You’d be forgiven for thinking the array of locally sourced foods is limited here in the Okanagan. After all, the valley is on the upper edge of the Sonoran Desert. But one of the Okanagan’s most celebrated restaurants, The Vanilla Pod, inside Naramata’s Poplar Grove Winery, offers its guests a spectrum of local foods more diverse than one might expect.
From meals like Wagyu Beef, to the core accoutrements like heirloom tomatoes, The Vanilla Pod’s menu, prepared by the accomplished Chef Bruno, follows the seasons, focussing on farm-to-table produce and Ocean Wise fishing practices.
To get a true sense of just how diverse the local farm scene is here, The Vanilla Pod invites patrons to come by during the Spring Wine Fest to enjoy a five-course, wine-paired meal, available every evening May 4-13. Be sure to try The Vanilla Pod Barrel Select, a Meritage-blend made especially for The Vanilla Pod by Poplar Grove’s winemaker Stefan Arnason.
Reservations can already be made by calling the restaurant at (250) 493-9463 or at thevanillapod.ca.
~ Blake Allen