Looking for an excuse to indulge in a sweet treat? Well, you're in luck because the Okanagan’s first-ever Hot Chocolate Fest is happening right now and running up until Valentine's Day.
This is the first festival of its kind in the Okanagan and draws inspiration from other successful Canadian examples like Vancouver and Calgary.
Food Tours Kelowna is presenting this awesome event after two years of pivoting due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“We just love supporting local and we’re just so happy to find ways to do that even if we can't continue food tours at the moment,” said Taryn Shalapata, co-owner of Food Tours Kelowna.
From bakeries to cafes to restaurants, there are 25 locations scattered across the Okanagan in Penticton, Summerland, Vernon, and Kelowna all serving up hot cocoa.
Businesses put their creativity to the test by making a unique and delicious hot chocolate, some took a spin on the classic by adding spices, alcohol, or offered plant-based options while others stuck to the basics.
Bean Scene owner, Allan Lang, says compared to other businesses they wanted to keep the classic hot drink simple.
“We took the purest ingredients and pure dutch cocoa homemade syrup that we make here in house, our own specialty espresso, mixed into a beautiful rich decadent syrup.”
“Keep it simple, it’s a standard for a reason.”
Make sure you head online and vote for your favourites, because the winner will not only receive bragging rights for the best hot chocolate but also some fun prizes from Valrhona Chocolate.
The goal for the Okanagan Hot Chocolate Fest is to have guests relish the talent of the valley with a warm cuppa chocolate in hand while also raising money for the local Mamas for Mamas charity.
“We think that Mamas for Mamas is such a great charity and they do such amazing work in the community, so we just thought they would be such a great organization to choose for our first annual year,” explains Shalapata.
On top of raising money for the local non-profit, they’re giving away a whole whack of prizes to individuals who participate in the Instagram photo contest and the colouring contest for kiddos!
If you post a picture of yourself sipping on a hot chocolate from one of the participating locations you’ll be entered to win various prizes that were generously donated & can be valued over $500!
For a list of all participating restaurants and rules for both contests check out their page here.
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