From the Kitchen
CULINARY RETREAT
celebrate the art of food and community!
savour…
a beautiful fusion of food & nature
in a nourishing culinary getaway
From the Kitchen
Fircom Culinary Retreat
After a successful retreat in November, 2024, we are excited to announce our next date:
Friday, Feb 7 - Sunday, Feb 9, 2025
For: Adults 19+
There is a maximum of 8 participants for this specially curated retreat experience.
Enjoy this valuable opportunity to step away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and immerse yourself in a journey of flavour, creativity and connection!
Would you like to indulge in these great pairings?
Gourmet & Gambier!
Nourish & Nature
Flavour & Fun!
Creativity & Connection
Who doesn’t love the sweet baked dough of warm cinnamon buns?
Enjoy a cinnamon bun baking session with Izy!
Have you…
ever tried pyrography?
Create your own unique cutting board guided by local artist Kathryn Beals!
(image: Kathryn Beals)
Above:
Brent Sebela, Head Chef, working his magic!
Details:
Arrive Friday to Gambier Island, settle into your accommodation and head to the dining hall to enjoy a 4-course meal with preferred wine pairings.
On Saturday we will rotate through a set of culinary themed programs with the goal of acquiring new skills whilst nurturing our pallets.
The programming includes:
Canning and pickling workshop with Chef Brent Sebela
Cinnamon bun creations with Isabelle Wick
Pyrography wood burning art session with Kathryn Beals
Saturday evening dinner will be followed by a fireside social in your cozy accommodation.
On Sunday we will finish our programming rotation, enjoy our final meals, and say goodbye to Gambier.
Overall, we aim to create a relaxing atmosphere and further provide you with the tools to enjoy something new when you return home to your own environment.
Please Note: wine and signature cocktails will be served at this retreat. Non-alcoholic options will be provided.
Pyrography Art Session
with Kathryn Beals
Slow down and enjoy the relaxing and meditative process of pyrography - burning designs by hand into wood with a hot tool. You’ll get to take home a sustainable mango wood serving board decorated with your own designs, guided by local artist Kathryn Beals. Burn your own design or choose one to transfer - no drawing experience necessary.
Your Experience Includes:
Great food & great company
Expounded knowledge in the culinary arts
Canning Workshop with preserves to take home
A recipe for yummy cinnamon buns
Custom mango wood serving board decorated with your own design (for February 2025 retreat, the boards will be round).
Camp Fircom logo embroidered apron to take home
Schedule & Activities:
In addition to being fed delightfully (with a a few surprises!) and engaging in hands on culinary workshops, participants will have free time to enjoy Fircom’s tranquil setting, connect with others as inspired, and cozy up by the fire. For those that love to be outdoors, the forest and shoreline are always welcoming you, even in November!
Price: $ 695.00
Maxium 8 participants.
Fee includes the following:
Private room in Craigcroft (12 bedroom 2-storey accommodation with two washrooms, a kitchen and living room with fireplace).
Program fees also include your return water taxi from Horseshoe Bay, all supplies, programming, meals, drinks and snacks.
take home items, as mentioned above (preserves, cutting board and apron)
For more information on our Craigcroft Accommodation, CLICK HERE. (not pictured in website photos are the new cozy mattresses in all our Craigcroft bedrooms).
Cancellation Policy:
Once payment has been made, there is a $100 cancellation fee up until 30 days prior to the start of the retreat. With fewer than 30 days notice, there are no refunds. If there is a medical emergency, a positive COVID-19 test, or illness with a doctor’s note with less than 30 days notice, then a camp credit minus a $100 cancellation fee will be applied to the account, to be used within one year.
Above: Octopus carpaccio served on a roasted potato and garnished with paprika aioli.
Above: Roasted leg of lamb served with greens, roasted beans, and creamy garlic mash potatoes
Culinary Retreat Facilitators:
Brent Sebela
Head Chef
Brent is a Chef with over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. From fast food to fine dining, his culinary journey has touched many tables. Whether it’s been through managing various restaurants or cooking on Food Network Canada, his passion has always been to share his food with the world.
Brent's first visit to Camp Fircom was in 2022 moonlighting as the Chef for Improv Camp. After a week of theater and delicious meals, he never left. Brent finds passion in connecting with guests and elevating food quality. From the simplicity of a well cooked camp meal to an elevated wedding service, versatility and attention to detail are strong traits of his tutelage.
He is embarking on his 4th season with Camp Fircom and looks forward to meeting new people and enjoying the beauty of Gambier Island. Bon appétit!
Isabelle Wick
Food Service Coordinator / Baker
Isabelle (Izy) is passionate about all things baking! But if you’ve been around the Fircom kitchen, you know her favourite is cakes and cupcakes, and she will find any excuse to celebrate someone with one of her beautifully decorated creations.
It’s her third season working at Fircom and she looks forward to stepping it up another notch in 2025! Izy is also passionate about reading and creative writing, and dreams one day of opening a small town B&B somewhere on the East Coast of Canada, where she can share her joy for food and her naturally FUN and heart centred personality with others.
Izy looks forward to having you join her at the bakers bench to create those yummy cinnamon buns!
Kathryn Beals
Artist
Kathryn Beals is a self-taught painter and woodworker, with an educational background in forest biology. She makes art in many formats including acrylic painting, mosaics, resin, metal leaf, clay and wood. Her background in science motivated her to create a fluid art technique using magnetic fields, inspired by the visual disturbances from her migraines. Kathryn’s paintings inspire her to continue learning about biology, and she has made art series about the kelp forest, the intertidal zone and the forest floor.
Her landscape paintings are shaped by all the beautiful places she has lived in British Columbia, particularly Vancouver Island. She gives back a portion of each painting series to conservation nonprofits. Kathryn now lives in Howe Sound with her husband and three children.
Are you Ready?
Embrace this chance to rediscover the simple pleasures of life through culinary delights, creativity and heartfelt laughter with fellow food enthusiasts!
Getting here:
Depart at 4:00pm from Horseshoe Bay on Friday, Nov 15, 2024.
Depart Fircom on Sunday, Nov 17, 2024 at 2:30 pm, arriving back to Horseshoe Bay before 3pm.
Check in will take place at the Public Dock in Horseshoe Bay Village (pictured right >). Please be on the dock with your bag(s) no later than 15 mins prior to water taxi departure. More info about Gambier Island.