Page 61 - DreamScapes Magazine | Fall/Winter 2025

PHOTOS: ILONA KAUREMSZKY | COURTESY OF TOURISMKELOWNA.COM/SHAWN TALBOT PHOTOGRAPHY
this past spring, I was intrigued. I had to go.
Thankfully, Porter Airlines offers a new non-
stop Kelowna-bound flight in under five
hours, and before you could say “Bon
Appetit” I was there.
This foodie detective started her quest at
the Sncewips Heritage Museum, and was
met by museum docent, Coralee Miller.
Indigenous foodways and flora on display,
Coralee revealed in Syilx Okanagan culture
Four Food Chiefs: skəmxist (Bear), n’tyxtix
(Salmon), spitlem (Bitterroot) and siyaʔ
(Saskatoon) are an integral story of the Syilx
Okanagan people. “They each agreed to give
up a piece of themselves so that humans
would live,” she explained about this mil-
lennia-old belief.
By Paynter’s Fruit Market in West Kelowna,
I uncovered another tradition. The 16-hectare
family farm could be Paynterville as each
hilltop house in this microclimate ridge over-
looking orchards and crops belongs to a
Paynter family member. A prehistoric glacier
bed of deep clay alongside a gurgling stream
of mountain water once fed the earth for a
farmer named Edwin Paynter. In 1919, the
English farmer settled and toiled this land.
“We grow over 100 crops, especially the
ground ones,” grinned staff Caitie Bannow
as she led me on a guided farm tour open to
the public.
And there in a dust storm, atop her shiny
red tractor, emerged Jennay Oliver, a fourth
generation Paynter farmer. She was rotary
tilling fields all morning. “If you arrived later,
my zucchini blossoms could have gone with
you,” she laughed. The delicate flowers were
headed to Old Vines Restaurant at Quails’
Gate, harmoniously dovetailing into my
lunch stop.
Old Vines Restaurant sources locally. So
local, the farm origin is indicated on the
artisan cheeses at this acclaimed winery
restaurant that celebrated the induction of
Executive Chef Roger Sleiman into the BC
Restaurant Hall of Fame earlier this year. A
fixture in these parts, Chef Sleiman has
curated seasonal bounty for 19 of the restau-
rant’s 25 years in operation. Joanna Schlosser,
marketing director at Quails’ Gate, is cele-
brating the winery restaurant’s 25th year with
a fall online order of vineyard honey, in-
house made quince paste, and Fortified
Vintage Foche port-soaked cherries—only my
favourite Okanagan fruits! “UNESCO or not,”
she opines, “we know what we have.”
Next morning we feasted on scrambled
eggs atop peanut butter on toast—a besotted
SLEEPS
THE OUTSIDE INN
Tucked above the vines, overnight in
a design-forward modular cabin at
this family-owned winery, Niche
Wine Co., in West Kelowna. Scandi-
cool, find light wood ceilings, an airy
ensuite, and a plush king-sized bed
with valley views. Spin vintage vinyl,
open a Niche Wine bottle from your
fully stocked fridge, and head to your
private fire pit for celestial gazing.
nichewinecompany.com/stay
DELTA HOTELS GRAND
OKANAGAN RESORT
A resort within the city, this favourite
playground of fun offers ample activi-
ties for all ages. Go for boardwalk
strolls, hit the pool, try boating, and
enjoy dining at OAK + CRU.
marriott.com/en-us/hotels/ylwok-
delta-hotels-grand-okanagan-resort
FALL/WINTER 2025 DREAMSCAPES 61