With construction of the Okanagan College Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism progressing on-budget and on-schedule, planning is underway for an exciting new student-led restaurant and café that will open inside the Kelowna facility in Fall 2027.
OC student Connor Hussey working in the Culinary department.
Okanagan College is working with Ned Bell, a prominent B.C. chef and advocate for sustainable food systems, to create a new vision and implementation plan for an eatery on the Kelowna campus that will be open to students and the public.
Culinary students will participate in restaurant operations and activities such as designing menus and preparing food. OC Chef Ruth Wigman, as well as members of the College's Culinary and Pastry Arts department and other prominent local and provincial chefs are also engaged in the creative planning process.
"The Okanagan is truly a unique place to be able to work as a chef, because of its connections to agriculture, local food and beverages and with a tremendous number of established and renowned chefs working in the region," said Bell, who among other career highlights, transformed the historic Naramata Inn into a top tier destination for hyper-local Okanagan cuisine. "I'm looking forward to helping to create a unique training experience for students and a gathering place in this wonderful location at the Kelowna campus."
To prepare for the transition into the new building, the current restaurant, Infusions, is closing its doors. The pause is allowing OC to focus on the new restaurant, which will include both sit-down service and a café, as well as new menus focused on Okanagan cuisine.
"I want to thank the Infusions staff for their dedication to our students over the years and our customers, who supported our students by coming to eat at Infusions. The legacy of Infusions is that it provided an excellent dining experience to members of the community and allowed our students to get hands-on learning in a real restaurant. We look forward to opening our new restaurant and welcoming the public back to our campus in Fall 2027," said Dean Joe Baker at the OC School of Business.
While students won't be working in an OC restaurant until the Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism opens, for the next 18 months they will be placed each week in local restaurants, earning valuable work experience from a host of talented chefs across the Okanagan. When the new restaurant opens, they will once again be able to have that hands-on-learning on campus.
Construction began on the Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism in 2025 and the project will include modern teaching spaces, food labs and common spaces. The project budget is $61.3 million. The College received $55.8 million from the Province of B.C. The balance will come from a $10-million community fundraising campaign led by Okanagan College Foundation, which will also support the development of innovative new programming across culinary arts, beverage and tourism, as well as student awards and supports.
