About

Forest + Farm to Table Dinners and Classes

The best way to book or get questions answered is to give us an email via the contact form at the bottom of the page. This is much better than phoning us (trust me)!

Covid Notice: Please cancel if you are feeling under the weather. We will be happy to re-book or refund.

Private dinners and events are available and can be booked at the farm for dinners, cooking classes and foraging events. There is a minimum of 10 people for private dinner reservations for a custom menu of local delights. Minimum of 6 people for a private cooking class and private forages are sometimes available. We excel in taking the food habits of the group into consideration and creating unique food tailored to you.

We look forward to welcoming you to the farm.

Gift Certificates Available

octopus_gift
… Like a warm hug from an octopus

We are open by appointment only to the select events listed below. Drop us a contact (bottom of the page) and we will be happy to answer any questions.

More info on booking private events .

…………………………………………………………………………………..

2024 Offerings

Fall Wild Mushroom Foraging Workshops:

  • Mushroom workshops are back in October 2024
  • Fall schedule usually released in June

Spring Wild Food Foraging Workshops – 2024

Wild food foraging – April 6th ($150/person)

Wild food weekend – April 20th – 21st ($250/person)

Wild food foraging – April 27th

Wild food weekend – May 4th- 5th

Farm Dinners 2024 ($115/person unless noted) : (menu details here

Seafood (shellfish and fish) Dinner – March 23rd (sold out)

Wild Food Dinner – April 13th

Morel Dinner – May 18th

Deerholme BBQ Dinner – June 15th

Chinese BBQ Dinner – July 2oth

Cooking Classes 2024 ($125/person) :

Island Shellfish Class – March 16th (sold out)

Wild food class (Sunday, part of a wild food weekend) – April 21st

Wild food class (Sunday, part of a wild food weekend) – May 5th

Deerholme BBQ (meat and mushrooms) class I – June 22nd

Deerholme BBQ (seafood and vegetables) class II – July 13th

Book by sending us a note via the contact form at the bottom of the page:

……………………………………………………………..

Local accommodation is available through B&B’s

Deerholme Farm has delighted food lovers since its inception in 2005. In that time we’ve created original dishes for local food dinners, cooking classes and many regional events. We feature local food from the Cowichan Valley and offer Farm-to-Table cuisine. New events are posted throughout the year. Click on the menu tabs above for more info and details. Sign up for our newsletter to get updates delivered to your inbox.

We offer:

  • Local Seasonal Food Dinners (mushrooms, French country cooking, etc)
  • Hands-on Cooking Classes
  • Wild Food Forages in the spring and fall
  • Private Dinners and Events
  • Food and Wine Consulting and Advice

Bill Jones is the owner / chef who has an amazing array of experiences behind him. Bill has cooked in Michelin-starred restaurants in France and England. He is also a renowned author and expert on the foods of the Pacific Northwest. Bill’s unique specialty is wild foods from the forest, fields and oceans. Many people have visited the farm and our goal is to leave them with knowledge, good nourishment and a little happiness.

Magnetic North Cuisine is Bill’s consulting side. Over the past 20 years, projects have include sustainable business development, community economic development and local food business start-up.

Media Highlights:

“Chef, cookbook author (this year’s Deerholme Vegetable Cookbook being the most recent of his 12 titles), and longtime Vancouver magazine Restaurant Awards judge Bill Jones was a pioneer when he opened the agrarian mecca that is Deerholme Farm over a decade ago. Now, he’s a local legend. If one of his famous themed farm-to-table dinners is on, drop everything and go—it’s likely to be the best meal in the province that night. Local food with foraged wild fare and global technique make for revelatory plates like Chanterelle and prawn toast with hazelnut sate sauce.” Vancouver Magazine

“… Jones is passionate about the island and seems to know his environment’s every plant, history and anecdote. His enthusiasm and erudition are obvious in the cooking at Deerholme Farm. A recent meal, for example was an interpretation of a potlatch, the traditional feast of the indigenous peoples. … Full of flavours, it was a surprising meal, but then, this area is full of surprises.” Gourmet Magazine

Bill’s recipe for planked salmon from the Gourmet article (via epicurious)

” There’s no doubt that this is one of the best entries into the burgeoning Cowichan Valley food community – a chance to taste the finest local food in the land, along with some fascinating company. It’s a magical little place – and it’s not just the mushrooms.”      The Globe and Mail

“… if Bill Jones is hosting one of his monthly themed dinners, book ahead at Deerholme Farm. Jones, a supremely talented chef, is also a passionate forager, and wild mushrooms are often the highlight of his tasting menus, served in his cozy farmhouse. Working with a single sous-chef, Jones puts a French and Asian spin on farm-to-table cooking: a recent meal included a Chinese-style duck with hoisin sauce made from Deerholme’s own squash, and a hen-and-egg dumpling soup infused with fresh ginseng and wasabi from the garden.” Travel and Leisure

……

Please explore the site and get back to us with any questions. Sign up for the newsletter for updates and go to our Facebook farm page to send us some love!

  • Public events are on selected weekends throughout the year.
  • We are open by appointment only

Fill out the form below to contact us: