How Chef Kevin Cooks up a New Menu
At The Flealess Hound Pub, we love keeping things fresh — literally. This week, we rolled out our new Fall & Winter Menu. This is my first opportunity here at the Hound to show you a menu I’ve created, offering the best seasonal ingredients and inventive takes on classic pub favourites. I thought some of you might be interested in the process of coming up with a menu from scratch, so here it is!
Here’s our new BBQ Smoked Pulled Pork on a Bun - house-smoked pork shoulder, house-made BBQ sauce, creamy lemon slaw, and crispy onions.
Step 1: Planning the Menu
Planning a new menu isn’t just about writing down recipes — it’s about listening. We look at what our guests have been loving, what’s been flying off the pass, and what new flavours fit the season. For fall and winter, that means rich, warming ingredients, cozy plates, and a few unexpected twists.
You’ll see that in dishes like our Half Chicken, served with creamy mashed potatoes, peas, and a punchy cilantro–jalapeño sauce. Or our Wavy Potato Chips, layered with house-made cheese sauce and a nacho blend that’s already becoming a staff favourite. Each new addition is designed to feel both familiar and fresh — the kind of food that warms you up when the Okanagan chill sets in.
Step 2: Costing and Balancing
Behind every dish, there’s a bit of math (and maybe a few late nights). We cost every plate carefully — from the stock simmering on the stove to the local produce coming in from nearby farms. It’s all about finding that balance between quality and value, so you get the best ingredients without us having to charge an arm and a leg… or paw.
Regular review and adjustment help us keep things fair, for both our guests and our kitchen. The goal is great food, great value, and happy guests.
Step 3: Designing the Menu
Once the dishes are set, we turn our attention to how the menu feels. We want it to reflect The Flealess Hound’s spirit: a welcoming pub with a bit of polish. Our menu design keeps things simple and easy to navigate, with clear sections and a layout that lets every dish shine.
Step 4: Training the Pack
A new menu means new flavours for everyone to get to know — including our team. That’s why we actually closed the Pub for a full day this week to host our menu training and tasting session. Every member of the pack got to sample the new dishes (tough job, we know) and learn about ingredients, prep, and pairings.
There’s nothing quite like seeing our team talk about food they’re genuinely excited about. When they explain the flavours of the new Lancashire Hot Pot or the Banoffee dessert, they’re speaking from experience — and hopefully still dreaming about their favourite bites.
Step 5: Launch and Feedback
Launch week is always a buzz. The kitchen’s humming, the first plates are hitting tables, and I’m watching guests’ reactions like a proud parent. When someone takes a bite, smiles, and immediately passes their fork across the table — that’s the best kind of feedback.
We’ll be listening closely over the next few weeks and tweaking where needed. Your thoughts help shape our menu more than you might realize, so don’t be shy about telling us what you love (or what you’d love to see next).
Step 6: Keeping It Fresh
A menu isn’t a “set it and forget it” thing — it’s alive. We’ll keep an eye on what dishes become instant classics, what deserves a little extra spotlight, and where we can add seasonal twists as the months go on. Specials and limited-time features will help keep things interesting, even once the full menu settles in.
Come Try the New Fall & Winter Menu
Creating a new menu is a true team effort — from the chefs in the kitchen to the servers out front, and even you, our guests, who inspire us every day. We can’t wait for you to taste what we’ve been working on.
So come by, grab your favourite pint, and dig into our new Fall & Winter Menu. And tell me what you think!
