Ned Bell

Culinary Director, Hatch Hospitality 

Ned Bell is a well-known Canadian culinary talent who has forged a path as a chef, sustainable seafood advocate, keynote speaker and educator. As one of the country’s leading chefs, he uses his voice, outgoing personality, and indomitable spirit to stand up for the world’s lakes, oceans, rivers, in addition to hyper-local farming sustainability through brand ambassador roles.

Based in British Columbia and born in the Okanagan, Ned is the co-owner of Hatch Hospitality, Creative Advisor for the Centre for Food Wine and Tourism at Okanagan College set to open in the spring of 2027, Culinary Director at Planetary Health, Buy BC Champion, Board Member and Co-Chair of Sustainability at the Chefs Table Society, and as culinary and restaurant consultant at Hatch Hospitality Inc.

Jacob Deacon-Evans

Stone Soup Cooking

At 16 I began working at a small bistro in Naramata, where I spent mornings picking fruit and evenings in the kitchen. Over the next 20+ years my career has taken me from Michelin starred Pied a terre in London to Row 14 on an organic farm in Cawston, BC & a whole lot of wonderful places in between. A philosophy based around local ingredients has been at the core of how I cook, it all starts with the produce.

Today I bring my experience to peoples homes through dinners, cooking classes and more.

Kai Koroll

Humo Izakaya

Raised along the Pacific coast, Chef Kai Koroll brings a deep respect for place, seasonality, and world-class ingredients to every table he touches. After earning his Red Seal in Vancouver, he refined his craft in Tofino’s iconic culinary scene before taking on leadership roles with Cactus Club, launching their celebrated Kelowna Yacht Club location.

His pursuit of elevated, ingredient-driven cuisine led him to 50th Parallel Estate Winery, where he served as Executive Chef and built an elegant menu supported by a fully functioning organic garden. Today, alongside business partner and Creative Director Alexandra Perras, Chef Kai heads his own hospitality group—an impressive collection that includes HUMO, a globally inspired contemporary restaurant on Kelowna’s waterfront; Ask Pablo, an intimate, boundary-pushing cocktail bar; and Epicurio Catering + Events, his newest venture dedicated to bespoke culinary experiences.

Chef Kai’s cuisine is modern, dynamic, and shaped by the extraordinary bounty of the Okanagan Valley. As President of the Okanagan Chefs Association, he remains an influential voice in the region’s culinary community

Zach Chan

Kin & Folk

“When I look back on my life and think about what food and cooking means to me, without hesitation, I would say that it is through food and cooking that I am best able to express myself. Cooking is how I share and connect. I believe I got this from my father. He wasn’t around a lot when I was growing up. I didn’t play catch with my dad or go fishing with him. We hung out together in the kitchen as I watched him, and sometimes got to help him, cook meals for our family. Some of my fondest memories are the times when my dad would come home late from work and cook himself a late dinner while talking with me about the day’s events. My dad connected with us best through his food. We all knew that if my dad was cooking a big meal, the whole family was coming over. It was his thing. Over the years, I have taken over this role and have found that I too connect with others through my cooking. The kitchen is where I share my enthusiasm. It’s where I feel most comfortable. I love how the excitement around food brings people together!

I’ve been in the restaurant industry my whole working life, following someone else’s menu, executing someone else’s plan, fulfilling someone else’s dream. Kin & Folk is my opportunity to invite people to celebrate each other over my food, and to share my joy and excitement through ingredients that have inspired me. With the sharing of food, we make new friends, find new love, and count our blessings. I want to be a part of that story.”

Stacy Johnston + Minette Lotz

Poplar Grove Winery

Executive Chef Stacy Johnston and Chef de Cuisine Minette Lotz lead The Restaurant at Poplar Grove with a shared passion for seasonality, local agriculture and terroir-driven cuisine. A Red Seal Chef raised on her grandparents’ Saskatchewan homestead, Stacy’s career has included Ocean Wise, the Naramata Inn and a residency at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre. In 2022, she was named one of “Canada’s next star chefs” by The Globe and Mail.

Born in South Africa and raised in Saskatchewan, Minette trained in Baking and Pastry Arts before working alongside acclaimed Canadian chefs Jeremy Charles and Ross Larkin. Her career has included Head Chef at The Garden – Strathcona and Chef de Cuisine at the Naramata Inn, where she helped develop its foraging program and deepened her passion for wild ingredients.

Stacy and Minette joined Poplar Grove in 2023, where they create menus inspired by the Okanagan landscape, its seasons and the farmers and producers behind each ingredient, inviting guests to experience thoughtful food rooted in a sense of place.

Andrew Genaille

Bistro Lapin Perdu

Andrew is a Red River Metis chef born and raised in British Columbia. His youth was spent working under his father, Chef Ben Genaille, from whom he learned his work ethic and sense of pride for working in kitchens. His most formative years were spent at lodges in remote communities around BC, particularly along the central coast where he had the privilege of working with the freshest and highest quality seafood available. It was through this he discovered for himself the importance of treating ingredients with love and respect.

In recent years, Andrew has had the fortune of working under some exceptional chefs from the Okanagan and Vancouver, chief among them Stacy Johnston and Minette Lotz. His time at Poplar Grove showed just how important seasonality is in food, and the value of the relationship between farmer and chef.

In 2026, Andrew has stepped into the role of chef de cuisine at Bistro Lapin Perdu, where he contributes his own ideas and experience to the dream of a classic French bistro.