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The new spirit of Cornucopia

With the first snow in the valley and the amber and red of the fall leaves blowing throughout the resort it's time to hunker down for the winter, and with that comes an almost ancient desire to think about, enjoy and stock up on the food and drink we

With the first snow in the valley and the amber and red of the fall leaves blowing throughout the resort it's time to hunker down for the winter, and with that comes an almost ancient desire to think about, enjoy and stock up on the food and drink we most love.

Whistler's Cornucopia festival is the perfect venue to embrace those desires — especially this year, as it expands to an 11-day format and adds in new elements, which reflect an expansion in the experiences people want to have when it comes to all things edible.

The 2013 festival is full of culinary adventures, wine tasting seminars, health and wellness workshops, dinners and dazzling after-parties. Heaven on earth.

Cornucopia is the ultimate fall festival for food and drink lovers. It attracts sommeliers, chefs, food experts and fun lovers from around the province and beyond. It offers experiences for the connoisseur, but also the dabbler, and it also keeps Whistler locals entertained during the traditionally quiet season before the mountains open for skiing and snowboarding.

Event organizers are expecting over 10,000 additional visitors to flood into the village during Cornucopia this year.

"Traditionally Cornucopia has attracted regional visitors," says event director Sue Eckersley.

"However, now that we have expanded to a longer festival, we are starting to pique people's interest from farther away. Quite a few more people from the U.S. have bought tickets this year. We plan on building up our reputation and then hopefully that will translate into attracting more international guests.

"This year we are expecting 5,000 people in the first weekend, about 3,000 for the second weekend and the rest mid-week."

The additional festival days were tacked on to make room for a new health and wellness series called Nourish, which focuses on sustainable food and lifestyle choices. Also new this year, the festival is set to launch a beer, wine, cider and food event called POURED which takes place this Saturday Nov.16. In addition there will be new party events at Garfinkel's and Buffalo Bill's Bar & Grill, as well as a tequila seminar and traditional Mexican dishes served up at the Mexican Corner restaurant's new locaton in the village.

Heading into the second weekend of Cornucopia, wine connoisseurs, winemakers and wine drinkers will be flooding the streets of Whistler. Among them will be the multitalented sommelier Barbara Philip who, along with her sommelier husband Ian Philip of Barbariain Wine Consulting, will be leading a food and wine seminar Nov.16 called the Barbariain Pizza Party. The seminar will look at the basics of food, and wine pairing and dig into how to identify what types of wines go with particular foods — using pizza as an example.

Philip has earned her black belt in wine. Not only is she is the first person in Western Canada to have earned the designation Master of Wine, she is also the only woman in Canada to be crowned Master of Wine. Needless to say she knows a thing or two about wine pairing.

"Wine and food pairing is subjective and there aren't hard and fast rules — matching should be a pleasure," she says.

"(But) if you're completely lost there are rules of thumb. One of the most important things is you don't want the weight of the food to overpower the wine, or vice versa. If you have a rich salmon like a sockeye, try pairing that with a medium bodied wine. If you have a high alcohol, rich wine then the delicacy of the food might be lost. It's all about balance."

Philip will also be leading The Next Big Thing – Wine Seminar on Saturday, which will focus on historical wine trends and expected trends to surface in 2014.

Similar to fashion trends, wine trends are constantly evolving, making it nearly impossible to stay ahead of the pack — unless you're the portfolio manager for BC Liquor Stores, as Philip is. She has a say in every single bottle of wine found on B.C. liquor store shelves. Consequentially, she plays a large role in establishing wine trends in B.C., although she doesn't just pluck trends out of thin air, it's actually a complicated process.

"B.C. consumers actually create and lead the trends," explains Philip.

"We are second in Canada for the amount of wine we purchase and the wine industry is an integral part of B.C.'s economy and culture. We are used to experimenting with wine, we don't have a problem paying premium prices for wine and many consumers are very educated. Sommelier classes are full. B.C. is full of very educated consumers (who have built up) confidence and buy what they want, creating trends."

Philip also takes into account B.C. buying statistics and gains insight from speaking with consumers and winemakers at the end of the supply chain.

"I question them," she says. "What are you interested in, what are you buying? I chat with people in their 20s and 30s to figure out what they are looking for, how much they are willing to pay for wine and what wine they bring to a friend's house for dinner. That gentle market research can turn out to be among the latest trends."

So what are the latest wine trends? According to Philip, as we head into the Christmas season there is great demand for Italian whites and bubbles like Prosecco. Red blends, particularly from the new world (North America), Spain and Australia are also set to pick up again. There will also be a shift to exploring the amazing value that cheaper bottles of B.C. wines offer, she says.

Araxi's sommelier superstar, Samantha Rahn, also has her eye on value wines.

"People are tired of paying ridiculous prices for a Bordeaux or a big Napa Cabernet, although they are still popular," says Rahn.

"But I'm seeing a trend and resurgence towards more elegant, classic and complex wines like Eastern France's Burgundy wine."

Other wines that she is excited about this winter include 2010 B.C. Pinot reds. According to Rahn, the 2010 summer in the Okanagan produced the perfect grape for a pinot, which she says goes well with Araxi chef James Walt's mouth-watering steak.

In terms of more indulgent multi-course food and drink events, there are plenty to choose from — so many in fact that Pique has put together a short guide to some. The best plan, of course, is to get to as many as you can.

Tantalizing Thursday: Get to know Rahn on Thursday evening during Araxi's Intimate Wine Dinner featuring Burrowing Owl. The five-course tasting menu will highlight Chef Walt's autumn flavours perfectly paired with wine selections chosen by Rahn from Burrowing Owl winery.

Looking for an evening that is considerably lighter on the stomach? Ease into the weekend and relax under the stars in the Scandinave's outdoor hydrotherapy pools. The Purify your Body & Mind night is aimed at cleansing the body with the spa's special "Sweat Lodge" ritual — also a perfect solution for a wine hangover — followed by peaceful meditation. The "Sweat Lodge" ritual is an aboriginal healing tool used for mental, spiritual and physical revival.

In keeping with the Cornucopia festivities, the Scandinave Spa will also be offering tastings of popular red and white wines produced by Haarth Organic wines.

Flavourful Friday: Kick off the second weekend of Cornucopia on Nov.15 at the Four Season's Sidecut Restaurant for House Party: Celebrate Argentina. This isn't a stuffy sit-down dinner. Expect a festive vibe, a live DJ, meaty bites and some of the best wine Argentina has to offer — a recipe for good times.

For those in the mood for more Latin vibes, consider spending an evening at the Mexican Corner. Although owner Pepe Barajas has been living in Whistler for the past five years, he and his team are the new kids playing in Whistler's restaurant sandbox — and they are the talk of the town.

Barajas just celebrated the grand opening of the Mexican Corner restaurant in its new village location. The old location, next to IGA, will be converted into a taco takeout nook.

A new restaurant calls for a new team. Barajas has teamed up with one of Mexico's top chefs Edgar Navarro, who is renowned in Ixtapa for launching the city's first food festival, and backed with experience that includes designing and cooking meals for the last four Mexican presidents. On Friday evening Navarro will be cooking up a five-course meal themed around Flavours from Ancient Civilizations.

"It's a gastronomic tour of Mexico that highlights traditional dishes," says Barajas. "We consider (Navarro) one of the guardians of ancient recipes, and we're excited to be able to share those flavours with guests and put our own modern spin on it.

"One thing that is going to be a signature product for us and on the menu that night is the scallops and octopus done three ways. You have to try it to believe it, it's amazing."

Tequila connoisseur Pablo Contreras will be on hand before dinner, educating guests about tequila varieties, how tequila is made and how to identify "good" tequila.

Sumptuous Saturday: POURED is headlining Saturday evening. This brand new event encompasses an intimate tasting experience of wine, cider, beer and food in the Whistler Conference Centre.

The move to include cider makers in Cornucopia is timely, as it is one of the fastest-growing segments of the alcoholic beverage industry. According to the Liquor Distribution Branch's quarterly report, 13 per cent more cider was purchased by consumers in British Columbia this year, compared to last year.

"Cider is growing in popularity both in B.C. and around the world," says Lonetree Cider representative Janet Tsuboi.

"Its recent popularity can be attributed to the fact that cider is gluten free, and it appeals to both men and women."

Lonetree Cider will be featured during POURED alongside fellow fruit lovers Leftfield Cider. Breweries making an appearance include Whistler Brewing Co., The Brewhouse Whistler, Howe Sound Brewing and several other key beer and wine producers.

Other events competing for attention on Saturday night include Indulge at The Westin Resort & Spa and The Bearfoot Bistro's Revolutions party.

Dust off the high heels if you're heading to Indulge. This red carpet affair includes a champagne reception, a four-course meal and wine pairings. The night is also focused on raising funds and awareness to support the Whistler Health Care Foundation. Guests are encouraged to participate in the silent auction for a chance to bid on items donated by local businesses and the arts community.

This year André St. Jacques, owner of the Bearfoot Bistro, decided to forgo Masquarave and instead launch a new smaller scale party called Monster Energy Presents: Revolutions. Living up to his legendary Cornucopia party reputation, St. Jacques is kicking off the night with nibbles which will quickly be burned off on the dance floor during DJ sets hosted by Mat the Alien, DJ Pump, DJ ILLO and Vinyl Ritchie.

If there were a marathon-cooking award given out during Cornucopia, Alta Bistro would likely win this year. Emerging as a major player this year, the guys running the award winning Alta Bistro restaurant, Edward Dangerfield and Eric Griffiths, will be hosting 10 consecutive events.

"Cornucopia comes at a traditionally quiet time of year for us so we decided to make the most of it and challenge ourselves with ten events," says co-owner Dangerfield.

"It's a good warm up for us heading into the busier Christmas season, and it also gives us a chance to show off our new renovations to the restaurant that we've just finished. We increased our capacity by 20 people so we can now comfortably fit up to 60 guests."

If Philip is right, and Australian wine is set to make a resurgence next year, then Alta Bistro's Altitude Australia Night on Saturday is not one to be missed. The restaurant's resident Australian chef, Nick Cassettari, will be teaming up with guest Chef Owen Foster to create a unique blend of Aussie and B.C. fare. Each of the six-course meals will be complemented by wines from top Australian producers, as chosen by sommelier Eric Griffiths.

Scrumptious Sunday: Melanie Browne is Whistler's resident cheese expert and host of Sunday's culinary workshop, The Simple Art of Home Cheesemaking; making Camembert at home. In her class, students will receive step-by-step instruction on how to produce cheese on a small scale using equipment that can be found in most people's kitchen. She stresses the importance of using local products like milk produced in southern B.C. then processed in Whistler.

Cheese is in Browne's blood. She first learned to make cheese from her mother, who owns a large cheese-making school in Australia. Following in her mother's footsteps, Browne decided to open her own cheese-making business in Whistler just over a year ago. She has since expanded her business and hosts classes in both Vancouver and Whistler.

Alta Bistro staff are capping off their ten-day Cornucopia stint with The Sausage Party, a barbecue-style event featuring five-dollar beer and cask ales from Whistler Brewing, as well as charcuterie from Two Rivers Specialty Meats.

"It's the last event of the festival and we figured everyone will be sick of wine by that point so we decided to switch to beer," says Dangerfield. "It's also a chance for us to mingle with our guests and begin our recovery. We're closing the restaurant Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to deal with the Cornucopia hangover, and then it's full swing into a busy winter season."

Nourishment for your mind and body

This year the festival has embraced health and wellness as part of its celebration of food and drink with an event series called Nourish. The workshops and seminars are held exclusively at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and encompass cooking courses, feng shui principles in the kitchen, stress-free eating, raw-food seminars, and foods to match your Ayurvedic doshas.

Nourish is all about balance. Most of the seminars and workshops are in the morning, whereas the indulgent food and drink events are mostly in the evenings. For those who are morning people, kick off every sunrise during the 11 days of Cornucopia with a 7 a.m. meditation session followed by an 8 a.m. yoga class.

Nourish cooking series classes and food seminars are typically held in the early afternoon and feature workshops with farmers and chefs discussing food-growing practices and how to fuse health, taste and the environment onto the dinner table.

This segment is also chock full of local health and wellness talent including Merina Koly, who will be leading workshops about healing foods and how foods fight inflammation. Multi-talented, she has a few certifications to her name to back up her workshops, including nutritional therapist, orthomolecular practitioner and nutritional chef.

"People forgot how to eat," says Koly. "We don't associate food with how we feel afterwards, it's all about sugar and fat now.

Diabetes rates among children are increasing rapidly and cancer rates are continuously on the rise. We forgot that food is not only fuel but it's also medicine for our bodies."

That being said, Koly acknowledges that people are starting to become more educated about food, and slowly gaining more awareness about what they put into their bodies. However, she points out there is a lot of confusion about how to start eating healthy and what foods to eat.

Her seminars will focus how to transition into a healthy diet, what super foods you should be eating, and the importance of keeping your body in an alkaline state to ward off disease.

The move to add Nourish to the festival lineup was inspired by the positive feedback that organizers received last year from the few health and wellness seminars that were offered.

"Whistler and Sea to Sky culture is very much about leading a healthy and active lifestyle, plus we have so many talented nutrition professionals here so it made sense to open up Cornucopia to a new genre," says festival-organizer Eckersley. "We also know from research there are a lot of independent travellers that are drawn to health and wellness seminars, so we're excited to welcome a different type of guest from what Cornucopia usually attracts."

The plan is to keep Nourish around for next year and make it a permanent feature of Cornucopia. However, Eckersley mentioned that some tweaks might need to be made, including expanding seminar speaker invites beyond the Sea to Sky and flying in one or two big name health and wellness personalities for next year.

Cornucopia by the numbers

This year, the Resort Municipality of Whistler's Festivals Events & Animation (FE&A) committee handed over $45,000 to support Cornucopia's efforts to expand into an 11-day food and wine festival. Eckersley says a large portion of the funds have been used to help promote the event.

"Thanks to additional FE&A funding, this year we poured more money and support into marketing than we ever have before. With the additional festival days we expect to increase the number of room nights booked during Cornucopia, contributing to a greater economic impact in Whistler compared to previous festivals," says Eckersley.

"We would have likely expanded the festival without the FE&A funding from the RMOW, but we probably wouldn't have been able to add the additional weekend."

The Resort Municipality of Whistler hired the Canadian Sports Tourism Alliance (CSTA) to measure the economic impact of eight festivals held in Whistler. In 2011, the CSTA put Cornucopia under the microscope and concluded the event produced $4 million in total economic impact in B.C.; $2.3 million in Whistler. Eckersley says this year she expects to exceed 2011 revenue numbers.

Just as important as the numbers, Cornucopia boils down to fun, and perhaps no one is having more fun than the Mexican Corner's new executive chef.

"Going into my first Cornucopia and helping to open a new restaurant is terrifying and thrilling. During the few months that I've been here, the food community here has been so welcoming and is clearly passionate about this festival. The whole Whistler community seems to be so proud of this event and I'm equally proud to help grow Cornucopia by adding a little Mexican spice," beams Navarro.

For more information about Cornucopia, tickets or scheduling information, visit www.whistlercornucopia.com.



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