A testament to the Okanagan region, the Terrace restaurant at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery embraces what is grown around us.
Handcrafted dishes reflecting the seasonality of the Okanagan Valley are thoughtfully paired with exceptional wines and stunning views of our vineyards and the Valley.
The organic growing practices used in our vineyard also apply to our vineyards, our gardens and our orchards. In fact, locality, seasonality, simplicity, and resourcefulness inspire every dish we serve you.
Everything we do is connected to the valley. The menu we create, our kitchen’s philosophy, and how we source ingredients are all focused on one thing - to celebrate the Okanagan Valley. This ethos is at the center of everything we do. Like our wines, our culinary practices are rooted within the valley.
“If the valley thrives, we thrive. We’re dedicated to the sourcing and promotion of local, sustainable, seasonal food. This approach lends itself to a light-handed manner of preparation that respects the character of the ingredient and where it is grown”.
—Chef Patrick Gayler, Executive Chef
From pate cured with ice wine, to the fruit, flower and oak vinegars, or the fermented sausage with fresh bronze fennel - everything is made and cellared by the culinary team.
For example, 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. 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.
We caught up with Lead Sommelier Nathan Milligan to get a behind-the-scenes look at the new Terrace spring menu.
What new dishes and pairings are you most excited about on the Terrace this season?
One of the dishes that really stood out to me was the roasted Okanagan asparagus and tarragon appetizer. This is paired with our new release Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and it’s phenomenal.
Simplicity at its finest. Other inventive dishes on the May lunch menu include side stripe shrimp poached with Van Isle seaweed, North Valley chicken with morel mushrooms and lovage, as well as bison rib-eye aged on lavender and chamomile.
Can you confirm or deny what grows together goes together?
People in the wine industry all over the world believe in that statement. You keep the grapes with the ingredients that you're making for your dish hyperlocal. You're going to get different flavour components from different varietals growing in these regions because the terroir is completely different.
Imagine the Okanagan compared to Italy. It’s a completely different atmosphere out here. The flavours that we develop in our wines are going to match what grows in the produce.
“Our goal is not to craft a dish that’s ‘just okay’ or close enough for passing. It’s thoughtfully designing food and wine pairings with one element enhancing the other. That’s what the dining experience is all about — showcasing why wine and food are a staple together and what one can do to enhance the other".
—Nathan Milligan, Lead Sommelier
Experience the Okanagan Valley with a visit to our Terrace Restaurant at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
