Hundreds of tourists, locals, and garlic lovers alike mingled at Hester Creek on Saturday for the 3rd Annual Garlic Festival. The festival provided entertainment, vendors, and wine sampling amidst the picturesque backdrop of the Hester Creek vineyards. Attendance was at an all-time high in its three year history, with proceeds going to the Farm to School Salad Bar Program at Oliver Elementary School.
The Garlic Festival is just one of many events and opportunities that Hester Creek offers to tourist and locals alike. Hester Creek will once again be hosting the Rosé Revolution this year, a celebration of a variety of Rosés from the valley pared with delectable food from Terrafina Restaurant. They also offer cooking classes inside their wine tasting center which provides couples and groups an opportunity to experience locally based cuisine.
Natalie Wolfe, the new coordinator for the F2S Program, couldn’t be more excited about the turn out for Garlic Festival and positive response from the attendees. “People were so supportive of a program that teaches kids not to just eat healthy, but to recognize the importance of supporting local food and farmers,” she said. “The proceeds from the Garlic Festival goes directly to our educational component of our program, which is delivered in the spring to five elementary schools in our district so that hundreds of students have a raised awareness about where your food comes from.”
Natalie went further explaining that Hester Creek is the premium sponsor of the F2S program contributing in other ways as well. “Hester Creek contributes $11,000 annually to the program to ensure that all students at Oliver Elementary School can participate in this paid lunch program, helping those students who have financial challenges.”
The salad bar program, in its sixth year of operation, is a paid nutritional lunch program that includes five vegetable and three fruit options, along with a hot portion with carbohydrates, dairy, and protein. Children are taught with the assistance of volunteers to build colourful plates, take proper portions, and try new foods. Local produce is sourced as much as possible, and the program has even taken local food and preserved it by using Sun Stream Fruits in Okanagan Falls so it can be used throughout the school year. “Students are not only learning to eat healthier,” Natalie stated, “but through our educational component, really think about how lucky we are to be able to grow our own food and why that makes a difference.”
There is an incredible amount of work and energy that happens behind the scenes to make this program happen, and Natalie, taking on the challenge for the first time, couldn’t agree more. “I regularly meet with our caterer, Pizza Rolla restaurant here in Oliver, to plan menus and help to source local. I also organize our delivery contract with the Oliver Lioness club and set up weekly schedules for volunteers for the salad bar. In the fall and spring I am also responsible to organize filed trips out to local farms and food processing plants as well as get classes to our local Oliver Community Gardens…there is never a shortage of what needs to be done!” she says jokingly.
“We are so lucky that Hester Creek is a premium partner,” Natalie added, “but other organizations are sponsors as well.” She went on to mention that the Oliver Kiwanis Club has been on board since the beginning of the program, and Valley First Credit Union has become an annual sponsor for three years now. “As recent as this past summer, we had a local golfing group that donated to the program too,” she said. Because of the recent support, Natalie hopes to add a new component to the program this year which encourages OES students to grow their own food and become young farmers. “At Garlic Festival we showcased Azriel Starsic, a Grade 7 student who grows her own garlic, and she sold out of her three varieties of garlic in under an hour,” she said. “We hope to be able to support more students this year to become not just supporters of local food, but growers as well.”
If you want to be a part of this incredible program, contact Natalie Wolfe at Oliver Elementary School.
So wondering what’s coming up that you can take a break from your schedule and check out?
Thur Oct 9th – “Shake, Rattle & Roll” 4 Course Dinner 5-9 pm. Food, wine and a tribute to Elvis make for a fun wine festival evening.
Sat Oct 11th – Peach Cliff Hike, Brunch & Wine. Join Meyer Family Vineyards for a morning hike up Peach Cliff Bluff & take in the beautiful views of Okanagan Falls, Skaha Lake & Vaseux Lake.
Mon Oct 13th – Apple Day at the Gristmill, Keremeos
Life is hectic and everyone is busy. Take the time to get out and about, and enjoy what is around you – you’ll be glad you did.
