Calgary and Canmore chefs redefine backcountry cuisine

For many, the après part of a day of skiing, snowshoeing or hiking holds the most appeal — gathering around a crackling fire to nibble on crackers and cheese, and sip wine, local beer or hot chocolate while wearing woolly socks with ruddy cheeked friends.

This is what it's like every afternoon at Mount Engadine Lodge, a remote but not-too-remote, quintessentially Canadian backcountry lodge that doesn't require backpacking in — you can drive right up to the door.

Located in Spray Valley Provincial Park in Kananaskis country, about half an hour south of Canmore, Mount Engadine Lodge has only nine rooms between the main lodge and cabins, all fitted with luxurious linens but no electronics — no TV, phone or computer plug-ins — and a maximum capacity of 19 guests per night.

• Alternate Root aims to shrink food waste in the home
• Beakerhead's Engineered Eats delves into science of dairy

With two stone fireplaces, sitting areas and shelves of books and games, they maintain the atmosphere of a cozy retreat, encouraging guests to unwind, unplug, connect with each other and enjoy the great outdoors. (They do have WiFi — the password: goplayoutside.)

When seeking out remote trails, there are often few dining options around — ditto if you've chosen to stay at a small lodge off the beaten path. The lodge is open to hungry hikers in the area, and if you book a room at the lodge, the meals are included — not only dinner prepared by chef Gerard Garnier, who left a catering gig in Canmore to cook at the lodge two years ago, but also afternoon tea Mount Engadine-style.

That includes not tiers of finger sandwiches, but a charcuterie board loaded with cured local meats alongside freshly baked cookies and loaves as well as coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The wine and beer menu is available as well, and they have a great list of local brews. 

Dinner is focused on local, organic, indigenous ingredients, and in the morning the friendly staff are there to make you a hot breakfast while you pour a coffee, serve yourself some fruit, muesli and muffins and choose what you'd like in your bagged lunch, including a sandwich made on house-baked bread, which is packed in paper bags and set on the bar, ready to go when you are.

This fall, they're launching a chef series, inviting other Alberta chefs to the Lodge to collaborate on a Saturday night dinner about once a month. The first to join chef Garner for some high-altitude cooking was chef Brett McDermott, who does catering, grab-and-go meals and prepared foods at Our Daily Brett, the retail market he opened on 14th Street southwest two years ago.

There's the option to book dinner even if you're not staying at the lodge, but guests were thrilled to be there on the first weekend, cheering and toasting the chefs after four courses that included elk tartare, foraged mushrooms and sea buckthorn granita, all served family-style (with wine pairings) to tables of visitors from as close as Calgary and as far away as Holland.

With wrap-around windows in the dining area, panoramic views to the south, west and north included a winding river through a wide meadow with a Rocky Mountain backdrop and the occasional moose providing a Canadiana photo op. Over breakfast on Sunday, guests were hugging and exchanging email addresses, having made new friends over a weekend in surroundings ideal for relaxing and reconnecting.

Their next guest chef has not been announced yet, but the lodge is now open year-round, and remains a hidden gem — worth the drive when you're after some outdoor time and Canadian backcountry food by a crackling fire, without the crowds and restaurant lineups.

Reservations for dinner can be made with 24 hours notice — visit the Mount Engadine website or call (403) 678-4080 to book.

• MORE CALGARY NEWS | 105-year-old Ramsay house moved while basement restored, moved back
• MORE CALGARY NEWS | Why some businesses favour raising the minimum wage