Food & Wine
Whistler offers more than 90 restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars, and is a mecca for food and wine lovers. Some of the country's best restaurants and chefs marry B.C. food with B.C. wines - as well as foods and wines from around the world - to create unique epicurean experiences.
Whistler's restaurants feature locally grown ingredients. Whistler restaurants take pride in featuring fresh, local, organic produce and Canadian specialties, including B.C. wild salmon, halibut and shellfish, B.C.-raised venison, B.C.-produced wines, Pemberton fingerling potatoes, and produce and cheeses from organic producers on Salt Spring Island, to name just a few.
Chefs and farmers collaborate. Whistler's close proximity to Pemberton, a fertile farming valley 25 minutes north of Whistler, has made it easy for chefs to work with local farmers to create dishes that feature spectacular local ingredients. Executive Chef James Walt of Araxi, lives in Pemberton and stops by North Arm Farm on most work days in the spring/summer to pick up fresh produce. The charming owner/farmer at North Arm Farm is Jordan Sturdy, who is a ski patroller in the winter, and also Mayor of Pemberton. Chef Vincent Stufano of The Fairmont Chateau Whistler also works closely with Jordan, and their joint 'Chef's Trip to the Farm' is a sell-out event at Cornucopia (Whistler's annual Celebration of Wine and Food) year after year.
Aboriginal cuisine showcased at Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre. Located on six forested acres along Fitzsimmons Creek, the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) provides visitors with the unique opportunity to explore the heritage and living culture of the Squamish and Lil'wat First Nations. This includes tasting some exceptional First Nations cuisine. The SLCC joined forces with Four Seasons Resort Whistler, Canada's only five-diamond resort, to offer a brilliant menu created by the resort's executive chef Scott Thomas Dolbee and his team. Using the finest local ingredients, many of them inspired by traditional Squamish and Lil'wat foods, the culinary team creates a spectacular dining experience. Some menu items include: Bannock, Wild Boar Prosciutto, Oolichan, Venison Chili, Caribou Terrine, Soapallallie Berry Juice, House Smoked Salmon, Bison Carpaccio, Pemmichan, Herring Roe on Kelp, Lil'wat Honey, Sturgeon Caviar and Okanagan Elk. www.slcc.ca
Whistler's famed après scene
The nightlife in Whistler is almost as famous as the skiing and snowboarding. There's plenty of entertainment in town, with top DJs in the nightclubs and a vibrant live music scene. One of the best things about skiing and boarding is gathering with friends over a drink when the day is done. When the sun goes down, some people go into party mode, put on their dancing shoes and head for the nightclubs. For others in search of something more laid back, Whistler is dotted with lounges and pubs serving local craft beers and wines from B.C.'s rapidly growing wine regions.
In summer, après ski gives way to après bike on the village's many sunny outdoor patios. The Whistler après bike scene is lively, with people who have spent the day either downhill mountain biking, cross country riding or cruising the valley trail all converging on one of the many outdoor patios along Whistler's pedestrian stroll to enjoy a cold beverage and a tasty appetizer.
Whistler's food and wine events
Taking place annually each spring, Dine In Whistler allows visitors to indulge in a variety of tasty treats with multi-course menus starting at just $19 CDN per person. From Pacific Northwest to Mediterranean, Italian, Japanese and First Nations cuisine to local pub or steakhouse fare, Dine In Whistler provides visitors a great opportunity to eat their way through Whistler's diverse range of regional and international restaurants. www.whistler.com/dinein
The Whistler's Farmer's Market is located in the Upper Village along the pedestrian promenade near the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and runs every Sunday from mid-June through to mid-October. It's part of the B.C. Farmers' Market Association and all participants are required to make, bake or grow their wares. The idea is to feature products created by local artisans and farmers, whether it's vegetables, fruits, flowers, paintings, craft furniture or wines. www.whistlerfarmersmarket.org
During the long-weekend in August each year Canada's most talented grillers come out to showcase their best BBQ secrets at the Canadian National BBQ Championships at Dusty's Bar and Grill in Whistler Creekside. This fun and festive event lasts all weekend, with three competitions on Saturday building up to the main cook-off on Sunday. Events include live music and entertainment, food tastings and the chance to watch some of Canada's top BBQ pros battle for the title of king of the BBQ. www.whistlerblackcomb.com
Slow Food Cycle Sunday is a scenic and flat 26-km bike ride through the heart of Pemberton's farmland, just 35km north of Whistler. Cyclists take a pedal-powered trip through the natural buffet that is Pemberton Meadows farmland to meet local growers and sample produce fresh from the field such as organic blueberries, hazelnuts, garlic, potatoes, greens, beef, and more, as participating farms, chefs and artists offer their produce for sale during the ride. In 2010, Slow Food Cycle Sunday will take place on August 15. www.slowfoodcyclesunday.com
Feast in the Mountains is aimed at both epicureans and also at the growing numbers of people who want to know more about where their food comes from and how it's produced. Held annually in late August, Feast in the Mountains lets people make connections between food producers, chefs, and consumers. It's been described as a wandering picnic, with top B.C. chefs, winemakers, brewers, farmers and food artisans offering their best creations using only locally grown and seasonal items. www.feastofthemountains.com
One of Whistler's most popular and anticipated events is Cornucopia, Whistler's food and wine extravaganza. Moving into its 14th year, Cornucopia includes four-days of seminars, tastings, winemakers' dinners, and a series of fabulous after-parties, brunches and buffets. In 2010, Cornucopia will be held November 11 to 14. www.whistlercornucopia.com
Whistler's culinary wizards
In a profession traditionally dominated by men, Melissa Craig, the award-winning executive chef of the Bearfoot Bistro, is a rarity. And, she's just 29 years old. In 2008 she was named the winner of the Gold Medal Plates' Canadian Culinary Championships - arguably the most prestigious culinary event in Canada. Passionate, driven, and undeniably talented, Craig is a B.C. girl whose career began in the Culinary Arts Program of Malaspina University College on Vancouver Island. Her menu features the very finest wild and cultivated products paired with wines from the Bearfoot's 16,000 bottle wine cellar. www.bearfootbistro.com
Recognized by Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper as ‘one of the top seven chefs in the country shaping the nation,' James Walt is executive chef at Araxi Restaurant. Walt creates compelling regional cuisine based on local, sustainable ingredients. His impressive culinary career includes stints at some of British Columbia's leading restaurants, as well as an appointment as executive chef to the Canadian Embassy in Rome, a post that significantly influenced the way he cooks today. He has also been invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City three times, the first and only chef in Whistler to receive such an invitation. www.araxi.com
Scott Thomas Dolbee, executive chef of Four Seasons Resort Whistler, is ‘a cook's chef.' He never studied at a cooking school. Instead, at 18, he joined a hotel restaurant in his hometown of Los Angeles and began learning the art from fellow line cooks. What he didn't learn in class, he learned in hands-on experience. Appointed to Four Seasons Resort Whistler in early 2008, Dolbee has brought California cool and boundless possibility to the Four Seasons' Fifty-Two 80 Bistro. Rather than transplant California cuisine to the Coast Mountains, Dolbee draws influences from around the world and from his own backyard. He found inspiration from First Nations culture to create a menu for Whistler's Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, which includes items such as caribou tacos, bison carpaccio, Dungeness crab cakes and wild rice pancakes. www.fourseasons.com/whistler
Chef/owner of the Rimrock Café, Rolf Gunther is a long-time Whistlerite. His formal training includes hotel and restaurant management in Heidelberg, Germany as well as culinary training in Germany's Black Forest region. His experience has taken him from Switzerland to Holland to various leading establishments in Canada. Specializing in fish and game, Gunther and his team at the Rimrock have cemented themselves as firm favourites with locals and visitors to Whistler. www.rimrockwhistler.com
Originally from Montreal, Fairmont Chateau Whistler executive chef Vincent Stufano studied culinary arts at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, where he developed a unique style and flair. Over the years, Stufano has worked under influential leaders of the Canadian culinary profession, who helped shape his style. His culinary philosophy reflects the growing trend towards a healthier and down-to-earth lifestyle and diet. Stufano works with neighboring farmers to seek out the finest in regional and local organic produce. www.fairmont.com/whistler
Check here for a list of Whistler's bars and restaurants: www.whistler.com/dining