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Award-winning Okanagan chef appointed Buy BC ambassador

Well known Naramata Inn chef Ned Bell brings his passion to long-running program
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Ned Bell, partner, general manager and executive chef of the Naramata Inn, has been named Chef Ambassador for the Buy BC program. (Naramata Inn)

Award-winning Naramata Inn chef Ned Bell has been named new “Chef Ambassador” for the Buy BC program.

Bell will champion local, seasonal, and sustainable foods, farmers and fishers, and help share simple ways to cook and eat the best our province has to offer.

Bell has ties to the Okanagan. He is a partner, general manager and executive chef of the Naramata Inn and was a former co-owner of the once popular Cabana Bar & Grill in Kelowna.

He is also the author of Lure: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the West Coast, which has led him to forge a path as a chef, sustainable food advocate, keynote speaker and educator.

In 2014, he founded Chefs for Oceans to raise awareness and advocate for responsible seafood choices and launched his commitment with an 8,700-kilometre bike ride across Canada.

“When we buy local ingredients and products we celebrate nutritious meals grown in our own backyard, and support local farmers and producers, communities and the environment at the same time,” said Bell.

“Food grown and raised in B.C. is picked at peak freshness. That means shorter travel time from farms to tables, which in turn creates fresher and tastier food and a reduced carbon footprint, all while maintaining farmland and green space in communities.”

First launched in the ‘90s, Buy BC makes it easy for consumers to identify local ingredients and products by the presence of the Buy BC logo. The program was re-established by the provincial government in 2018.

and is led by Minister of Agriculture and Food, Lana Popham. “Buying B.C. food and beverages strengthens our provincial food system and keeps people and the economy working,” said Agriculture Minister Lana Popham in announcing Bell’s appointment Aug. 30.

Bell launched his new role alongside Popham on the opening day of this year’s PNE, cooking wild B.C. salmon, garden-fresh B.C. herbs, and ripe and juicy peaches on the Safeway cooking stage.

READ MORE: Chef Ned Bell returns to his roots



Barry Gerding

About the Author: Barry Gerding

Senior regional reporter for Black Press Media in the Okanagan. I have been a journalist in the B.C. community newspaper field for 37 years...
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