Our Blog
Celebrating our Volunteers + Community SupportersVolunteer profiles, sponsor shout-outs, news, and so much more!
September is Corn Month
Sweet corn is a staple of summertime food - it's often part of a BBQ or picnic. Corn is a vegetable, fruit and a grain. Corn is a starchy vegetablesimilar to potatoes, but its kernels are considered...
August is Peach Month
The Okanagan is renowned for its sweet, succulent, summer peaches. We even have a town named Peachland! Nothing says "summer" better than the juice of a fresh peach running down your chin. This...
July is Cherry Month
Did you know that 95% of the cherries grown in Canada are grown here here in the Okanagan Valley? Cherries require a very particular climate to thrive and the dry, temperate regions of the Okanagan...
June is Strawberry Month
Is there anything better than biting into a freshly picked strawberry? We could eat them like candy. Strawberries are the MVP of the Vitamin C game. Eight strawberries have the same amount of...
May is all about Bees & Honey
May was all about bees and honey. Did you know that the average honey bee can visit more than 2,000 flowers in one day? As they move from flower to flower in search of nectar, they leave behind...
April is Carrot Month
We kicked off April with International Carrot Day on April 4 and celebrated this versatile vegetable all month long! Carrots boast plenty of health benefits for kids due to their high vitamin, fiber...
Our virtual lessons return for 2022
April 12 marked the virtual return of Chefs in the Classroom into the classroom. After the very successful launch of our virtual program last year we took some time to review all of the feedback...
March is Potato Month
March was all about the potato. They're nutritious, packed with flavour and come in a rainbow of colours like red, orange, gold, white and deep blue. The nugget potato is unique to British Columbia...
Meet Tori Wesszer, Dietician
My name is Tori and I am a mom of two, best-selling cookbook co-author of Fraiche Food, Full Hearts, blogger behind FraicheLiving.com and registered dietician living in the beautiful Okanagan...
February is Apple Month
All month long we have been celebrating the Apple. The Okanagan is well known for growing delicious apples. Did you know that there are more than 8,000 varieties of apples? Some sweet, some tart,...
Chefs in the Classroom – Success!
Thanks to the tremendous support that you, and our sponsors provided, we were able to create a virtual Chefs in the Classroom program by producing videos for each of our lesson plans. Even in a...
Meet Bonnie Casavant, Gardener
My name is Bonnie. I've lived in Kelowna for 15 years. I have a certificate in Horticulture and Landscape Design from Okanagan College, and I own a landscape company called Everything Green.What...
Meet Adam Shannon, Chef
Chef Adam Shannon is Head Chef at Cactus Club Café. Born and raised in Kelowna, he returned to the Okanagan after spending 15 years in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.
We did it!
We did it! Our virtual Chefs in the Classroom program went live this morning.
Meet Liam McNaulty, Chef & Gardener
Liam McNaulty volunteers with our school in Summerland. He works at Brodo Kitchen + Catering in Penticton. He has been with Brodo for 5 years and Restaurant Chef for the past 2...
2019 Recap
As we prepare to enter our fifth year of Chefs in the Classroom, we look back at our 2019 success. Through the efforts of over 70 volunteers, the Chefs in the Classroom (CIC) program in Spring 2019...
Meet Liam Coulombe, a culinary rockstar in training
Liam Coulombe is “working towards chefdom” and chose the restaurant industry as his career path because of the community, the memories it creates, and the technicality and creativity of the trade....
Global News visits Chefs in the Classroom!
We recently welcomed Shay Galor from Global News to join us in the classroom at Belgo Elementary School. Shay donned her chef's hat to learn more about Chefs in the Classroom - edible education, and...
Meet locally-grown chef Brett Thompson
Brett Thompson grew up in the Okanagan and started his cooking career at some Kelowna-area golf courses, including an apprenticeship under Jim Armstrong at Harvest Golf Club. Brett graduated at the...
Meet Manuella Farnsworth, realtor and Chefs in the Classroom volunteer
Based in the Central Okanagan, Manuella Farnsworth is a realtor specializing in vineyards and wineries. She has lived in the Valley for over 25 years, and formerly resided at the picturesque,...
Meet Pastry Chef Tina Tang, role model extraordinaire for young cooks
Tina Tang is the talented Pastry Chef at Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon. Originally from Vancouver Island, she moved to the Okanagan 6 years ago. An active member of the Okanagan Chefs Association and a current Culinary Team British Columbia team member for the IKA Culinary Olympics.
Meet Chef Willi Franz, 2011 Canadian Chef of the Year
Born in Germany to parents who owned a country inn, Willi was introduced to cooking at a very young age. He started his cooking apprenticeship in September of 1965 and continued it until August of...
Meet Chef Bernard Casavant, ‘local’ leader and culinary legend
Chef Bernard Casavant is one of our valued volunteers working ‘behind the scenes’ as part of our committee, helping to guide the program. Based in Kelowna, Chef Bernard been an important part of our...
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