Forest + Ocean + Farm to Table
Deerholme Farm has delighted food lovers since its inception in 2005. In that time we’ve offered monthly dinners, cooking classes and seasonal foraging workshops. We feature food from the Cowichan Valley and cook modern Vancouver Island cuisine.
New events are posted throughout the year. Click on the menu tabs above for more info and details. Sign up for our newsletter to get updates delivered to your inbox.
We are open by appointment only to the select events listed below. To book or get questions answered give us an email via the contact form (at the bottom of this page) This is much better than phoning us (trust me)!
We look forward to welcoming you to the farm.
Gift Certificates Available
Public and Private events:
Public events are listed below. Private event bookings are available for dinners, cooking classes and foraging events. There is a minimum of: – 10 people for private dinners with a custom menu. – 6 people for a private cooking class or forage.
We excel in taking the food habits of the group into consideration and creating unique food tailored to you.
More info on booking private events .
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2026 Offerings
Book by sending us a note via the contact form at the bottom of the page:
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Farm Dinners ($125/person unless noted) : (menu details here)
2026
Spring Wild Foods dinner – April 25 (sold out)
Morel Dinner – May 16th (sold out)
BBQ Dinner – June 20th
Salmon Dinner – July 19th
Asian Vegetable Dinner – August 15th
French Mushroom Dinner – September 26th
Italian Mushroom Dinner – October 17th
Spanish Pine Mushroom Dinner – November 21st
Deerholme Truffle Dinner I ($150/person) – December 12th
Deerholme Truffle Dinner II ($150/person) – December 19th
Spring Wild Food Foraging
Wild Food Foraging Weekend II – May 2-3 ($250/person)
Fall Wild Food Workshops: (details here)
Fall 2026 dates are released in June
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Cooking Classes 2026 ($150/person) : (details here)
2026 (all classes 12 noon – 4 pm) $150/person
Note: Spring wild foods cooking classes are reserved for our forage weekend students
April 12 Wild foods (Sunday) sold out
May 3 Wild foods (Sunday)
May 9 Morel mushrooms
June 13 Grilling master class
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Local accommodation is available through B&B’s
Bill Jones is the owner / chef who has an amazing array of experiences behind him. Bill has cooked in Michelin-starred restaurants in France and England. He is also a renowned author and expert on the foods of the Pacific Northwest. Bill’s unique specialty is wild foods from the forest, fields and oceans.
Many people have visited the farm and our goal is to leave them with knowledge, good nourishment and a little happiness.
Magnetic North Cuisine is Bill’s consulting side. Over the past 30 years, projects have focused on ethical and local food and beverage topics.
Media Highlights:
“Chef, cookbook author (this year’s Deerholme Vegetable Cookbook being the most recent of his 12 titles), and longtime Vancouver magazine Restaurant Awards judge Bill Jones was a pioneer when he opened the agrarian mecca that is Deerholme Farm over a decade ago. Now, he’s a local legend. If one of his famous themed farm-to-table dinners is on, drop everything and go—it’s likely to be the best meal in the province that night. Local food with foraged wild fare and global technique make for revelatory plates like Chanterelle and prawn toast with hazelnut sate sauce.” Vancouver Magazine
“… Jones is passionate about the island and seems to know his environment’s every plant, history and anecdote. His enthusiasm and erudition are obvious in the cooking at Deerholme Farm. A recent meal, for example was an interpretation of a potlatch, the traditional feast of the indigenous peoples. … Full of flavours, it was a surprising meal, but then, this area is full of surprises.” Gourmet Magazine
Bill’s recipe for planked salmon from the Gourmet article (via epicurious)
” There’s no doubt that this is one of the best entries into the burgeoning Cowichan Valley food community – a chance to taste the finest local food in the land, along with some fascinating company. It’s a magical little place – and it’s not just the mushrooms.” The Globe and Mail
“… if Bill Jones is hosting one of his monthly themed dinners, book ahead at Deerholme Farm. Jones, a supremely talented chef, is also a passionate forager, and wild mushrooms are often the highlight of his tasting menus, served in his cozy farmhouse. Working with a single sous-chef, Jones puts a French and Asian spin on farm-to-table cooking: a recent meal included a Chinese-style duck with hoisin sauce made from Deerholme’s own squash, and a hen-and-egg dumpling soup infused with fresh ginseng and wasabi from the garden.” Travel and Leisure
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Please explore the site and get back to us with any questions. Sign up for the newsletter for updates and go to our Facebook farm page to send us some love!
- Public events are on selected weekends throughout the year.
- We are open by appointment only
Fill out the form below to contact us:
