Getaways
The Unknown Okanagan
By Rosemary Poole published Jun 1, 2008
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Sure, there are the wineries—84 at last count—and the restaurants that thrive on local produce and meats and artisanal cheeses. We went looking instead for the places the locals are wise to, like where to source the best raspberries, the rarest books, and the freshest baguettes. As a recent Vancouver transplant to the area put it: “There’s always one place in a small town that really captures the sense of the place.” With the help of a celebrity chef, a tour guide, a broadcaster, and a Hollywood actor turned oenophile, we uncovered a couple dozen of them.
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Meet Your Guides...
JASON PRIESTLEY
Best known as Brandon Walsh in the long-running TV series Beverly Hills 90210, the Vancouver-born actor and director has long been a wine enthusiast. Earlier this year Priestley bought a stake in Black Watch, a Naramata winery.
PATTI OGDEN
An Okanagan tour operator for 10 years, Ogden says the bulk of her business involves organizing sophisticated itineraries for corporate retreats and, just recently, Costco members.
NED BELL
The 34-year-old chef/TV host has deep roots in the Okanagan Valley; of his new Kelowna room, the Cabana Bar and Grille, he says: “The Okanagan is going to be the most exciting place to cook in the next five to 10 years.”
TERRY DAVID MULLIGAN
Broadcasting vet Terry David Mulligan and his wife, Meg, moved to the Naramata Bench last July. Mulligan now hosts a weekly radio show from a studio he fashioned from an old horse stall in his barn.
Now buckle up. Okanagan, here we come...
