You’re invited to a feast in a field
You can eat, drink and be merry at the 10th annual Feast of Fields in Kelowna Aug. 12
The Okanagan Weekend
Touting Feast of Fields as a wandering gourmet festival is an inspired description.
Because that’s exactly what this celebration of local food and drink is — an opportunity to unhurriedly stroll from tent to tent tasting bites from top chefs and imbibing the best wine, beers, ciders and spirits produced in the Okanagan.
This year’s Feast of Fields will be Sunday, Aug. 12 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Father Pandosy Mission in Kelowna at 3685 Benvoulin Rd.
This year’s Feast is also marks the 10th anniversary of the event in the Okanagan.
The setting at Father Pandosy Mission is pastoral in two senses.
It used to be a farm and is surrounded by farmland.
But it is also the site of the historic first white settlement in Kelowna, circa 1859, headed by French Catholic priest Jean Pandosy.
It’s still a tourist attraction today with some of the original log buildings and farm implements.
Food will be on offer from a wide range of restaurants and producers, including Raudz Regional Table, Salt & Brick, Artisto Gelato, Oak+Cru, Terroir Cheese, Quaaout Lodge, Salty Fig Catering, The Table at Codfathers, She Devil Delights, Sandrine French Pastry, Poppadoms and Slow Food Thompson Okanagan.
Participating wineries come from up and down the Valley, from Sperling, Kalala, Bench 1775, Intribute, Maverick, Summerhill Pyramid, Wild Goose and Play to Culmina, House of Rose, Volcanic Hills, Bordertown, Red Rooster, The View, Oliver Twist and Meadow Vista Honey Wine.
Or grab a brew from Cannery, Firehall, Freddy’s, Boundary or Two Wolves.
Cider will be from Howling Moon, Ward’s and Maverick.
And spirits will be poured by Urban and Roots & Wings.
While Feast of Fields on the surface can simply be an indulgent afternoon of eating, drinking, socializing and soaking up the sun, it is also more altruistic.
The event is organized by the not-for-profit FarmFolk CityFolk as a fundraiser.
Over the past 24 years, the society has hosted more than 50 feasts at ever-changing venues in Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Okanagan and Whistler.
The society’s mandate is to cultivate local, sustainable food systems.
One of the ways of doing that is with Feast of Fields to expose the public to local chefs, restaurants, farmers, ranchers, fishers, food artisans, vintners, brewers and distillers.
Hopefully, the people who attend will not just enjoy the Feast of Field day, but continue to support sustainable, local food and drink year-round by buying at farmers’ markets, stores that stock Okanagan products and eco-friendly wineries, breweries and distilleries.
FarmFolk CityFolk also puts money into training the next generation of farms, providing access to capital and markets for small farmers and protecting farmland by keeping it in production.
The society is also an advocate of food security, non-GMO foods and bees, the pollinators essential for much of our food sources.
Tickets to Feast of Fields are $99 for adults, $45 for teens and $12 for kids aged six to 12 at FeastOfFields.com.