The United Nations has officially recognized Kelowna, B.C., as a terrific place to eat and drink.
The picturesque lakeside city in Okanagan Valley has been designated a Creative City of Gastronomy by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
It’s the first city in Canada to earn that moniker.
“We have a rich agricultural base, lots of orchards, vineyards, farms, wineries, craft beverages — you know, all the four seasons,” Robert Louie, chief of the Westbank First Nation, which borders Kelowna, told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal.
“It’s just a beautiful place to live, so why not have some of the best foods and tastes that will be recognized worldwide?”
Westbank First Nation collaborated with the City of Kelowna, Okanagan College and various food industry partners to apply for the UNESCO title.
While Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley are well-known for their lush wineries, orchards and swanky restaurants, Louie there’s an important traditional component to the city’s culinary landscape as well.
“I’m Indigenous, so I’m partial to a lot of our foods, traditional foods,” he said. “And by that I mean the wild games, venison and the moose, the elk and the berries.”
Kelowna, he says, is located within the traditional territory of the Syilx people, whose stewardship of the land is key to preserving food culture.
“We cannot pollute the waters, and we cannot pollute the land,” he said.
“When you have good food and good drinks that are produced from the land, you’ve got to have an environment that’s sound, that everyone looks after and takes special care for.”
He points to the return of sockeye salmon to Okanagan Lake and its tributaries as an example.
For decades, a dam at the mouth of the lake blocked their passage, but a new fishway built by the Syilx Okanagan Nation now lets the salmon complete their historic migration.
“This is something that we used to survive on, is the fish, the salmon runs,” Louie said, noting that Indigenous fisheries will now open again. “This is something that will really be seen as a good, positive thing.”
Salmon Warriors restore spawning grounds as sockeye return to Okanagan
Creative City of Gastronomy is a category of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN), created in 2004 to “support cities that leverage culture and creativity as drivers of development.”
Kelowna joins four other Canadian cities in the network — Montreal, a Creative City of Design since 2006; Quebec City, a Creative City of Literature since 2017; Toronto, a Creative City of Media Arts since 2017; and London, Ont., a Creative City of Music since 2021.
“This recognition confirms what those in the Okanagan Valley have known for decades — Kelowna is a world-class centre for agriculture, culinary arts, and beverages,” Mayor Tom Dyas said in a written statement.
“These industries boost our vibrant local scene, strengthen our economy, and inspire others across the country.”
And the Okanagan, Louie says, needs its economy strengthened after several summers of devastating wildfires and a recent drought.
“We’ve had some unlucky years, and we need a boost,” he said.
“And the boost is really the beauty of what we have. We’ve got the Okanagan Lake. We’ve got the mountains surrounding us. We have a beautiful valley. It’s second to none. It’s a beautiful place to live. And I think the world needs to know that.”
