Culinary Philosophy
Everything we do is connected to the valley. The menu we create, our kitchen’s intention, and how we source ingredients are all focused on one thing: To celebrate the Okanagan Valley.
The four elements that guide us
There are four elements that guide everything we craft. Locality: we look to the estate, valley, and province to gather your food. Seasonality: the plates we serve you are plates that are greatest at that moment. Simplicity: quality ingredients need less manipulation. Resourcefulness: by using everything we take, we can sustain the valley.
If the valley thrives, we thrive
This ethos is at the centre of everything we do, especially the sourcing and promotion of local, sustainable, seasonal food. Mission Hill Family Estate’s organic growing practices stretch beyond the vineyards, into our estate garden, orchard, and composting program.
Wine paired perfectly with your food
Your plates are best paired with wine and enjoyed on the Terrace Restaurant, looking over the Okanagan Valley. By working closely with the winemaking team, we are able to craft dishes that enhance or complement certain wines. Your plates, pairings, and view are designed to immerse you in the Okanagan Valley.
Fresh ingredients, when they’re meant to be fresh
What is beautiful today, might not be tomorrow. Our menu reflects the seasonality of the Okanagan Valley — you’ll find different dishes depending on the time of year.
Using in-season ingredients allows us to take a light-handed manner of preparation that respects the character of the food and where it is grown.
Forage harvests: from forest to plate
If you know where to look, you can find a myriad of edible flora growing in the Okanagan Valley. Our foraging partners bring us rare ingredients found within the region like edible flowers, wild lilies, and seasonal mushrooms.
Sometimes we age our food, too
Good things take time. Your charcuterie plates come from local pigs prepared each fall for the next year while the kitchen vinegar “mother” is now over three years old.
Everything — from pate cured with ice wine, to the fruit, flower, and oak vinegars, or the fermented sausage with fresh bronze fennel — is made and cellared by the culinary team.
