There were several more award wins and achievements in November 2019, in addition to those announced earlier in the month.
Culinary:
Chef Kai Koroll, from BLOCK ONE at 50th Parallel Estate Winery, took home Gold at Great Kitchen Party’s first regional event in Kelowna; he also won the People’s Choice award.
“It’s unbelievable. I’ve been pinching myself all night being in the room with all these amazing Chefs, and then what happened, happened! I can’t even explain the feeling, it’s just incredible,” said Chef Kai.
The regional win means that Chef Kai will represent Kelowna at the Canadian Culinary Championships, which are being held in Ottawa, Ontario, in 2020.
Seven area chefs competed at the Kelowna event, with Silver being awarded to Chef Andrea Callan (Red Fox Club at Indigenous World Winery) and Bronze being awarded to Chef Chris Braun (RauDZ Regional Table).
Major Events:
The Tim Hortons Brier™ will make its way to Kelowna in March 2021. The sought-after event was awarded through a lengthy bid process, with Curling Canada announcing Kelowna's win on November 21.
Tourism:
On November 20, Big White Ski Resort won the Pursuit Attraction and Adventure Award at the 2019 Canadian Tourism Awards, presented annually by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC). The award is presented annually to “an organization that provides outstanding outdoor adventure tourism experiences” (TIAC website).
"What a thrill to be honoured in the nation's capital in front of the best of the best in the tourism industry and to be recognized for the hard work and effort of our team members," says Michael J. Ballingall, Senior Vice President at Big White Ski Resort Ltd.
Long-time Big White skier, Mike Ruby (left), accepting the 2019 Pursuit Attraction and Adventure Award
On November 28, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) was named the 2019 World’s Responsible Tourism Award winner at the 26th Annual World Travel Awards; this was the second year in a row that TOTA won the award.
The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association team
Wine:
In late November, the team from CedarCreek announced that the winery was selected as Winery of the Year at the 2019 InterVin International Wine Awards.
In the list of Top 15 wineries, the Central Okanagan took home the top three sports, with 50th Parallel Estate Winery and Mission Hill Family Estate taking the second and third spots, respectively.
Congratulations to all the winners! Please share your award wins or notable achievements by emailing me at melissa@tourismkelowna.com.
