Locals share their favourite recipes in Sun Peaks cookbook

If there’s one thing that Sun Peaks resident Terri Reed learned about the culinary taste of people in Sun Peaks, it’s that they like meat and sweets.
“It’s funny, the biggest volume of recipes, I thought would be appetizers, but it wasn’t,” pondered Reed. “It was meats and desserts. . . people do like meat up here.”

Reed recently published A Taste of Sun Peaks, a compilation of recipes from people who live at, or frequent, the resort community.

If you’re not a meat lover, no problem. There’s certainly something for everyone in the cookbook’s 342 entries.

“It’s very eclectic. It’s got a lot of different styles of cooking—vegetarian, desserts, salads, mains, casseroles—kind of a catchall of this and that.”

Reed, who volunteers at the Sun Peaks Health Centre, is donating proceeds to the clinic’s capital fund, so sales of the cookbook will contribute to the overall health of the community in the long-term.

“This is all for the clinic,” she said. “Proceeds will go directly to the Health Centre.”

Reed came up with the idea when a former co-worker put together a cookbook of her own recipes. As Reed browsed its pages, she realized she could raise funds for the clinic through a cookbook that would appeal to Sun Peaks locals.

“It’s great to have such wonderful volunteers like Terri,” said Sun Peaks Health Association president John Hatchett, adding that he appreciates Reed’s dedication to the cause. This year, organizers had to cancel the clinic’s biggest annual fundraiser, so Hatchett said the funds are certainly welcome.

“(The cookbook project) certainly helps to offset operating costs this year.”

At the end of every recipe, there’s a personal note from each of the 108 contributors, including Nancy Greene-Raine, Crazy Canuck Steve Podborski, and even SPIN’s publisher Adam Earle. Reed says there’s a broad range of contributors, many of whom call Sun Peaks home.

Two of the most familiar representations of Sun Peaks, a winter scene of the European style village and a summer scene of the covered bridge, adorn the front and back covers of the cookbook. The watercolours were painted by Connie McKnight, a Sun Peaks local and clinic volunteer. She said she was more than happy to create the artwork.

“I think it’s a wonderful initiative,” McKnight said. “Everybody wants (to offer) a hand to support the clinic.”

The Sun Peaks clinic operates out of a temporary facility and is run by volunteer physicians and staff. The Health Association has set aside $400,000 from fundraising efforts as a capital building fund. The goal is to build a two-level medical centre, which will include ski patrol facilities, a clinic, and an Emergency Operations Centre. Last year, over 600 patients were served at the clinic.

The cookbook costs $20 and will be available at the beginning of ski season in November at the Sun Peaks Health Centre, Fusion North and Lone Wolf Gallery.

To order a copy, contact Terri at 250-578-8004 or e-mail terrireed4@yahoo.com.

Please note, Terri’s email address was published incorrectly in the print version of this month’s SPIN. Sorry for the confusion this may have caused, and do be sure to drop her a note at the address published above — Ed.