Entertaining

Easy Entertaining: Throw a Backyard Dinner Party

Artist Bobbie Burgers is the master of easy outdoor entertaining. Let her effortless alfresco dinner party inspire your own.

By Neal McLennan /

Artist Bobbie Burgers is the master of easy outdoor entertaining. Let her effortless alfresco dinner party inspire your own.

For painter Bobbie Burgers, the draw of the Okanagan Valley is clear: it has the climate of the South of France, but it’s a whole lot closer to her West Vancouver home. But it wasn’t just the temperature that caused Burgers and husband, Billy Wishloff, to purchase this house and 3.5-acre cherry orchard over a decade ago—it was a place where her family could retreat for some quality time, where she could get inspiration for her vibrant canvasses. And, most importantly, it was a spot where friends could come and go all summer for the relaxed, casual-chic brand of entertaining that the couple practices.

For long, long-term fans of this magazine, the house will seem familiar—its simple, stylish lines graced our cover in the mid-1950s. Burgers has overseen many updates since she bought the property over a decade ago, none more important than the outdoor kitchen and dining area that her architect brother, Cedric (Western Living Designer of the Year in 2013), envisioned for her a few seasons back. The furniture contained therein was designed and made by Wishloff—hassle-free functionality as expressed through clean lines. The space isn’t overly elaborate, but it serves as the base for the family to gather with some fresh-cut herbs, just-pulled-from-the-garden vegetables and plucked-from-the-tree fruit, and whip off the effortless meals the rest of us aspire to. It has a beautifully minimal vibe and is perhaps the perfect summer entertaining space: one part good friends, one part perfect evening, with liberal dashes of local wine and provisions thrown in for good measure.

Long. Live. Summer.

The Menu: Casual and Fresh

Easy AppetizersTomato BruschettaArugula Pesto on crostiniCherry and Rosemary Preserves with goat cheeseThe Main CourseFresh-Off-The-Tree Grilled Peach SaladEasy Venison Tenderloin with Apricot ChutneyDessertRicotta Fritters

Inspiration Gallery: Easy-Going Afternoon Soiree

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan

Neal McLennan is the wine and spirits editor for Vancouver and Western Living magazines, where he susses out the wonderful (and occasionally weird) options for imbibing across Western Canada.