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An Orcas Island Dining Experience

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By Tobin Meyer
Contributing Editor

December 29, 2015

IMG_3485I came to the San Juan Islands for the first time as a boy. This was an experience I will never forget.  The first ferry ride on the big green and white Washington State Ferries through narrow ocean passages was a magical experience of transformation from city dweller to explorer.

Though I am older now, that experience of the city fading away as my ocean voyage begins never changes. It is a virtual cleansing, a time of disconnecting with my digital devices and reconnecting with my family and friends.  I have kids of my own now and for the first time last summer I got to see them go through that transformation.  Legos, iPads, and video games replaced with beach combing, bike rides, and hikes through magical Madrona trees.

Nestled among all of this amazing scenery, that exists no where else in the world, is the small town of Olga on Orcas Island.  It is in Olga where you will find Chef Juliana Capdeville working away on her organic gardens, trading and bartering for local seafood, and cooking meals that fill the air with aromas of foods found only in this unique part of the world including fresh Dungeness crab, Sokeye salmon, clams, oysters, and more!  Just as you would go to Maine for a lobster experience you would go to Juliana’s kitchen for a Pacific Northwest dining experience at Orcas Culinary Retreat.

Orcas Island Culinary Retreat
Chef Juliana Capdeville

Chef Juliana has been providing catering services to Orcas Island for years.  In addition to catering, private chef services, and cooking classes, Juliana has also put together a dining experience for tourists and locals to Orcas Island who love to eat local, fresh, organic food.  Your day will start with an adventure in harvesting local produce, seafood, and more from Orcas Island.  You will meet local produce vendors, see local markets, and meet the hard working Puget Sound fishermen at the docks of Orcas Island.  From this bounty, Chef Juliana will prepare an amazing dining experience from a menu you have helped select to fit your taste buds and diet.   Vegans, vegetarians, glutten free diets are Chef Juliana’s specialty and she will find a menu to fit your dining experience needs!

So come one and come all to this amazing, magical, cleansing place of true serenity.  Come to a place that takes you a world away from the hustle and the bustle of the city.  Come to Orcas Island and have an Orcas Culinary Retreat.

Start your retreat today by visiting orcasculinaryretreat.com!

Orcas Island Catering

Orcas Culinary Retreat

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Orcas Culinary Retreat is located on five acres in Olga Washington on a gentle southwest facing slope that overlooks Buck Bay and the Lopez Island ferry landing. We are a family owned operation growing and changing every year. At Orcas Culinary Retreat there are two established gardens where fresh produce is harvested as Mother Nature allows. The primary plantings are strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, supplemented by a host of garden greens and seasonal vegetables. We are devoted to renewing the agriculture that was once quite dominant in the San Juan’s. Strawberries were commercially grown on Orcas Island in the early 1900′s. Our soil is ideal for berry growth and who doesn’t enjoy a sweet juicy berry plucked fresh from the vine?

While the harvest in the garden is weather dependent, the kitchen is in full-swing all year. At Orcas Culinary Retreat it is our desire that each individual has a relaxed, satisfying experience. We invite you to attend a regularly scheduled workshop, book a private group session or call on us for individual assistance in the kitchen. We are here to accommodate your  pursuit of the perfect culinary vision.

About Juliana Capdeville:

Orcas Island CateringMy family moved to Orcas Island, Washington in 1970. The family business was a small bakery and cafe (Doty’s A-1 Cafe and Bakery), located in the heart of downtown Eastsound. A place where everything was made from scratch; the bun that held your hamburger, the pancake batter and syrup, and a raised donut that put all others to shame. Daily soups and an extensive menu were always on tap there.

My Father is a Master baker, who at 79, still works on perfecting his craft through creative experimentation. He has taught me the finer nuances of baking and the importance of attention to detail. My Mother worked the cafe side of the business. That is where I gained an understanding about efficiency and the bottom line. Some of my best dishes are born from putting together odds and ends.

The Orcas Island community is full of kind and supportive people who have nurtured me most of my life. I would like to give some of that small town hospitality to you. I will plant the seeds, water the garden, shop for those special ingredients, then work with you to turn all of it in to the best dish possible for your special event, vacation dinner or as part one of our culinary workshops.