The foundation of any culture is food. It determines how we live, bringing people together over a common desire to connect with others and share. Food is the expression of the relationships we have with our community, our neighbours, and our environment. Local foods connect us to the seasons and rhythms of nature, which is increasingly important in a modern society inundated with social technology, industrialized food, and a growing sense of isolation. Slow Food is about relationships: the relationship we have with our food, those who grow and harvest it, and our greater community. This is an expression of our relationship with nature, one that strives to create a truly sustainable, localized food system, with everyone sharing in these relationships to access the abundance of their region.

This project comprises intersecting gathering spaces arranged around the heart of the home – the kitchen. The concept is built around the idea that dining is most comfortable in the home of a friend: Cabin Fever shuns the standard fine-dining experience in favour of creating convivial dining experiences in the home of a chef.

After wandering through the forest and past the fire, guests gather in the Foyer to meet one another before their meal, enjoying a hot beverage and canapé. Each dining space provides a distinct experience, centred around the Chef’s Cabin and its intersection with nature: The Fireside Lounge offers views of the forest outside, the river that surrounds it, and the fire beyond. This space forms an extension of the cabin itself and the forest beyond it, a much-needed connection to nature in the depths of winter. The Dining Room offers a more traditional dining experience, providing the chef with an opportunity to play. The long table is an ice bar, where diners embed their cocktails in snow and the chef playfully serves cold foods. Finally, the Chef’s Kitchen and Nook is an informal space where the spectacle of the kitchen is on display. Diners gather around butcher block tables, meet with the chef, and experience the preparation and craft of food.

​

proposal | design competition

​collaborator | Brooke Fader, Wild Mountain Food + Drink