Whistler News Round-Up

Left: Purebread's Crack in a Box. Center: Whistler Brewing Co. Winter Dunkel. Right: Owners of Whistler Chocolate, Valerie Sicotte and Mark Wittenberg.

WHISTLER

Keeping up to date with the latest food & beverage news in Whistler

Like the weather, Whistler’s food scene is ever-changing. Here are some recent highlights:

Whistler Chocolate is out of this world, literally. On Wednesday, December 19, a few cases of Whistler Chocolate’s organic milk chocolate bar were launched into space and docked at the International Space Station, along with eleven other snacks. Owners of Whistler Chocolate, Valerie Sicotte and Mark Wittenberg, were one of twelve Canadian companies who won the Canadian Space Agency’s “Canadian Snacks for Space” contest.

The contest came about in December 2011 when Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield was preparing for his mission to the International Space Station this month. He met with National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) nutritionists to determine his onboard menu and together they reviewed his personal preferences and nutritional requirements. That’s when they came up with the idea of giving Canadians a chance to contribute to Hadfield’s space menu.

The milk chocolate bar is made from 34% cocoa, and for it’s 100% organic. More information can be found at www.whistlerchocolate.com.
Back on Earth, Pemberton Distillery is crafting up a new sipper for the New Year, organic Apple Brandy. The apples were harvested in early October from Riley Creek Farm, a family owned organic orchard in Lillooet. Distillery co-owner Lorien Schramm is excited for their first large batch, and shares that aging is key to a nice sipping brandy as time in the cask mellows the spirit and provides additional flavours. The Schramm’s Apple Brandy won’t be available until February but pre-orders are being accepted at $35 per 375ml bottle. The waitlist is filling up fast, and you can order online at www.pembertondistillery.ca or by phone.

The Whistler Brewing Company has just released their winter ale. Winter Dunkel has a subtle hoppiness complemented with sweet chocolate and citrus orange notes. The base malts selected were wheat and caramel, which provide toffee and chocolate hints. Flakes of Whistler Chocolate were also added to the mix. Coriander, a generous amount of sweet orange peels and some bitter orange were added to balance some of the malt sweetness. Whistler Brewing’s Brewmaster, Joe Goetz, first brewed the Winter Dunkel in November 2010 for a small group of key restaurants and craft beer houses in Whistler. The recipe was so unique and such a hit that Whistler Brewing decided to bring it back this winter for a limited time only.

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler just unveiled their new winter menu at the Grill Room featuring elk chops smothered in a light mountain huckleberry rub, fresh Pemberton Valley lamb and braised veal cheek with melted parmesan foam. Servers also bring a selection of 60 day aged beef from Alberta’s Spring Creek Farm to the table for guests to select their preferred cut and size.

Chris Ankeny, owner of Mount Currie Coffee Company, has been fueling the folks in Pemberton for the last five years but has been quietly looking for space in Whistler to open a second location. His persistence has paid off and his new place opened on December 14, featuring handcrafted espresso beverages, homemade baked goods, local art and a comfortable refuge from winter’s chill.

Crack in a Box, Purebread’s most addictively delicious product yet is flying off the shelves, just in time for Valentines day. It’s a combination of customers’ favorite sweets – outrageous brownies, crack bars and salted caramel bars, packaged all together in a gift box. They retail for $20 and can be purchased in person at Purebread’s Function Junction location or online at www.purebread.ca.

Melanie Browne has launched a new cheese-making workshop in Whistler. Her soft cheese workshop specializes in teaching beginners to create Camembert, Fetta, Quark (cream cheese), Ricotta, Mascarpone and a Greek Style Yogurt. She also teaches a goat cheese workshop, giving future cheese makers recipes and lessons on how to use the tools. Browne’s experience in cheese making was honed in Australia through her family’s thriving cheese making enterprise. She has since decided to duplicate the success in Whistler. More information can be found at www.thecheesemakingworkshop.com.

By Laura Gallant