Osoyoos at the south end of the Okanagan is the warmest place in the valley. It attracts a year-round vacation crowd who enjoy the sights, recreation and wineries in the area. For a destination resort town it is lacking in fine dining. The Watermark is attempting to fill the void and there are remarkable restaurants at some of the wineries but locals (who spend all day at the hotel) are reluctant to return to their workplace for a social evening meal and whine about the lack of choice. Jojos is a small coffee shop where we had a simple breakfast made with local ingredients but other choices are chain restaurants that only serve food that comes off the wholesaler`s truck. The town is ripe for an investor to back a young creative chef who can build a career based on the abundant produce and products of the area.
After breakfast, I meet Chef Natasha and chat about the Watermark’s food focus at this new resort (it opened in November 2009): seasonal, locally sourced foods are front and centre. Chef’s dishes are always finished with homemade chutneys, sauces, mustards, marmalades, infused honey and jams – a highly regarded trademark. I can’t wait to try her locally sourced charcuterie platter this summer! Chef Natasha has graciously provided the following two recipes:
Chef_Natashas_Casserole.doc
Chef_Natashas_White_Bean_and_Squash_dip.doc
