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Vancouver Island Things To Do

 
Interact
Vancouver 2010 - British Columbia - Host Province
Photos
> top left: Butterfly, Adrian Dorst photo
> top right: Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, the Outpost, Albert Normandin photo

Culinary Schools

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Fairburn Farm Culinary Retreat & Guesthouse
Fairburn Farm Culinary Retreat & Guesthouse, Adrian Dorst photo
Serious foodies intent on wining and dining their way through the region, often find their way to culinary retreats which elevate regional cooking to a high art. 

A handful of resorts and guesthouses on the island offer classes, a delectable way for travellers to actively experience the freshest the region has to offer.
 


Culinary Schools include:

 

Fairburn Farm Culinary Retreat and Guesthouse

Run by Mara Jernigan, a revered local chef, culinary "slow food" activist and cooking instructor extraordinaire.

  • Chef Jernigan's mantra is fresh, local and organic. Join her from May through August for her enticing Farmers' Market Tour and Cooking Class. Tour the Downtown Duncan Farmers' Market then tie on an apron and chop, whisk and saute under the guidance of a master chef.  Conclude your magical day with the enjoyment of the feast you've prepared 

  • If you are staying in Victoria, classes are conveniently timed to meet the train and to return you there in time to catch the train back

  • Fairburn Farm is found near Duncan, in the lush Cowichan Valley. It is home to vegetable and herb gardens, a fruit orchard and Canada's only water buffalo dairy.


Clayoquot Wilderness Resort

For those of you who prefer a little five-star treatment with your wilderness experience, this resort offers luxurious accommodations replete with gourmet dining and cooking classes focused on fresh, local ingredients.

The resort is located on Vancouver Island's rugged and remote west coast in Clayoquot Sound - one of the world's best examples of an intact temperate rainforest. 

Book a gourmet weekend at the Outpost.  Guests are invited to savour a glass of superb wine while watching chef Timothy May prepare a sumptuous meal, or join him behind the counter to get some pointers and refine your cooking skills.

 

  • Accommodations are at the deluxe Bedwell River Outpost, a collection of white-canvas, eco-safari-style tents.


Cooper's Cove Guesthouse

This romantic, European-style B&B is tucked into a craggy bluff overlooking a secluded harbour and the Galloping Goose Trail in the community of Sooke.

  • Angelo's Cooking School, run by renowned chef Angelo Prosperi-Porta, operates as part of the guesthouse

  • Angelo's offers everything from informal Saturday classes, to three-day retreats to interactive dinners where guests watch the chef in action before sitting down to a lavish five-course meal. Guests are invited to refine their technique and brush up on the art of presentation from Angelo, a published chef and former member of Culinary Team Canada.



The Aerie Resort

This spectacular resort sits high above the Saanich Inlet in Malahat, offering soaring views of Victoria and the Gulf Islands as well as Washington State's San Juan Islands.

 

  • From March to October, "Learn from a Pro" cooking classes are taught by award-winning executive chef Christophe Letard. Enjoy private instruction, demonstrations and tastings, or opt for a seven-course tasting menu dinner in the resort's dining room, rated Four Diamond by CAA/AAA

  • The Aerie is a member of the renowned Relais & Chateaux association. It was also ranked "Top Hotel in the Continental US and Canada" in Travel Leisure magazine's 2006 "World's Best Awards."

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