Private Chefs & Culinary Experiences in the Okanagan: 2026 Guide
Some of the best meals in the Okanagan never happen inside a restaurant. Across the valley, a growing number of private chefs, cooking schools, and one-of-a-kind culinary experiences are bringing serious talent straight to the table — whether that’s your dining room, a working orchard, or a purpose-built theatre kitchen. Here’s where to go when you want more than a reservation.
Chef Chris Shaften
Experience: In-home fine dining from a Top Chef Canada alum.
Why Visit: Chef Chris Shaften built his name as the founder of Krafty Kitchen + Bar and as a Top Chef Canada Season 3 contestant. These days, he’s focused on custom private dining — bringing charismatic, restaurant-calibre cooking directly into guests’ homes for a genuinely personal fine dining experience.
Perfect For:
● In-home dinner parties
● Guests who want a personality-driven private chef experience
● Special occasions without leaving home
The Okanagan Table
Experience: Part catering company, part cooking school, part dining room — led by Chef Rod Butters.
Why Visit: Chef Rod Butters, formerly of the acclaimed Wickaninnish Inn, has built The Okanagan Table into one of the valley’s most distinctive culinary destinations. Guests are seated right inside the kitchen as the culinary team works around them, with long-table dinners, wine pairings, and hands-on classes led by instructors like Chef Geoffrey Couper and Pastry Chef Jason Whitfield.
Perfect For:
● Private events and corporate dinners
● Hands-on cooking classes
● A dining experience that doubles as entertainment
The Chef Instead
Experience: Private catering for weddings and intimate dinners across the Okanagan.
Why Visit: As the name suggests, The Chef Instead exists for exactly the moments when a restaurant reservation isn’t the right fit — weddings, milestone dinners, and private events across the valley, all built around genuinely memorable catering rather than a standard buffet.
Perfect For:
● Weddings and large private events
● Custom catering menus
● Okanagan-wide bookings
Backyard Farm Chef’s Table
Experience: An intimate chef’s table on a working two-acre orchard in Oliver.
Why Visit: Chef Chris Van Hooydonk designs every multi-course menu personally, cooking from an open kitchen for up to 20 guests using produce picked from the property just before service. It’s less a restaurant than a full culinary experience, and it books up nearly a year in advance during peak season.
Perfect For:
● The ultimate farm-based private dining experience
● Small groups and special occasions
● Guests willing to plan far ahead
Grate Cheesery Cheese & Wine Experience
Experience: A guided cheese and wine tasting in Pandosy Village.
Why Visit: A cheesemonger walks guests through a curated cheese and wine pairing, story and all — a more intimate, conversational alternative to a typical restaurant reservation, perfect for a smaller group who wants to slow down and actually learn something over the course of the evening.
Perfect For:
● Date nights
● Small groups who want an educational element
● Wine lovers looking for a new kind of tasting
Lakehouse Kitchens Cooking School
Experience: A state-of-the-art teaching kitchen on Bernard Ave, led by top Okanagan chefs.
Why Visit: Culinary Director Chef Bernard Casavant — one of the first chefs in Canada to earn the Chef de Cuisine Certification — leads a multi-million-dollar teaching kitchen alongside Chef Travis Pye. Classes range from beginner-friendly to genuinely advanced, using local Okanagan ingredients and professional-grade equipment throughout.
Perfect For:
● Hands-on cooking classes
● Date nights with an activity built in
● Anyone looking to actually improve their cooking, not just watch
Mission Hill Culinary Theatre
Experience: A live, wine-paired cooking demonstration set inside one of the Okanagan’s most iconic wineries.
Why Visit: Modelled after the Culinary Institute of America, Mission Hill’s Culinary Theatre seats guests facing an open kitchen, where a four-course, wine-paired meal comes together in real time. It’s part cooking show, part dinner — and one of the most distinctive culinary experiences in the entire valley.
Perfect For:
● A unique date night or celebration
● Wine lovers who want the pairing built into the show
● Anyone who’s never watched a full meal come together live
Chef Mike Wilkins
Experience: Custom private dining and catering from a CIA-trained chef.
Why Visit: Trained at the Culinary Institute of America and a veteran of Krafty Kitchen and Frankie We Salute You, Chef Mike Wilkins now designs fully custom in-home menus tailored to each client’s preferences — a genuinely personal alternative to booking a table.
Perfect For:
● Custom in-home menus
● Private dinner parties
● Clients with specific dietary preferences or requests
Why Private Chefs and Culinary
Experiences Are Worth Exploring
The Okanagan’s food scene isn’t limited to restaurant reservations. Between private chefs bringing restaurant-level cooking into your home, hands-on cooking schools, and immersive experiences like a live culinary theatre, there’s a genuinely different way to eat well in this valley — one built around personal service, education, and experience rather than just a menu.
Stay in the know with Okanagan Culinary Club
Love discovering the best of the Okanagan food scene? There’s more to explore beyond the blog.
🍴 The Weekly Bite
Get our weekly roundup of the best restaurants, events, openings, hidden gems, and food experiences happening across the Okanagan — delivered straight to your inbox.
📲 Follow Along on Instagram
For daily food finds, restaurant recommendations, new openings, events, and everything worth eating across the Okanagan.
📈Join the Club
Get more out of the Okanagan food scene with our monthly culinary membership, launching September 2026. Enjoy exclusive restaurant perks, member-only offers, and more.
🤝 Restaurant Owner? Get Featured
Want to put your restaurant in front of thousands of local food lovers? Partner with Okanagan Culinary Club or get featured across our social channels, newsletter, and website.
Eat local. Discover more. Be part of the Okanagan food scene.
Comments