The Thompson-Shuswap Chef Farmer Collaborative (TSCFC) will be amongst participants today at Rotary Kamloops annual fundraiser, Chefs in the City. The new non-profit society has been formed to create a network of Chefs and Farmers that will work together to support and celebrate local food.

Culinary students at Thistle Farm

Like-minded Chefs and Farmers from the area surrounding Kamloops and the Shuswap region have joined to form a non-profit society dedicated to celebrating local food. Through public and member events, the group plans to bring their communities better access and awareness of local foods. The TSCFC was formed in October and will begin a membership drive at the sold out Chefs in the City event happening tonight at Columbo Hall in Kamloops. This annual fundraiser creates funds for the Kamloops Rotary’s charitable works which includes bursaries for a TRU culinary arts students.

“This collaborative will let us instill the passion for fresh, local sustainable food in our students” – Ed Walker, Instructor, Culinary Arts

TSCFC’s president, Ed Walker, a Chef Instructor in the Culinary Arts program at Thompson Rivers University, explains why the group was formed. “I was trying to source products for an event at the University and had a tough time getting in touch with local producers. I really wanted to showcase the agricultural bounty of our region, to serve our guests something fresh, indigenous and unique.”

As serving local food has become more important to chefs, it has also become important for the industry’s future food purchasers and preparers. Walker went on to say, “This is the perfect time in our culinary arts students’ careers to learn how to source the best local food, to stand in a field and choose the day’s menu from the crops they can see and feel on the farm. This collaborative will let us instill the passion for fresh, local sustainable food in our students.”

Until recently there has been a huge disconnect between what is grown and produced the in Thompson-Shuswap and what is actually being served in local restaurants. The TSCFC aims to bridge the gap between local chefs and farmers to bring nutritious, seasonal foods to our tables, supporting the rich history of agriculture in our region.

The group will be signing up members over the next two months and plans to host its first event in February, a Chef-Farmer roundtable. The event is based on a successful model employed by the Vancouver Island Chef Collaborative. The roundtable serves as an opportunity for participants to discuss the coming season and what crops, products and services might be provided and required.