The Okanagan is well represented in the batch of 24 exemplars being inducted to the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame for 2026.

Chef Ned Bell is being inducted in the 'local champion' category.

Bell, formerly a chef at Cabana Grille in Kelowna and the Naramata Inn, is creative advisor for the Centre for Food Wine and Tourism at Okanagan College, which will open in the spring of 2027 complete with a full-service restaurant.

Bell is also an ambassador for Buy BC and Ocean Wise, the culinary and restaurant consultant at Hatch Hospitality and the bestselling cookbook author of Lure (sustainable seafood).

Kelowna's Christina Ferreira, the owner of Impact Events+Brand Management, is being inducted in the 'friends of the industry' category.

Ferreira's company executes about 60 major events annually, including the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association's 'Dine Around', the Ribfest that hits Kelowna this weekend, Eat Drink Local, the Kelowna Wine Country runs and events at Kelowna International Airport.

She started Impact Events as a solo side hustle in 2008 and has grown it into a full-time going concern.

Other inductees may not live in the Okanagan, but the companies they represent have Okanagan outlets and-or operations.

Ray Russell, the Vancouver-based founder of the Freshslice Pizza franchising system, is being inducted in the 'active restaurateur' category.

Freshslice has over 200 franchises across Canada, including five in Kelowna, two in Penticton and one in Vernon.

Chef Ashley Kurtz, who works with Cactus Club on speical projects, is being inducted in the 'leading employee/manager back of house' category.

There are two Cactus Club restaurants in Kelowna — one at Highway 97 and Banks Road and one in the bottom of the Kelowna Yacht Club.

Brian Everett of Gateway Casinos is also being inducted in the 'leading employee/manager back of house' category.

Gateway Casinos has restaurants in all its casinos, including Playtime in Kelowna, Lake City in Vernon, Cascades in Penticton and Cascades in Kamloops.

Richelle Akimov, regional vice-president for Western Canada for Gordon Food Services, is being inducted in the 'friends of the industry' category.

Gordon distributes food and supplies to restaurants throughout the Okanagan, Canada and the US.

Bobby Naicker, the Vancouver-based director of franchise development for Denny's and a group that also has Wings, Chop, Chkn Shack and River Reach, is being inducted in the 'lifetime achievement' category.

There are Denny's in Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon and Wings in Kelowna, West Kelowna and Penticton.

In all, 24 individuals are to be inducted in nine categories.

The BC Restaurant Hall of Fame is a program of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association, which has 3,500 members and supports 15,000 food service establishments across the province.

While the inductees wwere announced this week, the actual induction ceremony will be Oct. 19 in Vancouver at Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre.

"This year's inductees exemplify passion, resilience and leadership," said association president Ian Tostenson.

"From chefs and restaurateurs to visionary leaders and advocates, each inductee has left a lasting mark on the culinary community in British Columbia. The 2026 celebration promises to be an inspiring and heartfelt tribute to their contributions."

See the full list of inductees here: https://www.bcrfa.com/hall-of-fame