Harvest time brings a taste of fall to Kamloops with local farms producing an abundance of autumn veggies for seasonal signature dishes and sips appearing on restaurant menus. Fuel up before a hike or wind down after a day of exploring the outdoors, at one of these new(ish) fall favourites.

AhhYAY Wellness Cafe

Nourish your body and soothe your soul with nutritious food like turmeric mushroom soup from the spa-like AhhYaY Wellness Cafe. Owner Natalie Peace-Young believes in the connection between body and soul and enjoys working with whatever produce local organic growers have in season. “Daniela at SSOL Gardens is one of my favourites,” Natalie says. “Right now, we are using the last of her zucchini in our pesto zoodles bowl and pesto chicken wraps. Also, we use her cucumbers in our most popular dish, the walnut taco salad. I love her basil—we use that in our raw pumpkin seed pesto. It’s so fragrant and flavourful. As we head into fall, we will be looking for squash and pumpkin for soups and raw desserts like the Spiced Pumpkin Brownie. We will also look for root veggies for our Deep Roots Bowl, which makes the most of hearty roots like beets, parsnips, and carrots. We slow roast them and finish the dish with a balsamic ginger dressing.”

Forno on 5th

Focusing on casual-modern Mediterranean cuisine, Forno on 5th is only a block and a half from its sister restaurant in downtown Kamloops (the venerable Noble Pig Brewhouse). Although the focus is on European style signature dishes, ingredients are carefully sourced from the local surroundings, such as organic veggies from SSOL Gardens on the banks of the South Thompson River. You’ll find this autumn bounty in the seasonal squash soup and popular stuffed squash entree. Warm-up with a whiskey or a seasonally inspired sip such as the Copper Pot Caesar crafted with 40 Creek Copper Pot Rye, house pickles, hot sauce, and F5 salt rim.

Moustache & Go

Get caffeinated at Moustache & Go with a range of lighter and faster options from the chefs behind the popular Red Beard Cafe. Pick up locally sourced seasonal snacks such as the Basic Breakfast Sandwich, with Okanagan smoked cheddar cheese and made-from-scratch chipotle mayo that uses fresh farm eggs from Caspian Acres. Fall favourites include the charcuterie sandwich made with two of Chop N Block's cured and aged salamis, topped with house-made pickles and aioli. Fill up with a superfood fall root veg salad (local turnips, yam, sweet potatoes and whatever other roots they can get their hands on) topped with goat cheese, sesame seeds, dried dates, and a Thai-inspired dressing. Coffee is also seasonal, and the 2019 Central American harvests are now being served. Direct trade coffee being brewed on the bar includes offerings from Elysian Coffee (Vancouver), Rooftop Roasters (Fernie), Counterpart (Squamish), and Fernwood (Victoria).

Cordo Resto + Bar

Taking its name from the Spanish geographical word ‘Cordillera’, meaning mountain ranges and describes our region of Canada’s plateaus, tundra and dense forests, Cordo Resto + Bar celebrates bounty from the Thompson Okanagan Region. Lunch local with seasonal ingredients in dishes such as Carrot & Brie Soup, which is made with Thistle Farm’s carrots and BC Qualicum brie, served with house-made cheddar and herb biscuits, or enjoy a dinner of Salmon & Chips made with fish from the Indigenous-owned Riverfresh. Spice things up with fall-themed craft cocktails, including an amaretto poached pear sour, which features Sons of Vancouver Amaretto, Okanagan Spirits Poire Williams liqueur, house-made poached pear puree, lemon juice, and egg whites, garnished with spiced dried pear.

Whether you’re looking for nourishing wellness dishes, sumptuous suppers, or a quick coffee and stuffed breakfast sandwich, there are plenty of places to get a taste of local life and enjoy fall favourites in Kamloops.