Winning the 2004 Escoffier Cup was a tremendous career boost said former Pickled Onion executive chef Steve Marston.

The Escoffier Cup is awarded during the annual Gourmet Getaway after a gruelling cook-off to determine Bermuda's top chef.

This year Fairmont Southampton chef Sanjay Leeme became the Escoffier Cup winner after four years of trying.

Mr. Marston left Bermuda in 2006 with his wife Chrissie and now lives in Canada.

"Having spent many years conducting cooking demonstrations and competing in several competitions at International Imports the home of Escoffier Cup cook-offs I decided to follow my dreams," said Mr. Marston during a telephone interview. "Over the years Reeve Trott at International Imports and myself became close friends. This in turn inspired me to follow my passion for food and wine." His passion led him to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. The Okanagan valley is a four-hour drive east of Vancouver.

The Marstons discovered the Okanagan Valley almost by accident.

"We were taking an Alaskan cruise," Mr. Marston said. "It was our 10th wedding anniversary. "We were in Vancouver, and since it is a long way from Bermuda to get there we decided to spend an extra 10 days.

"We came inland and planned a looping route. We fell in love with the area." He and his wife now operate a bed and breakfast there in Kelowna Westside called 'A View of The Lake'.

A large part of the bed and breakfast's attraction are cooking demonstrations given by Mr. Marston and his wife.

The area's attractions include a 60-mile long lake and 74 local wineries including the world-renowned Mission Hill and Quails Gate where Mr. Marston has been executive Winery Chef throughout 2006.

The house required extensive renovations to turn it into a bed and breakfast. "All rooms are ensuite," said Mr. Marston. "We went with very contemporary as opposed to lots of flowers and materials." The focal point of the house is the state-of-the-art 550 square-foot demonstration kitchen.

It has stainless steel appliances, double convection ovens with warming drawer a built-in deep fryer and steamer, an eight-burner gas range and grill and refrigerated drawers, to go with the four foot wide fridge.

"I put a lot of thought into this room," said Mr. Marston. "I wanted to ensure that all the guests would see everything I do in the process of preparing the meal. "Each dish is made from scratch, right before your eyes. This is my passion and it's fun to share it with everyone.

"We start the evening either in the guest lounge or on the patio to give people a chance to visit and enjoy the remarkable view." He said renovating the house into a bed and breakfast has bought him and his wife closer together.

"The renovations were extremely challenging because we were living here while they were doing construction and renovations," he said.

"The only sort of arguments we had were about finishing touches afterward, the colour of the walls and that sort of thing." He laughed. "I would come home and she'd have five or six different colours to choose from." Little bits of Bermuda find their way into the menu.

"I have done some Bermudian dishes, but more for breakfasts," he said. "I do things with little twists. I will do Bermuda fishcakes, but instead of doing codfish I will use sockeye salmon." And the Marstons have already hosted guests from Bermuda.

"There are quite a few Bermudians moving here," he said. "We have had three sets of the same family. Two of which have bought property and stayed with us at different times." In addition to running the bed and breakfast he also teaches at Okanagan College.

He said that although running a bed and breakfast has its challenges, the stress is nothing compared to running a restaurant.

"Winning the Escoffier Cup most definitely helped me when I was still in Bermuda," he said. "I was the first winner, but they had a chef of the year running for several years before that. Most chefs I knew who won it benefited from winning it. It is an extremely coveted prize."

And he said he always mentions the fact that he is an Escoffier Cup winner in advertising literature about the bed and breakfast.

"We do miss Bermuda," he said.

"We miss the bonds that you make and the camaraderie that you get between chefs. We do miss some of the climate. It is nice here because it is dry, but we have had a few days where it was minus 25. Having spent such a long time in Bermuda we do miss just being there."

'A View of the Lake' is adult oriented and there are no pets allowed.

"It is not really for children, mainly because of the amount of stairs we have and some of the furnishings," he said. For more information go to the Marstons webpage at www.aviewofthelake.com or e-mail them at info@aviewofthelake.com .