A chicken leg ballontine sexy dark meat pounded flat, then rolled with elegant and earthy black trumpet mushrooms stuffed in the middle is gently coated with a sherry jus. Fresh oysters, nestled upon a bed of coarse salt, are topped with a festive mignonette of cucumber and jalepeno. Yarrow Meadows duck breast, brined in advance, seared to dark honey crisp, waits on a resting rack before roasting.
These are just a handful of the custom dishes created for clients at the full-service catering company, Butter On The Endive, where chef Owen Lightly and his co-conspirator, Naomi Horii, strive to create inspired food experiences. (The companys name is kitchen code for a beautiful man [or woman] just walked into the restaurant.)
All chefs know that what they do is a collaborative endeavour, between each other in the kitchen, the front of house and especially with the farmer close by who is so proud of his latest harvest. Lightlys relationship with local producers, such as Good Time Farming from Squamish or North Arm Farm in Pemberton, ensures that the menu is fresh.
I love to roll with the seasons, he says. I make a mean squash gratin, which tastes like Christmas dinner. Ive been really into slow roasting onions lately. I turn the oven down to 200-250 F and just let them go. They get so sweet.
Horii is front of house. She has a knack for being able to transform a space a lot by using very little. Natural elements, creative lighting it all comes together with Lightlys celebration of West Coast cuisine to create an event unlike any other. That commitment to local and seasonal ingredients, and a clients whim, ensures that no two events have the same menu.
Lightly and Horii have been shaking up the dining scene around Vancouver beyond their catering company with a band of good friends, who happen to be exceptionally talented chefs. In early summer 2012, working from Marche St. George, they threw a series of sold-out dinners in the beautiful dining room atop the French-inspired cafe, each with a different chef collaborator Adam Chandler of Beta 5, Jane Corborough formerly the chef de cuisine at Refuel and, finally, Alvaro Musso of Market at the Shangri-La.
In September, at Railway Moonshiner, Lightly put together a wood-inspired menu of grilled and smoked delight and guests were invited to Union Supply Wood Co. to enjoy a couple of casks of hickory-smoked ale brewed by R&B Brewing Company. Blank Cinema DJ Jake Fox threw down tunes, Inner City Farms provided the produce right from our backyard and Union City raffled off one of their amazing tables.
For a moment there I wasnt sure we were going to pull it off there was a lot of sawdust to clean up and it was everywhere, says Naomi of preparations before the dinner.
And the collaborations continue. With Surplus Labour, Lightly and long-time friend Adam Chandler of Beta 5 will invite guests to the new dining room at Beta 5 headquarters.
