A wood-burning stove with a large open hearth at a new restaurant in Cawston is so unique the owners are calling it the joint’s “beating heart.”
That’s according to Anna-Marie Klippenstein, the co-owner of Klippers Organics, Untangled Craft Cider and now, Row Fourteen.
“Cooking on an open fire, there is nothing quite like it,” she said. “There’s not anything like it in this valley, let alone Canada. It’s something that is unique and can put Cawston on the map.”
Row Fourteen is a new organic farm-to-table restaurant at 725 MacKenzie Road now serving lunch and dinner. It quietly opened its doors Aug. 2 and served dinner over the long weekend.
Klippenstein said the place was packed for its opening weekend.
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“We had an overwhelming amount of compliments on our cider as well as the food,” she said.
Klippers Organics sells to several restaurants in Vancouver that use grill work systems to cook food, she explained. It saw the difference it made in how food tastes and its overall quality, and wanted to open a restaurant with an open fire stove in Cawston.
So Klippenstein, her husband, Kevin, and partner Derek Gray, the restaurant’s chef, did some research and found the perfect model in the Napa Valley in California.
“We saw it and we’re like, ‘We must have that!’ It is one of those things that people will come out and see — it’s worth coming out and seeing,” she said.
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She said while customers wait for their food, they can watch it cooking on the open hearth. Diners can also enjoy a fresh “fruit-forward” cider from the new cidery, Untangled Craft Cider, which opened in June.
“We take produce that is surrounded by us on Klippers Organics and cook it simply,” explained Gray. “The wood fire creates a beautiful flavour and robust textures.”
The restaurant aims to showcase Canada, so it uses olive oil from Salt Spring Island and balsamic vinegar from Vancouver Island, for example. It also gets its eggs and meats from local farmers in the valley.
When people come in to eat, it will be different from what they are used to from this area said Gray.
“We want to bring that feel of Vancouver here to Cawston, to Keremeos and the Similkameen Valley in general. The region has some of the best produce in B.C., hands down, and we want to make sure we can showcase that with great techniques, beautiful atmosphere and great service.”
To eat at Row Fourteen, reservations can be made online. The owners plan to hold an official grand opening at a later date.
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