Impromptu poolside BBQ

Made some new friends tonight at a super fun poolside gathering/BBQ. Josh’s new work friend invited us for some drinks, swimming and food at a local BnB, Cody’s Cabana. We naturally took responsibility of the meat and vegetable grilling when the time came around. And with a nicely stocked fridge of market vegetables we managed to create a lovely grilled vegetable medley and a fresh, colourful slaw! Josh got some corn soaking and eventually got it on the grill. It is such a treat when freshly grilled, no salt or butter needed! We had a great time slashing around in the pool with the surprisingly buoyant watermelon, chatting with new people and eating some yummy grub! Can’t wait to hang out there again!

Things are coming along

I think we might finally have a good situation figured out! Josh is working full time doing labour at a decent company with guaranteed work for the winter. He seems to be enjoying the outdoor aspect and the work is easy and challenging enough.
I have started work back at the Bench Market. I worked there a couple of years ago in the fall. The joy of being able to create my own salads and daily specials is exactly what I need. I have learned recently that freedom of expression in my art, which of course is food, is what I need to be happy. And of course everyone else around me benefits by eating my delicious creations. It was too busy on my first 2 days to snap any photos but I will definitely try to next week.
So I am filling the other days of the week with working hard on getting the Shayna&Shulman brand out there in people minds, and hopefully soon in their bellies!

Neighbourly BBQ

Finally got to cook up some grub for the Grattons this week as appreciation for all they have done for us in regards to mountain biking. They have supplied a few tire tubes and help out a ton with other bike repairs. So we trade with our best skill, cooking! We had some delicious pulled pork that may have been referred to as “beef dip”, a lovely zucchini salad and an organic roasted and grilled chicken. A few glasses of wine and randomly some Japanese candy for dessert, provided by their exchange student., it turned out to be a great evening!

2014 Similkameen BBQ King Challenge

Wow! What an event! From the day we found out our ingredients and the winery we would be paired with, we were in our glory planning something to amaze the taste buds off of our guests! And we did!
It was a challenge in itself organizing time to prepare the food and making sure we would have enough of everything and be ready on the day of the event.
We started early in the week collecting Lamb’s quarter leaves as a vessel to serve the finished ‘bite’ off of. While we were out, we decided to incorporate some other readily available wild edibles, such as lavender, roses and sage.
We wanted to stay true to the BBQ theme and so we saved a good portion of the actual cooking for the day of. This way we would have our BBQ and access to the Big Green Egg that we were lucky enough to win in a draw! (Turns out some chefs opted out of the draw having never used this type of smoker before, where’s the sense of adventure in that?)
We had an awesome time grilling zucchini and smoking pork on site at the Grist Mill in Keremeos, on what felt like one of the hottest days this year! But we carried on working hard and enjoying the flavours of our labour as our dish came together.
Service started at 6 sharp, and we had a few people waiting patiently to get ours first! The line up was long, the air was warm and smokey and we were running full steam making fry bread and placing 5 prepared items on top: to order!!!! It was a little bit crazy and we were a little bit tired but when the adrenaline switches on, we go till the last person is fed! We had plenty of positive feedback throughout the evening, and when we finally had a chance to sample our dish in it’s entirety we were shocked at how beautifully it paired with Orofinos Home Vineyard Reisling! It was a perfect match!
Our families were there as well, cheering us on as we fed the masses as quickly as we could. They also worked quietly as spies, checking to see how many judges slipped their vote into our box!
By the time the clock struck 8:30 and the ‘doors closed’ we had fed almost 400 guests and definitely garnered some attention. People seemed to respond well to our philosophies on foraging and the homage we paid to local natives, by making a traditional fry bread.
It was time to crown the King!
Natasha Shooten from the Grist Mill came in second in the people choice category, while Lee Humpfies from Local Lounge claimed first. And then the lovely Kim Lawton, announced the very coveted BBQ King award was so close between two competitors, it had simply never been this close before!
‘And the runners up are: Shayna & Shulman!’
Chef Humphries takes first again!
The excitement was unmeasurable as the cameras flashed and we took our place next to one of the greatest chefs this province has.
We patted each other on the back and embraced our proud families. We did exactly what we needed to do, show everyone who we are.

And the first ingredient is……

PORK! not just a cut but a whole pig! That’s the protein we will be preparing for this years Similkameen BBQ king Challange. The event takes place at the Grist Mill in Keremeos on July 12th. We are going head to head against 8 other chefs from around the valley for the title of BBQ king! We expect it to be an amazing event and a great chance for us to get our name out there. All the teams in the event get the same ingredients so we are going to have to be creative. Stay tuned for updates on more ingredients and pictures 🙂

Being a Chef

So another chapter in this chefs life has ended and another begun. The days of working for an unappreciative restaurant owner are over, hopefully. Being told that you don’t need to be a chef to push out amazing looking and tasting food because anyone can do it is an insult. Even more so, it’s an insult to go to an interview with a prominent restauranteur that I have worked for before, as an apprentice, and get offered the same wage I earned as a first year apprentice.
There is so much to be grateful for everyday, and challenges in life always make us stronger, more determined and help us see what we really want. Sometimes getting there is tough. I am hopeful that my current situation will be brief and my dream that I share with Josh, will soon become a reality. Perseverance, persistence and passion, I shall not lack.