Chef Dennis Lowen is calm as the wine hits the hot cast iron pan with a terrific sizzle. The red wine reduction sauce is on its way. Meanwhile the Chinese cabbage gets chopped and blanched before it will be tossed into the warm whipping cream with a dash of truffle oil. Dennis seems to have more arms than most people as he rubs the salmon filets with Mediterranean spices, prepares the baby potatoes for pan frying, oven bakes red grapes, steams the fennel and transfers the wine reduction to yet another hot pan. There’s 11 women watching Chef Dennis prepare this feast. We’re sitting on stools around the demonstration kitchen, sipping some of Hainle winery’s organic red Zweigelt and thoroughly enjoying the sight of a man preparing supper for us. The chef not only leads the class through all the steps involved in the meal, he gets peppered with nosey questions and puts up with a fair amount of good natured ribbing. This is The Producer’s Cookery School, at Hainle winery in Peachland, in steamy, delicious action; a behind the scenes look at the preparation of gourmet (but not too far out) restaurant fare.

Once the meal is prepared, we sit down with another glass of wine (white this time– Deep Creek G2, a blend of Gewurtz and Reisling ) and get to chow down on what we’ve watched Chef Dennis prepare. The salmon in wine reduction sauce is tender and flavourful, the cabbage tastier than cabbage has a right to be, the baby potatoes brown and just slightly spicy, the baked grapes and fennel adding a final touch of the slightly exotic. Chef Dennis discreetly slips away as we eat and chat. After a more than filling and fulfilling meal we get our final treat; a dessert of creme brulee and cheesecake. What more could a woman ask for? Some insightful comments later penned by my group: “You pleased 11 women in one night– well done Dennis!” and “Dennis you rock– can we take you home? Your salmon was so much tastier than the peanut butter toast I made for supper last night.” Hey, we’re all busy moms who don’t often get a gourmet meal prepared for us and not have to do the dishes.

Sadly Chef Dennis Lowen has moved on to other challenges since our evening. Cooking duties at the school and the Vine-Yard restaurant have been taken over by proprietor and manager Scott Wilshaw, the brainchild behind the Producer’s Cookery School. Scott has been working in the restaurant business for over 20 years, mainly in large hotels. As a chef trained in Europe he has also run cookery classes for much of his career. So when he ended up in Peachland a few years ago (he has family connections here) and began leasing the restaurant at Hainle winery from owner Walter Huber, he decided to add on the demonstration kitchen. The lease also includes running the wine shop and wine bar, leaving Huber to concentrate on the vineyards and wine-making.

In his spare time Wilshaw pursues his dream of owning his own small, luxury hotel which will be the eventual home of his restaurant and cookery school. This project looks to be coming into fruition with building on Trepanier Manor expected to begin next summer. Meanwhile he plies his culinary talents at Hainle winery, demonstrating a fusion cuisine by mixing the European style cooking of his early training with a West Coast flair. If you’re looking for an entertaining, educational, and delicious night out, check out the Producer’s Cookery school and experience the “best tastes with the simplest ingredients.”