Okanagan College Centre for Food, Wine & Tourism

CHEF NED BELL
Written By Ned Bell

A $61.3-million transformational new Centre featuring a student-run restaurant, café, and event space. Ned has been embedded as Creative Advisor since October 2025, shaping the culinary identity from the ground up.

The Role

Ned joined the project as Creative Advisor in October 2025. His mandate has since expanded into a year-long role guiding the Centre’s restaurant, event spaces, culinary labs and wine-tasting facilities.

As Lead Creative Advisor, he works across concept development, menus and beverage programming, kitchen equipment, purchasing systems, supplier relationships and industry partnerships. He also contributes to academic programming, fundraising and the Centre’s broader brand and guest experience.

The role brings together decades of experience as a chef, restaurateur, consultant and advocate for Canadian food. Born in the Okanagan, Ned also brings deep knowledge of the region, along with his work as a Buy BC Chef Ambassador and a leading voice for sustainable seafood.

Why It Matters

Kelowna became Canada’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2025, with Okanagan College helping develop the successful bid. The new Centre will give that designation a working home by connecting education, tourism, agriculture and hospitality.

Ned is helping shape a Centre grounded in the Okanagan and built to serve students, industry and the wider community for years to come.

Ned Bell

Ned Bell is currently Creative Advisor for Okanagan College’s $61.3M Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism, the face of two of Destination BC’s new iconic tourism brand videos, and the only Canadian chef on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force. His 30-year career spans fine dining, luxury hotel leadership, hospital food transformation, government partnership work, and two decades of sustainable seafood advocacy — including founding Chefs for Oceans and cooking for the United Nations. He works at the place where food, systems, and real change intersect.

http://www.nedbell.com
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