#MeetWilden – Jeremy Luypen

Meet Wilden Resident and Chef Jeremy Luypen.

1. What is your name?

Jeremy Luypen

 

2. Which Wilden neighbourhood do you live in?

Upper Canyon Drive

 

3. What do you do for work and where can we find you online?

I am the Executive Winery Chef and Director of Food and Beverage at Summerhill Pyramid Winery.

You can find me on Instagram @chefjluypen. 

 

4. What is your favourite dish to cook? Do you have a staple or signature dish?

Where to start with this question? Really anything I cook for my family and friends. We love having people over and I love how food and wine can just bring people together. My favourite moments are around the dinner table with no distraction. Just you, your family and friends. It is like going back to a simpler time.

My wife Jessica loves risotto of all kinds, for me, I enjoy making that for her. It’s just the simple way flavours come together in a classically simple dish and with what the Okanagan has to offer from our farmers, it makes for fun creative dishes.

 

5. What are some of your favourite things about living in Wilden?

For me and the family it would be a combination of our backyard, we are on the lower part of Upper Canyon North and our backyard just makes you feel like you are at a cottage in the woods, and our neighbours. We are surrounded by great people, which makes living here so easy 

 

6. What is your secret superpower?

Like some the ability to juggle a very demanding job and still be home to be there for the moments that matter, and then get dinner on the table in a record setting time

 

7. What would be your ideal way to spend the weekend in Wilden, Kelowna or the Okanagan?

My ideal weekend is just time spent doing the simple things with the family; from going to the farmers market to walks in Wilden. Sundays are the best days. My youngest son Asher and I go for breakfast, giving mom the morning to sleep in, have coffee in peace and a moment to herself, for us it is a chance to just go have fun. He is 2 ½ now, which is a great age. In the winter we head to Oak and Cru to have breakfast, then ride the luggage carts around the hotel. In the Summer we go to the Greenway to throw rocks in the creek and head out to the Turtle Pond. Those are our Sunday mornings and I won’t change them. 

 

8. If you were an animal living in Wilden, which one would you be?

I would want to be a Hawk or Eagle. There is something so peaceful about watching them fly around, and so many great views from the tree tops.

 

9. If you could give $1M to charity, which one would you choose?

I think I would want to give this to the School District. Yes, they are a registered charity, and it would have to be for a healthy lunch program. I can not stand the idea of kids going to school hungry and more kids than we think are. Sitting in a classroom with no food in your stomach is not how learning should be done. I am a member of the Okanagan Chefs Association and we have a program called Chefs in the Classroom. We go into grade 3 classrooms and teach kids about food, how to grow it no matter where you live. We make food with them and for them, we give them simple recipes they can make with their families and I am always amazed at the amount of kids that have not tried the simplest things; it is crazy, you would be surprised as to why. Feeding kids and families is a huge passion of mine. The Food Bank would be another place I would want to help out as I think every family should spend time at the food bank volunteering together.   

 

10. If you were to build all over again in Wilden which features would your home have?

We didn’t build we bought in Wilden but if I had built our house I would have built a longer garage at least on one side to be able to fit my truck and tools in. I also would have run gas to our house. We have Geo-thermal and Electricity and would like to have a gas fire place. Other than that I love our house. 

 

11. If you could choose anyone to be your neighbour, who would you choose?

We love our neighbours, but if I could pick anyone, I would want to live next to it would have to be Kevin Hart or Dwayne Johnston. I think either of them would make for some good parties and late-night beers.

 

12. If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?

I would spend it at the gym and prepping food for those that need it. I would also love to develop a zero-waste eating plan for families, to help cut back on what we waste and compost, we need to consume more of the food we buy as then in return we would buy less.