Just how amazing was the 11th annual “Spring Epicurean Dinner” – where Calgarians John Jackson and Connie DeSousa (the talent behind the wildly successful Cowtown restaurant Charcut) had been invited as part of the winery’s visiting chef’s program?

Imagine a five-course menu – the first three courses Charcut-inspired and the last two created by Mission Hill – featuring tender Slow Cooked Eggs and bottagra bread sauce, savoury Rabbit Pie, a daring Bison Heart Kielbasa, melt-in-your-mouth Hay Smoked Lamb with oculus cherries and, for dessert, a taste-bud exploding Vanilla Pear Parfait.

Imagine experiencing each of these courses with the perfect Mission Hill companion wine – an aromatic, fruit-forward 2008 Select Lot Collection Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp yet delicate 2009 Perpetua, a chewy red-fruit rich 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir, a 2008 Bordeaux-inspired signature red Oculus and, with desert, a 2010 Reserve Riesling Icewine with notes of caramelized tropical fruit.

And now imagine all this taking place in one of the most elegant dining rooms in Canada – Mission Hill’s Chagall Room, which features church high ceilings and clean white walls, one of which is draped with a rare and colourful tapestry entitled “Animal Tales” by the late Russian-born artist Marc Chagall.

Charcut’s John Jackson tells us he and DeSousa were thrilled to be included in Mission Hill’s prestigious program. To date, visiting chefs have included the likes of John Bishop from Bishop’s Fine Dining, Vikram Vij of Vij’s, and Ned Bell from the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver.

“Connie and I jumped at the opportunity to do this,” says Jackson. “The Chagall Room was stunning even before it was set up. We walked in and it was like “Oh My God” – it’s going to be beautiful. And, of course, it was absolutely gorgeous.”

Mission Hill’s executive chef Matthew Batey says the biggest challenge during collaborations with other chefs “is to make sure the dishes are going to remain true to our philosophy of wine and food, not food and wine. We want to ensure our guest chefs can showcase their talents, but at the end of the day, we are a winery. This doesn’t mean visiting chefs can’t be adventuresome. Pairing Rabbit Pie – something that we wouldn’t typically serve – with our 2009 Perpetua, simply showcases the versatility of our wines.”

It turns out, the party has just begun. Charcut chefs Jackson and DeSousa – famous for their urban rustic cuisine and meat-centric menu - have invited Mission Hill’s Matthew Batey to Alberta on June 6 to collaborate on their home turf.

Batey’s menu for the evening? ”Right now, I don’t have a clue. I will bring our best wines, of course. And I’m sure one of my dishes will be seafood,” he says. ”As for the big meat courses? I’ll leave those to the folks who know best. By that I mean, those crazy Calgarians.”

photo by colin jewall

P.S. Mission Hill apparently likes to host musicians as well as visiting chefs. So if you’re a Lyle Lovett fan, you may want to know that on July 12, he’ll be making his first Okanagan appearance at Mission Hill Estate Winery’s outdoor amphitheatre. For more information, visit missionhillwinery.com or call 250.762.5050

You’ll recognize him – wherever you happen to be – because he’s the guy in the room who looks like he’s having way more fun than everyone else.

Few people match Tetrault’s passion for food and travel, which, combined, make him an excellent fit for his role as the Calgary-based president of the Canadian arm of the international gastronomic society Chaine des Rotisseurs, an intriguing organization that has roots in 1950s Paris and spans 75 countries. (Whew! Say that one quickly three times.)

Tetrault’s joie de vivre – coupled with the fact that he’s always poised to take off on another fabulous foodie adventure – is also what makes this Calgarian a winning contender as the first subject in our new “In the Suitcase” series.

Q. Tell us, David, about your preferred suitcases and why you like them.

A. My favourite is a black two-suiter made by Samsonite but I’m currently experimenting with a tubular bag called Skyroll that was invented by a pilot. The suitbag feature rolls up around a central tube. You can put socks, underwear, shaving kit etc. directly in the tube.

Q. Can you dish on your suitcase essentials?

A. I’m not a slave to fashion when I travel – just Gap pants and an LLBean jacket. You can wear this ensemble for hiking or for a casual restaurant meal without feeling like you look like a bum in shorts and a T-shirt. However, if I’m travelling for a Chaine formal dinner, I’ll bring a tuxedo, formal shirt, cufflinks, and black shoes. Being a senior officer, I need to make that extra effort to dress properly and behave myself. In other words, going naked is not an option.

Q. Can you tell us about the other “gear” you bring along?

A. I always bring two cameras. One regular size Canon Rebel XSi with two lenses for day use. And one very small Canon for night time. You don’t want to look like a rube in a restaurant with a huge camera perched on the table in front of you. Oh, and a dual action corkscrew. Nothing fancy but if we go for a picnic we want to be prepared. We’ve found that in France, especially, they have not embraced the screw top wine bottle.

Q. David, how would you describe your packing style?

A. I’m a precision packer. I use the Eagle Point shirt case which keeps my shirts folded and compact. I also use plastic freezer bags for sweaters. Put the sweater in the bag. Sit on it. Squeeze out the air. And zip it up.

Q. What distinguishes your suitcase from the others on the carousel at the airport?

A. A small black and white checked velcro handle cover. By the way, if you still find your luggage circulating the carousel more than twice before you notice it, then you’ve probably had too much wine on the plane.

Q. Can you tell us about any souvenirs that have travelled back to Canada in your suitcase?

A. We bring back fois gras in a tin. You can’t get it here, not the tinned goose variety. We also like to keep our used Metro tickets from Paris. We plant them in our clothes – maybe a ski jacket pocket – or use them as book marks. Little reminders of our time away.

If we eat somewhere fabulous and memorable – it could be in the middle of nowhere – we often ask for a menu to bring home. We attended a Chaine dinner in Toronto at the Royal York in 2010 where we were presented with a beautiful souvenir menu featuring historic photos of Fairmont hotels from across the country. It was phenomenal.

Recently, we brought some Ricard pastis glasses home from Rocamadour that we bought from a bartender. Our tradition – especially when we’re travelling with friends – is to stop wherever we are at ten in the morning. We find a cafe, enjoy a pastis and then an espresso. We do this every day. On every trip. It’s just necessary.

Often called the Canadian Galapagos – and historically referred to as Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai meaning “islands on the edge of the world” - this extraordinary archipelago is an amazing place to visit.

Our zodiac trip to Skedans was absolutely a highlight. We were thrilled to visit the village made famous by the late painter Emily Carr and located in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site.

Emily Carr once wrote of her visits to Skedans – well-known for its tilted, majestic totem poles – that “memories came out of this place to meet the Indians. You saw remembering in their brightening eyes and heard it in the quick hushed words they said to each other in Haida.”

The boat ride to and from this haunting village, where we had to navigate through wild, post-storm Pacific waters, was nothing short of exhilerating and the extremely cool fried egg jelly fish that we passed along the way made the journey even more impressive to the kids.

The Haida Heritage Centre was also worth visiting – both to hear local interpreters bring Haida Gwaii’s history alive and to see totem pole carvers, the air rich with the smell of fresh cut cedar, busy at work on site.

But what I remember most from this trip, aside from my my Mom’s continuous smile given that she’d dreamed of coming here all her life, are the eagles.

My brother and nephew spent a day fishing with Haida carver Myles Edgars off the shores of Graham Island - an invitation that followed after a visit to Edgars’ art studio in Masset.

When the boys returned, triumphant, with their boat load of halibut, the fish were cleaned with the remainders tossed in a bucket.

Edgars suggested we take this pail of fish guts to a nearby beach as an offering to the resident bald eagle population.

We threw the remains high into the air and watched, gobsmacked, as eagles swooped down from the overcast sky – their muscular legs outstretched and their talons splayed – to catch these bloody treats mid-air.

Yes, it’s the eagles I’ll remember. Masters of the sky, precise and athletic and flying so close to us we could almost feel the wind off their magnificent wings.

***Want some help planning a trip to Haida Gwaii? Call Shauna and her staff at the Queen Charlotte Visitor Information Centre at 250-599-8316.

1. Sea to Sky Highway

The Sea to Sky Highway – which takes you to Whistler from Vancouver – has been rated as one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the world. One side of the highway features the steep shoreline of Howe Sound and the other side is flanked by the Coast Mountains that extend all the way to Alaska. After a two hour drive, my daughter and husband were ready to spring out of the car and cut loose in Whistler. But I had to sit for a moment and bask in the glow of a great ride.

2. Fresh Tracks

I’m not easily motivated to get up at the crack of dawn. But Fresh Tracks – a program where you get breakfast on the mountain top and the opportunity to ski before anyone else hits the hill – is worth the pain. Bleary-eyed, we stared at each other like zombies in the gondola as we climbed over 6,000 feet to the top of the mountain. When we arrived, the snow was glistening, the sun was shining and the wind was manic. With a warm breakfast in our bellies, we surfed – free as the wind – down the snowy slopes. I couldn’t help but feel as if I OWNED the mountain.

3. Horstman Hut

Located at the top of 7th Heaven Express, Horstman Hut is Blackcomb Mountain’s European-themed restaurant. Just as my daughter was starting to complain about her tootsies getting cold, we brought her here for a yummy hot meat pie. We had the same – with the added benefit of washing ours down with a frosty German beer. Then we were ready and re-fuelled for another few hours of snowboarding.

4. Squamish Lilwat Cultural Centre

A cultural centre in the heart of “adventureland” is a hard thing to convince your family to do, but well worth the effort. The Squamish Lilwat Cultural Centre was built to help preserve cultures indigenous to the Whistler area. This place buzzes with activity and the bannock and venison pemmican in the cafeteria are scrumptious. Later, as you zoom down the mountains through towering trees, it’s hard not to think of these cultures and their powerful relationship to the land.

5. Skating

Almost everyone who goes to Whistler has had their picture taken inside the Olympic Rings so you might as well join the fun. They’re on the south side of Whistler Olympic Plaza which features a free skating rink during the winter months. While you’re there, why not bring along your blades and boogie under the disco ball for the added enjoyment of humiliating your teen?

6. Function Junction

Drive south of Whistler Village for 10 minutes to Function Junction and you’ll find local art galleries, antique shops, second hand stores and design studios. It’s gritty and underdeveloped and feels a world away from Whistler mostly because everything doesn’t match. Just after the turn-off, you’ll find two places conveniently located next to each other, Bounce, a trampoline and foam-pit training centre and The Whistler Brewing Company. So while your kids are bouncing off the walls and learning trickster moves, you get to saunter next door to sip on tasters and tour the brewery. Civilized. You don’t even have to pick up your kids. They just find find you when they are done.

7. Il Caminetto

O.K., if you’re going to splurge one night on dinner, I promise you’ll leave Il Caminetto – which features fine Tuscan cuisine – feeling like your money was well spent. Angus beef shortribs with a creamy herb polenta. Fois gras with delicious cherry accents. Stewed rabbit. Tiramisu. What’s more, the staff are unpretentious so if you forget all your foodie terms no worries, the waitress won’t make you feel like a country bumpkin.

8. Zip-Lining

It was family month in Whistler during the month of March and zip-lining was free for the kids so I got tickets from Cougar Mountain’s Tag Adventure Group (even though my husband is terrified of heights.) The deal was, I would happily watch the hockey game at the bar afterwards if he strapped on the harness and jumped. Traveling through the tree tops at over 100 km per hour? Dreamy. Seeing my husband conquer his fear of heights? Awesome. Watching the hockey game later? Torture.

Lara Kroeker is the co-founder of www.randomlink.com – an interactive storytelling company in Vancouver. She’s also the executive producer of the Webby award-winning travel family series www.hittheroad.tv.

Now it’s your turn. Comment on this story and tell us what you think. What ONE thing does someone visiting Whistler (no matter what the season) absolutely have to experience? Tell us why. Best comment wins AWESOME swag bag from Tourism Whistler. Contest ends April 11, 2012 at midnight.

Contest update: Congrats to Lynn for her amusing Whistler anecdote and recommendation. Your package from Tourism Whistler is in the mail!

I was asked to choose photos for seven distinct categories.

Sifting through the 80,000+ shots on my hard-drive was no small task. It takes time to relive every journey. And so, after way too much consideration, here are my “7 Super Shots.”

1. A Shot That Takes My Breath Away - Highway 22 is one of the most beautiful stretches of road in Canada. It divides the prairie from the Rocky Mountains laying comfortably in the foothills of Southern Alberta. I took the photo as we raced to get ahead of this fast-approaching summer storm. In the end, we lost the race – getting ambushed by hard rain and hailstones. But…I got a nice shot.

2. A Shot That Makes Me Laugh or Smile - What does a popular BC ski town do in the off-season? It gussies up old cars and trucks and smashes them into each other. Called Fernie’s most notorious event, the Lions Club Demolition Derby is a 30 year tradition where mud, noise and automobile destruction unite to raise money for community causes. Despite its cheeky message (HOLD MY TROPHY WHILE I KISS UR GIRLFRIEND), this clunker did not finish well.

3. A Shot That Makes Me Dream - This category alludes to “dream” in a figurative sense, but I chose to opt for something more literal. The image was taken at Ghoul’s Night Out – an annual Halloween-themed event held at Calgary’s historic Heritage Park. For a few brief minutes, dusk gifted me with the ideal light to capture this creepy shot.

4. A Shot That Makes Me Think - I spotted this tiny boat builder’s cottage in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia just as a heavy maritime rain was lifting. The setting sun reached out and lit up this colourful, fairytale scene. Many houses in this town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, have significant histories. I can’t help but wonder what secrets this one has to tell.

5. A Shot That Makes My Mouth Water - Kim, a.k.a. Canoe, and I collaborated on many stories BTB (before the blog). This shot was taken during an exciting assignment in the South Pacific. While covering the Maui Film Festival for PostMedia newspapers, we – to put it bluntly – partied a lot. Fresh indigenous food and exotic drinks were a constant temptation.

6. A Shot That Tells A Story - As I previously mentioned, houses in the Maritimes have long and storied pasts. This one in Riverport, Nova Scotia was built in the late 1800′s and was home to several generations of the same family. As the Ritcey family grew and prospered, they built one addition after another onto the house. My photo tells the story of the Ritcey family home – before and after.

7. A Shot That I’m Most Proud Of (aka Worthy of National Geographic) - I have to preface this by saying no creative person thinks they’re worthy of National Geographic. So, in an effort to find a photo for this category, I ignored that part. This photo was taken in Las Vegas while on yet another fun assignment with fellow journalist and biz-partner Kim Gray. We were invited to a party – where we got to hang with the likes of Janie Hendrix (Jimi’s sister), celebrity chef Kerry Simon and rock photographer Robert Knight. Vegas being Vegas, the night involved a private rock concert. I think this photo of Graham Whitford captures the love affair between a musician and his guitar.

And now, it’s time to pass the torch and nominate five other travel bloggers for “7 Super Shots.”

Antarctic Mark – The Frozen Toe

Corbin – I Backpack Canada

Dave & Deb – The Planet D

Jeannie – Nomadic Chick

Carrie – My Several Worlds

And finally, the RULES for these nominees. If you choose to take part:

1. Choose a photo for each of the 7 categories above.

2. Write a short description for each image.

3. Write somewhere in your blog post “I am taking part in Hostelbookers 7 Super Shots”

4. Tell HostelBookers that you have participated and tweet the hashtag #7SuperShots

5. Nominate 5 other bloggers by including a link to their blog in your post.