Funding announced for $49M food, wine and tourism centre in Kelowna – Okanagan | 24CA News
Alessandra DiMatia is taking the culinary arts program at Okanagan College in Kelowna, B.C.
She hopes to turn into a licensed pink seal chef and ultimately a culinary teacher.
“My passion really comes from being able to share food with others, DiMattia said. “I mean, I think food is such an important part of our lifestyles”
DiMattia mentioned moving into this system may be difficult.
“We have limited seats. I was very lucky to get in the program when I did,” she mentioned.
But quickly college students like DiMattia may have simpler entry to culinary arts with news of a significant, multi-million greenback faculty enlargement.
“Today, we are announcing a new, hybrid, mass timber centre for food, wine and tourism at Okanagan College here in Kelowna,” mentioned Selina Robinson, B.C.’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
“The centre will be the first purpose-built facility in Canada bringing together food, wine and tourism.”
Robinson introduced the provincial authorities is investing $44.8 million for a 40,000-square-foot facility that will likely be dwelling to a brand new Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism.
Okanagan College is kicking in $4 million in direction of the challenge.
“The labour market outlook tells us that we have a skills shortage around chefs and cooks and the service sector and making sure that the service sector has the talent pool that it needs in order to thrive is what’s going on here,” mentioned Robinson.
The new centre is anticipated to graduate roughly 500 extra college students yearly.
“This is something that we have as a community have been working towards for years,” mentioned Okanagan College president Neil Fassina.
Fassina mentioned applications that will likely be supplied on the new centre will embody culinary arts and tourism coaching.
“So chefs through to the beverage industry. And so you’re thinking about the vintners, the brewers, distillers and the juice makers,” Fassina mentioned.
“And then tourism, everything from hotel management to client services across the entire spectrum of tourism — it’s all under one roof.”
The funding announcement is being applauded by Tourism Kelowna
“This is probably one of the most significant announcements we’ve heard in the tourism industry for years,” mentioned Lisanne Ballantyne, Tourism Kelowna president and CEO.
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Ballantyne mentioned the funding will profit the hospitality trade as an entire.
“Having a program like this starting now to push hundreds of students a year means that not only Central Okanagan but throughout the province, we’re going to be reinforcing an entire industry,” Ballantyne mentioned.
‘The Okanagan already has the agriculture proper right here. It already has a presence round beverage arts, round culinary arts and so increasing on what at the moment exists is the precise strategy to go,” Robinson mentioned.
“We know that this is tourism central for many here in British Columbia, also from Alberta and across the country and we’re just going to build on what currently exists and we’re very excited to be part of it.”
The new Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism is anticipated to welcome college students someday in 2026.
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