Wickaninnish Inn’s Chef Nicholas Nutting Goes for the Gold
Vancouver’s Gold Medal Plates Gala on October 29, 2010

October 25, 2010

Tofino Chef Nicholas Nutting of the Wickaninnish Inn will be teaming up with Painted Rock Estate Winery at Vancouver’s Sheraton Wall Centre on October 29th in quest of culinary gold at the eighth annual Gold Medal Plates Gala.

Held in eight cities across Canada, Gold Medal Plates features premiere chefs, each paired with a Canadian winery as well as Olympic and Paralympic athletes in a competition to crown a gold, silver and bronze culinary team in each city. Subsequent nation-wide finals take place in Kelowna in February 2011. Past Canadian Culinary Champions include Chef Melissa Craig of The Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler and Chef Mathieu Cloutier of Kitchen Gallerie in Montréal. Gold Medal Plates is a fundraiser for the Canadian Olympic Foundation, a national charitable organization created by the Canadian Olympic Committee supporting Canada’s high performance athletes across all winter and summer sports.

Chef Nutting is stepping onto the stage with some distinctly Tofitian ingredients: local berries and mushrooms foraged with the help of The Pointe Restaurant Pastry Chef and fellow Gold Medal Plates team member, Matt Wilson. Prior to joining the Wickaninnish Inn in 2006, Chef Nutting earned honours at the Junior Knorr CCFCC (Canadian Cooking Federation) and Chaîne des Rôtisseurs cooking competitions. In spring 2010, he collaborated with Chef Matthew Batey of Mission Hill Winery for an epicurean celebration of the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival.

About the Wickaninnish Inn:
The Wickaninnish Inn, perched on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island near Tofino, has been a Relais & Châteaux member property since 1997. A year-round destination exemplifying "rustic elegance on nature's edge", the Inn is owned and operated by the McDiarmid family of Tofino, and is exclusively located on beautiful Chesterman Beach. Each of the 75 rooms and suites welcomes guests with a spectacular oceanfront or beachfront view, gas fireplace, soaker tub, locally-created art, individual balcony, and amenities inspired by on-site Ancient Cedars Spa. In 2010, The Pointe Restaurant earned its fourth consecutive Gold standing in the category of Top Resort Dining in BC at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards. The Pointe Restaurant’s wine list, a repeat recipient of Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence, presents an array of wines from the Pacific Northwest and California, with a special focus on boutique BC wineries. Contact the Inn reservations team 24 hours a day by calling 1.800.333.4604 or visiting www.wickinn.com.

About Painted Rock Estate Winery:
Named for the pictographs bordering its property along Skaha Lake in BC’s Okanagan Valley, Painted Rock was awarded “BEST NEW WINERY” at the 2009 Okanagan Fall Wine Festival Wine Competition. Its 2007 Red Icon and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon have been awarded the prestigious 2010 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence In British Columbia Wines.

About Gold Medal Plates:
The goal of Gold Medal Plates is to raise funds for Canada’s high performance athletes, while celebrating Canadian excellence in food, wine, sport and the arts. Since 2004, this event has received tremendous support and accolades all across Canada, and generated a combined net total of $4.1 million for Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Tickets may be purchased for the Vancouver gala by contacting Tina Oliver at tinaoliver@shaw.ca or 604.803.8813.