Perched on mountainsides, skiers and snowboarders chomp on buffalo burgers and sweet potato fries – without a thought to how this food gets to such high altitudes.
Guests have had to endure snowy highways, sludgy car parks and liftlines to get skiing. But resorts typically handle the catering logistics so seamlessly that guests usually don’t even see the challenges in delivering fresh fare to high altitude restaurants. Add to this the recent trend towards gentrifying ski hill fare over the past few years, and there are some very unique culinary challenges especially in remote resorts in Canada.
So how do high altitude restaurants get their food supplies to the top of the mountain?
At 7,700 feet above sea level, Eagle’s Eye Restaurant is Canada’s most elevated dining experience, facing tougher challenges than most. This high-end restaurant – think $19 Veuve Clicquot by the glass and wild boar tenderloin – is reachable by a 15-minute gondola ride from the base of the British Columbia resort. Although fine dining and group catering is relatively easy to achieve in summer months, snowfall and frigid temperatures add many more obstacles during ski season. But the demand doesn’t diminish.
“This restaurant can fill up in a very short time,” the manager, Marcus Molfenter told me. “Maybe because of the weather or avalanche control – but we can get unexpected crowds and can’t call on a neighbor or other restaurants to help.”
French-Canadian Chef Sylvain Bourget is now into his fourth winter season at Eagles’ Eye, and knows the hardships of serving food at a high altitude.
“One of the biggest challenges is carrying food up here,” he told me. “We have a unique system using big metal bins that fit into cages. In winter, these are mounted on snowboards on a sled hitch. They go on the gondola with the sled.”
These are then slid over the snow to a loading bay at the restaurant early each morning before skiers start using the gondola. Food blankets are used in the colder months of winter to protect delicate ingredients from freezing.
“In the summer, we have the opposite issue with things like ice cream,” said Chef Bourget. With no nearby shops for emergency supplies, he has to be meticulous with advance ordering, stock checking and food storage. Water can also be problem at high altitude.
“We’ve only had to close one time and it was because the water line burst,” said Molfenter.
While the line was being fixed, water had to be hauled manually to the restaurant . Adverse weather, surprisingly, doesn’t spoil weddings, despite the logistical nightmares of transporting everyone to the resort. “They happen outside regardless of the weather,” Molfenter explained. “We have them outdoors on the patio with hot chocolate available for everyone (maybe with some Baileys added) and the ceremonies only run about 10 minutes.”
Veils flutter in the wind, the congregation might be swathed in blankets, and brides often wear fur-trimmed ski jackets over their finery. Brides and grooms also sometimes add a skiing component to the schedule with photographers following them down the slopes to snap action pictures.Despite these challenges, everything was flawless during my visit.
Highly recommended are the truffle fries with manchego paired with an Alpine Sky cocktail (champagne and juices). Savour both while gazing at mountain summits of five national parks, and celebrating the end of a ski day.
The bad news is that Eagle’s Eye is only open weekends for dinner. But the good news is that Chef Bourget also cooks at Corks during the week. Feast on tapas, bison meatballs filled with goat cheese, cheese and charcuterie platters, and succulent shrimp and salmon dishes. After dancing and giant Jenga at the Kicking Horse Saloon nearby, you’ll leave on a food high at this altitude.
The Details:
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
1500 Kicking Horse Trail Golden, British Columbia
The writer was a guest of Eagle’s Eye Restaurant. The restaurant did not review or approve this article.
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