Top chefs battle it out

Six Okanagan chefs teamed up with local wineries at Big White Thursday night to cap off the resort's inaugural Gourmet Ski Week.

Beginning Monday, the resort held several events throughout the week to celebrate the Okanagan's culinary talents.

Thursday night, Big White's executive chef Rob Walker hosted the Culinary Throwdown to end the week's festivities, inviting five of his chef friends to cook up a friendly competition at the resort's White Spirit Lodge.

“We're all good buddies,” said Walker. “You get a couple of chefs in the kitchen like this, there's lots of banter and everybody's kind of razzing each other, so it's a fun night.”

As the snow fell hard outside the 10,000-square foot luxury log home, the chefs got to work in the kitchen, with all six lending a helping hand for every dish.

Chef James Holmes from Kelowna's Salt and Brick kicked off the evening, pairing his lobster mushroom-topped dish with a 2010 Tantalus Riesling. Chef Mark Filatow from Waterfront Wines Restaurant served his prawn dish with a white meritage from Penticton's Time Winery, followed by Chef Jeff Van Geest of Oliver's Miradoro serving his snail-stuffed capalletti with a pinot noir from Tinhorn Creek.

Chef Brock Bowes of Provisions served a steelhead dish paired with a Bartier Bros. Syrah, while the host of the evening, Chef Rob Walker, paired his waygu beef dish with Big White's own Second Chapter Hidden Hearth meritage.

Chef Donny Capadouca from Okanagan College finished off the night with dessert, paired with a Gray Monk port.

“No one's going to get a better meal in this Valley than here tonight,” said Walker.

After all those in attendance placed their votes, Waterfront Wines' Chef Mark Filatow took the top prize, beating out Walker's dish by a single vote. Tantalus' Riesling won best wine of the night.

Despite some cheeky calls from the audience to “not tell anyone else” about the Culinary Throwdown next year, Walker plans to grow the event in the future.

“Hopefully next year we just keep building and when we look five years down the road, hopefully we're hosting it for 200 people.”