list, try this on for size. Every year, an esteemed panel of judges chooses Cornucopia’s Top 25 wines to showcase at both the Crush Gala tasting and the Top 25 Celebratory Reception. This year’s list included a powerhouse of wineries with White Wine of the Year going to Bellingham – Bernard Series Old Vines Chenin Blanc, selling for $24.99. Red Wine of the Year went to Nk’Mip Cellars – Qwam Qwmt Syrah, which sells for $34.99.

As a self-professed armchair sommelier, I’ve always followed my taste buds more than the tasting notes. My trusty buds tell me their favourite wines of the Top 25 were Cupcake Vineyards – Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Mistaken Identity Vineyards – Abbondante Bianco Certified Organic, Cottesbrook – Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010, and the dramatic Bodega del Palacio de los Frontaura y Victoria – Nexus Crianza 2005. You can find the complete list on the Cornucopia website. Don’t worry, you have a whole year to get through the list!

So..who’s hosting the next wine and cheese party?

Friday evening at Cornucopia started off with a fabulous dinner at Alta Bistro. The “Symphony Bowl” 3-course menu included a Fresh Fall Salad with carrots, beets and candied walnuts; a second course of Goat Cheese Terrine and a main of Arctic Char with heavenly gnocchi.

Our cocktail wizard just so happened to be the restaurant’s co-owner, Ed Dangerfield. He mixed up a delightful daiquiri, followed by a mysterious lime and mint-infused rum concoction that can only be described as a party in my mouth. Arriba!

Next, we headed to Cornucopia’s Gala Grand Tasting event in the Whistler Conference Centre.

As always, the people watching was spectacular; from Vancouver’s glitterati to Whistler’s Twitterati and everyone in between. There were people there wearing furry boots, bejeweled cocktail dresses, Tom Selleck mustaches; as well as a man who looked like “The Situation” in 20 years.“I prefer tails over ties,” said the man dressed as a giraffe. No one said “dressing up” for an event can’t mean coming in costume.

As expected, the wine selection was spectacular, especially for the armchair sommeliers in the crowd. Attendees flocked to Cornucopia’s Top 25 wines, which were identified with white stickers. Other popular tastings included Argentina Wines, Black Hills, Blasted Church, Sterling Vineyards, and Painted Rock.

While food plays a much smaller role at CRUSH, the few food stations that were there offered a variety of sumptuous treats, including Nita Lake Lodge charcuterie, Crepe Montagne, SIDECUT at the Four Seasons, Terra Breads and Agropur Fine Cheese.

The weekend kicked off at 6,000 feet at Christine’s Restaurant on Blackcomb Mountain. In my opinion – even though I do work for WB – I believe this is one of the hidden gem restaurants in Whistler. The menu contains Pemberton organic beef and greens, Ocean Wise seafood and a great selection of BC wines. Chef Sebastien was raised in Paris, but has spent more than a decade in Canada. He brings with him his grandparent’s charcuterie recipe and an amazing French fusion menu. The Christine’s Caeser Royale is killer – and comes with my personal favourite ingredient: horse radish. Try the Tomato Threesome and Salmon Sampler for a taste of summer.

Next stop on the dining adventure was the BBQ Championships. We cruised the food stalls and then settled in on Dusty’s sunny patio for a few drinks and a big ol’ bucket of ribs. Saturday was burger day, and there were certainly some creative entries. Props to the Troutsmen for pulling together a full weekend of submissions – in between “getting Iced” by Smirnoff. This burger pretty much sums up the meatfest:

As delightful as the food was, the highlight of my weekend for me was finally checking out Cure Lounge and Patio, the cocktail lounge in Nita Lake Lodge. The patio view is absolutely stunning – and it’s quiet and peaceful. There’s nothing better in the world than sipping a hand-crafted cocktail made with love by well-known mixologist Hailey Pasemko. She even infuses her own spirits with fresh herbs from their home-grown rooftop garden. You should absolutely try the Chimi Churri cocktail (second photo).

The final stop on this festival of food was Feast in the Mountains. This event, which takes place in Rebagliati Park, has been running for several years. The decadent oysters and venison from Sidecut restaurant at the Four Seasons, Alta Bistro and the Nita Lake Lodge were the food highlights. Whistler Brewing Company’s new Grapefruit Ale, and the vast array of sumptuous Okanagan wines was the perfect – boozy – end to a tasty weekend.

When I was invited to participate in Whistler’s Cornucopia 2009, I was beyond excited. I’d heard for years about the wine tastings and seminars, sensational gastronomic experiences and the exclusive parties where girls wear heels – even whistler girls – and inhibitions are set aside. Cornucopia – which was recently ranked one of the top Top 10 International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbestraveler.com – lives up to the hype, and then exceeds it.

My first stop was the House Party, Best of BC – a festival opener featuring a variety of food and wine tastings in the foyer of the Whistler Conference Centre, including Pemberton’s potato vodka and seared halibut by Windset Farms.

Then, it was on to ARTrageous, which is put on by the Whistler Arts Council.

Here’s a great little preview video of ARTrageous:

A feast for the five senses, this event featured artists creating live paintings and roaming characters wearing costumes created out of materials donated by home improvement stores – the work of Carey from Paintertainment. The craft table is my favourite station at ARTrageous, complete with glue guns, feathers, beads, sequins and all kinds of delightful crafty bits and bobs. This year, the theme was burlesque so the craft was nipple tassels.

The grand finale of the night was Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dollz, a rockabilly punk act featuring live burlesque dancers. The girls are sexy, the costumes are elaborate, and the nipple tassels are swinging – and occasionally on fire!

Friday night, I headed to the infamous Casino Royale at Ric’s Grill. Vegas show girls, topless Bond Girls painted head to toe in gold glitter, Vegas-style games with fake money, fire dancers, Go-Go dancers, a contact juggler and hula hoop girls were all part of the circus of colour, sex, and magic.

The showgirls were cute, but in high demand. My friend and I got shuffled out of a photo shoot with them by an affluent gentleman who wanted to take a picture with them. Our egos were wounded.

We enjoyed canapes, a buffet meal, and a decadent chocolate fountain. Of course the open bars throughout the venue made for a fun night – especially that strawberry-infused champagne.

Somehow, I managed to wake up the next morning for Whistler Blackcomb’s early opening to do a few turns – which were epic, by the way. After a quick disco nap, I was off to my third night of Cornucopia.

Cornucopia is a girl’s chance to get dressed up. So, a few of us ladies – including one girlfriend in bejewelled Manolos, braved the snow in heels and short dresses.

The first stop was the CRUSH Gala Grand tasting, one of the signature events of Cornucopia that takes place in the Whistler conference Centre ballroom. This sellout wine showcase has been expanded to two days due to popularity. I’m certainly no wine guru, but I know what pleases my palate. Some of my favourites were Dirty Laundry‘s Pinot Noir, Road 13‘s Riesling, Inniskillin‘s Ice Wine, Miner Family‘s Oracle, and Poplar Grove‘s Syrah. The Dirty Laundry clothes peg made my night.

After CRUSH it was on to our final – and most anticipated – destination, the Bubbles + Oceans Afterparty at Araxi Restaurant. The spotlights out front illuminated huge fluffy white snowflakes, and created a sense of anticipation for night to come.

Araxi does seafood and they do it well. The oyster bar was amazing as always, and the canapes were melt in your mouth.

We enjoyed sampling from the champagne stations along the perimeter of the room, including one of the more unique blends by Ayala, which should be available in Whistler in the coming months, according to the rep.

After a great night of socializing, drinking and eating, I finished the night off with a chocolate espresso cocktail in the lounge. I left Araxi with the most delicious feeling of contentment.

By the end of the weekend, I had consumed copious amounts of champagne and food – and slept very little. But I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Snow sports are the heart and lifeblood of this town I call home, but cultural events like this are what give Whistler its dancing shoes.

Only in Whistler can you go from learning about wild mushrooms in the forest with fungi fanatics to hitting up a snowboard movie premiere filled with hip industry kids all in the same day.

Whistler’s annual mushroom festival, Fungus Among Us took place over the weekend. The event, held by Whistler Naturalists’ Society, includes mushroom seminars and slide shows, walks in the forest with gurus and even an edible fungi cooking class.

Early Saturday morning, about 50 people gathered in the parking lot of the local school to discover the forgotten fungi through the eyes of mushroom experts.

From older hippie types with long beards to young families to twenty-somethings, an eclectic group of people turned up that misty morning. Our group headed to the Brandywine Falls area, where we embarked on our pouring rain adventure through the forest.

Believe it or not, there is a myriad of mushrooms in the forests of the Pacific Northwest; from the “Elf’s Saddle” that contains the natural elements of rocket fuel, to the edible Hawk’s Wing with a beautiful flower pattern to a poisonous variety that’s symptoms don’t hit you until two weeks later when you will likely need a kidney transplant.

We happened upon a few Pine Mushrooms which actually sell for around $40/kg. Another member of our group found a massive edible the size of her head – that’s a lot of mushroom risotto!

Our mushroom experts were passionate – and comfortable in their nerdiness – and truly gave us all an appreciation for the fungus among us! That being said, I’d never be comfortable enough to go into the forest and pick my own mushrooms without an expert on hand. But, you can sure make a killing if you know what you’re doing!

At the end of the walk, my friend and I headed back to cook our mushrooms. Sauteed in garlic and butter – hey, we’re naturalists, not chefs!

That night, it was on to the snowboard movie premiere “Sixes and Sevens” by film company NuuLife Cinemas. Beers, schwag, cool videos and hip, young kids brought all the elements of a classic industry party.l

From a family-themed walk in the woods to a rowdy movie at the GLC, Whistler gave me the best of both worlds in less than 24 hours.

And that’s why I love living in this place, where adventure and appreciation for nature go hand in hand – and there are always beers along the way.

To celebrate the Season 6 finale, Araxi held a party and invited the final four contestants: Dave, Kevin, Ariel, and Tenille. I was lucky enough to be invited because of my involvement with the show as part of my role with Whistler Blackcomb’s PR department.

The exclusive cocktail party included an oyster bar, hors d’oeuvres, fresh sushi, and an open bar featuring a Hell’s Kitchen cocktail. There were large TV screens set up throughout the restaurant so guests could view the pivotal Hell’s Kitchen episode. Meanwhile, the who’s who of the media were also in attendance, including entertainment reporter Fred Lee and Vancouver lifestyle blogger Miss604.

Photo: Greg Vallentin

Photo: Greg Vallentin

But what was it like during those few fleeting hours before the true winner was revealed to an excited crowd?

I arrived at the party firmly set on Dave as the winner, based on his courageous performance with a broken wrist and ability to out-cook his able-bodied competitors. As we mingled with the contestants, I tried to determine who seemed the most confident and happy. It was clear from the start that the crowd favourites were Kevin and Dave. Tenille had been let go the previous episode and the remaining female chef, Ariel, was just one step behind her fellow competitors, though still incredibly talented.

After careful observation, my instincts told me that Kevin was the winner as he seemed upbeat and very content throughout the evening. Minutes before the big reveal, I was even talking to him about snowboarding.

Apparently, my instincts are wrong. In a surprising turn of events, Ramsay announced Dave as the winner on the show and he was brought back into the spotlight – quite literally – as countless flashing cameras captured his victory.

Photo: Greg Vallentin

I truly feel that the best man won, though my heart does go out to Kevin and Ariel, who got emotional at the end. Hopefully, this show will bring them some amazing opportunities to further their careers.

And for the record, all the contestants seemed super friendly. And no, Tenille doesn’t talk that loud in person. She actually seemed incredibly humble and polite and even told me she loves the term “toque.”

Welcome to Whistler, Dave! And thanks to Shelley McArthur and the rest of the Table Top group for putting on an amazing party!

Some people are spending the fleeting days of autumn looking for eternal summer by slaying the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

And then, there are the movie premieres. TGR, MSP, Absinthe, Voleurz, Sandbox, the list goes on and on! And the closer we get to opening day, the more stoked the people of Whistler are getting! But, there are about six weeks until the mountains open on November 26. What’s a town to do?

There is only so much conditioning one can do. When not doing squats, circuit training and yoga to bulk up for the snow season, there’s always time to sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits – and veggies – of our labour. That’s what autumn in Whistler is all about. Locals come out to play in shoulder season when Whistler restaurants break out their dinner specials.

I’m enjoying the fall’s culinary delights, from next week’s Hell’s Kitchen finale party at Araxi to November’s Cornucopia.

There’s nothing to make you more thankful this October than heading out to a real live farm and gaining a better appreciation for where your food comes from. I’ll admit, while I live in the mountains now, I did grow up in the city so when we headed to Pemberton’s North Arm Farm last weekend, I was blown away.

This farm, set in the lush valley with amazing views of Mount Currie, provides fresh produce to many of Whistler’s restaurants. We took advantage of the “U-Pick” and spent some time roaming through rows of crops and captured their transition from summer to fall. One bucket of raspberries and two photos of giant pumpkins later, we emerged from the farm. And now, what to do with all those berries?

Smoke & Bones BBQ from Vancouver took the title for Canadian BBQ Grand Champion this past weekend at Dusty’s Bar in Whistler. This competitive BBQ championship is a favourite on the Pacific Northwest BBQ circuit, drawing an eclectic group of BBQ fanatics, locals, tourists and…honeymooning couple.

The Creekside base was filled with the scent of smoke – both from the extreme grilling and the wildfires that have swept the Sea to Sky area in recent weeks.

From pulled pork to burgers to ribs to chicken breast – Dusty’s was a sea of BBQ’d meat and buckets ‘o beer. If visitors weren’t tasting the many samples offered up by the various BBQ crews, they were ordering big buckets of ribs and other delicious goodies from Dusty’s, complete with the famous Butt Rub Mayo.

The sweltering heat plus the meat lead to more than a few cases of meat sweats. But, the cold beer and rockin’ cover bands kept the crowd going long into the night.

In the end, after a hard fought BBQ Battle, Smoke & Bones took the overall grand prize, but there were a variety of BBQ houses awarded in their respective categories.

One of the unique events was a wine pairing with pulled pork. A panel of food and wine experts from Whistler judged the Ravenswood Cork and Pork Classic Sunday morning. Wine and pulled pork isn’t your typical breakfast, but this seasoned crew handled it just fine. Ravenswood Zinfandel, a wine made in Sonoma, California, is acclaimed for pairing perfectly with grilled foods. This year, winemaker Joel Peterson came out especially for the event. Smoke and Bones BBQ also won the Cork and Pork Classic title, winning a trip for two to the Ravenswood vineyard.

For a full list of the winners visit this site.

As the BBQ judging wound down, the party hit fever pitch in true Dusty’s style as Journey blasted from the speakers and Jagger Bombs replaced ribs. The honeymooning couple from New Brunswick made friends with the drunk Australians and everyone was getting a little bit tipsy as the balmy evening progressed. From Butt Rub to BBQ to J-Bombs.

And that my friends, is how you celebrate the BC Day Long Weekend.

French ski website Skipass.com is best known for its bumper stickers, shirts and hoodies sporting the phrase: “In Tartiflette We Trust.” To your average North American, the meaning of that phrase is a complete mystery. But the French are all too familiar with the gastronomic genius that is the tartiflette and have embraced the subculture that has developed around it.

Tartiflette is a dish found in the Savoie area of France. Hearty and filling – and, let’s face it, slightly high in calories – it is a combination of simple and comforting flavours. The tasty tartiflette is comprised of baked layers of Reblochon cheese, potatoes, onions, garlic and bacon or ham.

Don’t be fooled by this decadent combination of ingredients and the catchy name. It’s not actually a traditional cuisine of the Alps. The tartiflette is rumoured to have been invented in the 1980s by a cheese company located in the Reblochon cheese capital of the world, Aravis Valley. The creamy dreamy dish is a welcome companion to its sister cheese dishes, the raclette and fondue, which have a much more deep-rooted tradition in France.

One of the best places in Savoie to experience the tartiflette is Annecy – known as La Venise des Alpes or Venice of the Alps.

Surrounded by Lac d’Annecy and beautiful rolling mountains of the Rhone-Alpes, Annecy is picturesque, charming and invigorating. The old city of Annecy is linked by a series of canals, which is where the Venice comparison comes from. The windowsills of the colourful old buildings are draped with flower baskets and antique signs. The canals are peppered by waterfront cafes, shops and restaurants where locals and tourists congregate to watch the world – and sometimes the swans – go by.

In Annecy, there are a number of well-known restaurants that serve up the sought-after tartiflette, including Le Fréti. This quaint restaurant specializes in tartiflettes, raclettes and fondues. It’s located in the heart of town on Rue Saint Claire and provides the warm and cozy atmosphere needed to enjoy the cheesy goodness over a glass of house white.

Chamonix, only a few hours away from Annecy, is the birthplace of alpine culture, and therefore, its heart and soul. Even here in this strongly traditional ski resort, the tartiflette has become a popular treat. Hungry skiers and riders out for a shred on the slopes may come across a hidden little alpine hut along the way serving up big batches of tartiflette on an open oven.

Away from the Savoie region, the tartiflette isn’t quite as prolific. But, if the inspiration allows, a quick Google search will reveal a variety of tartiflette recipes that will tantalize the taste buds and satisfy the most intense cheese craving.

Finally, as with all things great in the world, there is also an “In Tartiflette We Trust” Facebook fan page – just in case you want to express your appreciation.

Some say humans were never supposed to eat meat or drink animal milk, while others say that it’s only natural.

I must admit that up until last week, I was happy to be in the “meat” camp; perfectly satisfied to bite into a juicy steak or munch on a barbequed burger. But something changed …

My boyfriend and I were recently talking to a friend, about why he became a vegetarian some 18 months ago. He told us we had to watch the movie “Earthlings” and it would explain everything. Being the doc lovers that we are we gave it a chance.

If you’re thinking about checking it out, I’ll warn you that this film is graphic, showing scenes of slaughter and animal cruelty no decent human could ever dream up. The point of the film is to show how cruel humans are to animals; whether we’re wearing them as a leather coat, eating them as dinner, or keeping them as pets. Japanese fishermen mass murdering dolphins, garbage men throwing poor defenseless puppies into trash compactors, slaughterhouses skinning pigs alive – it was awful! By the end of the movie, we’d both cried at least once and were totally turned off eating meat.

Later, like a good Facebooker, I posted something to the effect of “Amber is not going to eat meat for a long time” and at once, all my vegetarian friends rushed to congratulate me. I was part of some special little club all of a sudden.

These friends said that I wouldn’t miss meat and that my life would be so much better without it. And truly, I didn’t really miss it – at least I didn’t think so.

So, we went about our new vegetarian life; ordering veggie burgers (because that’s all most restaurants offer besides salads). This went on for 1 week. And then…my boyfriend started to complain about missing meat. And then I started to feel like something was missing.

We went out riding on the weekend and decided to après – and that’s when I broke down. I looked him straight in the eye and I told him that I was ordering chicken wings and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it!

And he smiled, relieved: “Yes!”

When that bowl of juicy wings arrived, I didn’t feel guilty at all sinking my teeth into those abnormally little wings. In fact, that bowl of hot ‘n honey wings tasted oh so delicious that I didn’t once think about poor little chickens cooped up in a cage with their beaks clipped and their wills to live destroyed by some mega-meat processing plant. That is cruel, I know, but I couldn’t help it.

And so… my week of vegetarianism came to an end as quickly as it began. I guess I’m just not that strong and I respect those who have made the lifelong commitment. But, today, I bought free range chicken from the store. So maybe that’s my happy medium.