Eat Local. Drink Local.

British Columbians were encouraged to make an extra effort to support local restaurants during this year's Buy BC: EAT DRINK LOCAL campaign.

The campaign featured 30 days of inspirational stories about restaurants and restaurateurs to encourage people to get out and support local business and enjoy a unique B.C. dining experience.

“It’s a really exciting campaign because it talks about the connection between farmers, fishers, harvesters, producers, and the restaurant industry,” program manager Samantha Scholefield told Kelowna10.

“It’s that connection between the farm to table movement, or the boat to table movement”.

In its third year, the campaign shared the stories of 40 restaurants throughout the province that provide great meals and support the local food industry.

“This year, we are focusing on the stories… and talking about those stories, and getting people excited about the different people and their experiences, and why they should support them,” Scholefield said.

“We want to make sure that everyone knows there’s obviously way more than 40 restaurants that support locals around this province.”

Though not currently on the list, Scholefield recommended some great restaurants in the Okanagan that support local, including: Summerhill Pyramid Bistro, Modest Butcher, Jack's, Sunny's, and Okanagan Table.

By cooking with local ingredients, restaurants provide additional local job opportunities.

“There’s the ‘feel good’ part about this, that you’re actually supporting more British Columbians in their jobs and in pursuing jobs that they love.” Scholefield said.

Restaurants who source ingredients locally also benefit from a fresher meal.

“From an actual pure taste perspective, one of the things that changes is that you don’t have a very far distance between where the food is coming from and when it gets to the table” Scholefield said.

“Not a long travel time, not a long travel distance, means that you’re not losing colour, [and] you’re not losing flavour”

Scholefield talked to a restaurant operator on Vancouver Island who sources locally, and received insight into the supply chain benefits of using local foods.

“She’s had less supply chain issues than if she was using a different supply chain than just that local network of people," she explained.

“When she's buying from a farm down the street, she’s connecting with that farmer, she knows exactly what they’re planting, she knows how the harvest is going."

By following the campaign, people can share in a collective sense of pride for the variety of products that come from B.C.'s soil and waters, and be inspired to find new dining experiences in their part of the province.

“We’re all looking for little adventures still in these COVID times,” Scholefield said.

“Even if we don’t know about it, we want you to make sure that you’re supporting those people that are going a long way to make dining great in these difficult times.”