Traveling Cowboys: A Party in a Paddock at the 2018 Wairarapa Harvest Festival in New Zealand

Gourmet

Liz Pollock, the organiser of the annual Wairarapa Harvest Festival, referred to it as the party in a paddock. That was too modest. It was gourmet on the grass!

Sean Toohey of WilliamsWarn arranged with Liz for the last two highly sought-after media passes. The Cowboys were the lucky recipients. Now we could experience what rural New Zealand food festival life’s is all about. We were invited into the inner circle of rustic gastronomy. We thought we'd seen it all after covering countless food events around the globe. What we found was an absolute adventure in gourmet food and wine - in a paddock! It could easily have been a chef-hosted event on Granville Island. The produce, cooking and creativity were that good.

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The event took place at the sheltered riverside setting known as “The Cliffs” on the banks of the Ruamahunga River. It is a remote setting, amongst vineyards and under ancient trees. Remote enough for a noisy pino-lubricated hunger party, but also close enough for Wellingtonians to make the trek up the road for a little culture. Masterton and Carterton are both a stone’s throw away.

If you go by the numbers, it is not a massive festival. Around twenty-three eateries and wineries participated in the day-long festivities. They hosted just over two-thousand hungry and thirsty patrons. The tickets are limited we were told, to keep the festival small and personal. Everyone is guaranteed a sampling of what was on offer. There indeed was enough food and wine for everyone. Chairs and tables were in short supply. Locals knew that, so they brought their chairs, blankets and picnic cutlery.

The event sold out within two hours of tickets going on sale. It happened months ago already. The Harvest Festival is not an event you will likely get to, as an outsider occasionally passing through New Zealand. As with many of these top-class occurrences, you have to rely on a local punter or sponsor within a secret food society, to part with a select few highly sought-after tickets for sneaking you into the inner gourmet circle of the best of New Zealand.

When it came to the food, they spared no expense. Only the best made it to the serving table. It offered nothing pretentious and everything hearty. Only the best fresh local ingredients made it into the dishes that included whitebait fritters, lamb pie, salted beef, spicy wedges and Pinot Noir. All were familiar favourites that came with a creative twist as the restaurants battled to outdo each other.

Observations

We've said it before. Food festivals must have lots of food. Far too often we’ve seen food festivals turn into taster festivals. At the Wairarapa Harvest Festival, they know how to throw a party with enough food and wine for everyone.

What stood out was the quality and variety of the produce and the lengths the businesses went to serve the perfect dish. Our favourite was the lamb cutlet pies and a little Pinot with the whitebait fritters and the Chardonnay a close second. It was simple and hearty and utterly the best of rural New Zealand.

Thank you for the invite Sean, and Liz. We would love to see you next year again!

Hendrik van Wyk

Food Festival Cowboy

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Photos

Getting the Wine

Entice!

More Food!

Winners!

That Pie!

Traveling Cowboys: Reconnecting With Old Friends and New Family at the Waterton Food Festival 2017, Alberta, Canada

Reconnecting

Alberta has its own Brigadoon. You will find it at Waterton Lakes National Park on the southern border of the Province. It is called Waterton Village. Like its counterpart in the Brigadoon story, the Village wakes up every 8 months, instead of every 100 years, to be the setting for a microcosm of activity. When the snow arrives in October it is shuttered again, only to reappear in late Spring the next year.

In this little community, a unique group of people, from all over the world undertakes an annual pilgrimage to spend four sunny (and often windy) months together. A place where they come to celebrate their short Canadian summer. In Waterton, teenagers start their first jobs, children take over family businesses, and the ones that retire, come to say goodbye. It is a very special place because of its natural beauty. It is magical, because of its people.

This is the first of a three-part installment about Waterton in 2017, courtesy of the Waterton Park Chamber of Commerce, Chinook Country Tourism and Travel Alberta.  The Two Cowboys feature the season's opening with the Waterton Food Festival.

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Eating Pie

Our schedule was set with the Friday night kick-off of the festival at the Thirsty Bear Socialhouse. It is a newly renovated part of the Bayshore Inn on the waterfront. Shameer, the owner, explained that it took them a whole year to decide what should make it onto the upmarket pub-style menu. The food was delicious, and the Truffle Mac & Cheese was divine! Everything in the establishment is brand spanking new, except for the reclaimed wood of the bar and the solid timber beams that still exhibits the cattle branding marks of the old Saloon.

The kick-off delivered tasty samples from the festival's participating food businesses. Business such as the Taco Bar, Wieners of Waterton, Zum's Eatery and others were well represented. The local brewery, Coulee Brewing Company from Lethbridge, was also on hand to deliver tiny tasting servings of their popular beers. The food was just enough to entice us to visit the restaurants individually during the festival week that followed.

It took a good solid morning of recovery from the night before, to be ready for the Pie Cruise with the Waterton Shoreline Cruise Company. Participating businesses contribute two unique pies each to the excursion and try to out-do each other with pie creativity. The pies were served to patrons on the scenic boat ride that took us to the border with Montana (and back, of course). The favorite was the Chocolate Moose Pie from the newly opened Larkspur Coffee House. We were told that it took two full days to layer the amazing creation. Pie is apparently a Waterton thing!

The rest of the festival included a chef's dinner and special set menus at the various food establishments.

Observations

We can continue to list the festival's experiences, but it won't do it justice. Instead, watch our video about the event. It is the second time we covered the festival. It is growing into an annual feature for Waterton and for the Two Cowboys. You had to be there to appreciate what was on offer.

Waterton Village is not the gourmet capital of the Rockies, and it doesn't try to be. It is rather a unique group of people with a lot of creativity and a passion for food and their village. They bring something fresh and new each year to serve to visitors. All businesses are family owned and operated. Many are run by second and third generations.

As a tourist, you can drive through Waterton in a few minutes and miss most of what it has to offer. If you decide to stay for a short while, the local folks will go out of their way to get to know you. It can get very busy at times so prepare for standing in line.

Be warned. Waterton Village and its people have a welcoming way to pull you in and make you part of their world. Soon you will be one of them and also make the annual pilgrimage to Waterton's Food Festival. Before long, you may become part of the family in Alberta's own Brigadoon.

Hendrik van Wyk

Waterton Pie Cowboy

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Where to Eat

Thirsty Bear Socialhouse

Lakeside Chophouse

Welch's Chocolate and Pies

Zum's Eatery

Wieners on Waterton

Waffleton

The Taco Bar

The Moose Lick Ice Cream and Shaved Ice

Big Scoop Ice Cream Parlor

Trappers Mountain Grill

49th Degree North Pizza

Photos

Prost!

Sunrise

Ice Cream Happiness

Pie People

Gourmet

Sugar

Waffleton!

Two Cowboys: Cookies, Shepherd's Pie and Goji Cacao Balls at Canmore's Edible Life Kitchen, Alberta

Construction to Cooking

(Learn: * Inspire: ** Amaze: * Live: ****)
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Having a passion for food is the easy part.

Carole Beaton from An Edible Life discovered the profound impact food has on one's quality of life. For her, it has been a long lesson in the making. Since then, she's been on a journey with food, passion and healthy living that lead to her launching and operating a successful business in micro food manufacturing in Canmore, Alberta.

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Food is the pillar of any society. It defines customs, set identities and is the focal point of our social interactions. We turn to food for nourishment, comfort, leisure, creativity and inspiration. A large part of every person's day is taken up consciously or unconsciously by food. Once food becomes a conscious part of one's day, it has the potential to be even more. It has the potential for healing.

It is probably now more top of mind in our western society than ever before. Turn on the television (for those that still have one), or scour social media and the Internet and you will find it cluttered with food pictures, cooking programs and competitions. Chefs are celebrities and household names. Every cooked meal aspires to be photo ready and Instagramable. Food festivals are everywhere.

With it all comes hostilities that are proclaimed from the vanguard of food niches and fetishes. Paleo, vegan, nose-to-tail, root to leave, slow food, farm-to-table, low-fat, organic, low-carb, high-fibre, sugar-free and pre-made convenience all weigh into a never ending battle of what is better than the other. What is more healthy than the other. Then there are the labels that sound like religions of a new world order. Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Meatatarian, Fruitarian and Nutarian. Seriously! What happened to just good old hearty healthy food?

Supremacy of an argument in the world of food is hard-won territory. People's conversations have reached an almost religious pitch. Even morality is applied to food choices with little room for culture, history, preference, or personal experience. It is this personal experience in healthy eating that distinguishes Carol's small food manufacturing business from others.

Many of us, like Carol, understands instinctively that nutrition is one of the biggest building blocks of our health and happiness. However, many of us lack the in-depth knowledge and understanding of how our own bodies work with our food. We don't know how to make dietary choices with confidence or lack the skill to prepare wholesome and healthy food altogether.

Carole’s own experience in managing a hereditary kidney disease through her diet and exercise has fostered a deep belief in the value of healthy foods. She is now helping others discover the same benefits though her business. It has lead Carole to become a Holistic Nutritionist and to start An Edible Life. 

Observations

We dubbed Carol's place "Canmore's Kitchen". It is the place for delicious and healthy food when eating out is not an option, fast food is not acceptable, and when there is no time for making your own. It is the kind of place you can visit to see what's cooking on the stove today. It is a no-sit-down, get-your-food-and-go place where you can trust what you eat.

There are regular favourites on the menu like Shepherd's Pie, Goji Cacao Balls (which made her famous) and Honey BBQ Pulled Pork. She also carries an extensive menu packed with soups, hearty meals and lighter fare.

We are glad that Carol made a move from construction to food and from consulting to cooking. Her meals are delicious and because of her dedication to the "good and healthy stuff", you know that whatever you get from An Edible Life is for living. It comes with all Carol's healthy care and dedication.

We are eating for a healthy life at An Edible Life. She promised us, even the Goji Cacao Balls are healthy. We are taking her word for it!

Hendrik van Wyk
Goji Ball Cowboy

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Photos

Happy Place

Edible

Secret

Healthy