NARAMATA, B.C. — The much-anticipated Restaurant at Naramata Inn opened last week, focusing on chef Ned Bell’s celebration of the unique ingredients and flavours of Naramata, B.C.
Open for dinner seven nights a week, diners can expect dishes such as wild-sage cured and pan-seared Road 17 char, raised in the middle of an Oliver apple orchard, and kohlrabi from Medley Organics just across the lake in Summerland. Organic beef from Blue Goose is served with browned-butter hollandaise and vegetables from Unearthed Farm. That prosciutto comes from just one kilometre away at Bella Wines.
“Supporting local farmers and small producers has never been more important,” says Bell. “I really want to highlight these amazing ingredients with the tender love and care they deserve, right here where they’re grown. This is ‘Naramatian cuisine.’ We literally could not create this dining experience anywhere else.”
Bell has assembled an all-star team, with sous chefs Stacy Johnston and Minette Lotz relocating from Vancouver to join him in the kitchen, excited to push the envelope of hyper-local dining in the Okanagan. Served in the stylishly updated heritage dining room, and on the gracious verandas, the food will be matched by one of the most comprehensive lists of Naramata and Okanagan wines available anywhere.
“Naramata is like no place else in the world,” says co-owner Paul Hollands. “Being right on Lake Okanagan and surrounded by mountains, orchards and vineyards, it’s blessed with an amazing agricultural bounty. For 112 years, Naramata Inn has been the heart of this wonderful place. Revitalizing the Inn and launching the restaurant has been a dream come true.”
