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Jane's Farmhouse "Take Home" |
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2005-12- by Susan McIver -
Jane Kazakoff's love of cooking combined with her entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish Jane's Farmhouse "Take Home" Cooking and Garden Produce, 158 Highway 97 in Kaleden.
The Farmhouse that opened for business on September 8th is located in an authentic old farmhouse on the 5-acres Kazakoff owns with her husband, Errol Semancik. "It was old in 1948 according to a neighbour," said Kazakoff, who lives with Semancik in a modern house behind the old farmhouse.
Russian food enthusiasts will especially enjoy the dishes at Jane's Farmhouse. Borscht, both the Grand Forks style with sweet cream and the beet type served with a dollop of sour cream, is featured. There are also vegetarian cabbage rolls and perogies filled with potato and cheddar cheese or onion. Perogies with sauerkraut or cottage cheese can be special ordered. "I use family recipes I learned from my mother and she in turn learned them from her mother," said Kazakoff, who grew up in the Kootenays.
She also offers meat or vegetarian lasagne and calzones which she learned to cook because of her husband's fondness for Italian food. Meat calzones are a favourite with the grandchildren because they remind the children of pizza pops. "But my dough is much tastier," she said.
All food items available at Jane's Farmhouse are pre-cooked and everything except baked goods is frozen.
Homemade cookies, peanut butter, chocolate chip and sugar ginger snaps, are on-hand at all times. "Many of my customers are seniors and busy working people who like the convenience of pre-cooked food," Kazakoff said.
Eventually, she wants to offer the savoury Russian favourite of pirahi dough, a raised dough, filled with beets, cottage cheese or sauerkraut. During the holiday season, customers will be able to enjoy Jane's shortbread, mince and butter tarts and rum balls. "I will be making Christmas cakes by special order using my aunt's recipe which calls for lots of fruit, nuts and rum," Kazakoff said.
She and Semancik grow many of the vegetables that go into the prepared dishes and are for sale in-season at Jane's Farmhouse. In coming years, they want to increase the variety of vegetables they grow and become better gardeners. "We're learning as we go about growing vegetables," said Kazakoff, a retired barber who ran the Red Parlour Men's Hair Styling salon in Langley for many years.
Semancik was a mechanic for B.C. Hydro before moving to the Okanagan. "We moved here to get away from the crowds and rain….and slugs," Kazakoff explained. The couple had visited Semancik's mother who lives in Penticton for many years so were familiar with the area before purchasing their property.
Although Jane's Farmhouse has opened only recently, Kazakoff's food has been available to local residents for the past two years. This summer, she was a vendor at the Naramata Community Market and the previous summer she sold at the Penticton Farmers' Market. "I used to drive to Grand Forks to buy borscht like that but now I can get it here," a market customer told Kazakoff. Repeat customers account for a significant portion of Kazakoff's sales.
Be prepared for lots of work is her advice to anyone thinking of undertaking a similar venture. "My reward is when people say how good the food is," she said.
Jane's Farmhouse is open Thursday through Saturday from 11:00am to 6:00pm. Orders can be placed at any time by calling 497-1939 or 497-7894. |
