Well-known, long-time Kelowna Chef, Andrew Toncini has now ventured from private dining and catering to opening a new retail brick-and-mortar space, Toncini Modern Italian, at #140 – 1855 Kirschner Road. Owned and operated by Chef Andrew and his partner Steffie Pellerin, their concept is fast-paced pasta bar focused on fresh Italian food in a takeout-style setting, with patio seating for anyone who would like to enjoy their meal there. All products are made in-house using fresh ingredients. The pasta and pizza are all made with Italian flour, and there is a variety of Roman-style pizza. Toncini offers fresh pasta made daily to take home and cook yourself, their signature ready-to-eat pasta with paired sauces and garnishes, along with desserts including cannoli, tiramisu, and panna cotta. Gluten free options are available, and the coffee served is from Giobean. Toncini’s frozen line is made with easy reheating and cooking instructions for quick preparation at home. You can also view what goes on behind the scenes in the massive kitchen that is open and in full view. Toncini has a small retail Italian market on premise where you can pick up Italian cooking items including olive oil. Chef Toncini also offers catering and will be offering cooking classes in the future. Chef Toncini sent me home with a few samples to try. The Raviolo Ricotta & Spinach with Crema Di Funghi (Creamy Wild Mushrooms) was incredible and the Cannoli was absolutely decadent. Stay tuned for their grand opening.
https://www.toncinimodernitalian.com
The City of Kelowna has again been recognized with a Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA) Community Excellence Award for Environmental Sustainability for DeHart Community Park. This follows an award received last fall from the Community Energy Association of Union of B.C. Municipalities. The nine-acre space sets a new benchmark for climate-aligned park design and community well-being. DeHart Community Park was planned and delivered with carbon neutrality as a core design requirement, guided by the City’s 2040 Official Community Plan sustainability targets.
Beaver Custom Builds is a new business in our city that builds high-end, custom wood furniture for your home, office, or business. Owned and operated by husband-and-wife team, Peter and Gabriele Schrod, they design and build distinctive, made-to-order furniture and cabinetry. The company uses quality materials and modern high-precision European machinery, offering meticulous craftsmanship and the highest quality products, in their brand-new workshop. They collaborate closely with their clients to understand their preferences and needs and approach every project with a personalized touch. Beaver Custom Builds take pride in their work and are committed to delivering the highest quality products to their customers that are built to last. Other services offered are built-in shelving and entertainment units, architectural millwork, feature walls, wood furniture repairs and restoration, and small renovations. Peter’s passion for building quality bespoke wooden furniture came from his love for nature, design, and creativity. If it’s wood, they can build it.
https://www.beavercustombuilds.ca
Dr. Kim Christie, PhD, formerly of Okanagan Clinical Trials, along with Dr. Eugene Okorie and Dr. Colleen Maytham has opened a new locally owned and operated multi-specialist clinic, KH&MC (Kelowna Health & Memory Centre) at 300 – 590 McKay Avenue. The clinic offers medical and psychiatric assessments, clinical care, and clinical research trials. Their focus is on Alzheimer’s and dementia diagnosis, treatment, along with clinical trials, with the goal of improving access to care and advancing treatment options. In addition, KH&MC offers geriatric assessments and dermatology services with Dr. Nicola Gray, partnering with PerCuro Sentrex to provide infusion therapies onsite. This includes access to the first approved disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Javed Ali and Dr. Wayne Lai also practice in the clinic. For more information or appointments for clinical trials visit:
Kelowna Concierge has re-branded to Signature Connections. The new name reflects the company’s evolution from a concierge-style service into a full-service transportation and experience coordination provider. While the company built its reputation on delivering seamless, hospitality-driven service, the business has grown to offer much more than recommendations, including group transportation, corporate services, wedding shuttle, and curated wine tour experiences. The rebrand also supports the company’s plans for future expansion. Despite the name change, the company emphasizes that its ownership, team, partnerships, and commitment to service remain unchanged. Jon DeBruyne is the co-owner and general manager of Signature Connections.
https://www.signatureconnections.ca
Aspire Canada Tours (ACT) is a new Kelowna licensed travel agent and travel wholesaler launching planned escorted tours within Canada. Owned and operated by co-founders Ross Brown and Vesti Nielsen, Aspire builds their own unique tours and travel is scheduled right out of the Kelowna airport (YLW), so there is no travelling to Vancouver or Calgary. At this time, they are offering two Yukon tours; a seven-day summer Klondike and a Fall Aurora, giving Okanagan travellers a more direct and organized way to join tours to Whitehorse, Dawson City, the Klondike, Kluane, and Yukon’s aurora season. For more information to book visit:
https://www.aspirecanadatours.com
Project Literacy is holding their 7th Annual Adult Team Spelling Bee at the Kelowna Golf & Country Club on Thursday, May 28, 2026. The fundraiser starts at 7:00 a.m. with a hot buffet breakfast and end at 9:00 a.m. This is a great team building event, where teams of eight work together to produce the correct spelling of each spoken word. There are three rounds of five words. The team with the most correctly spelled words wins. Show your support for literacy, have fun, win prizes, and get your team together now. Register at:
https://www.projectliteracy.ca/events/spelling-bee/
If you are a trivia buff, the Rotary Club of Okanagan Mission is hosting their Rotary Club Trivia Fundraiser on Saturday, June 13th, 2026, at the Kelowna Curling Club. There will be a complete buffet dinner, silent auction, and door prizes. Trivia will be a 1.5 hour team challenge consisting of four rounds, including a visual round displayed on TV screens, a Name that Tune round, and two general knowledge rounds. Each dinner table of eight people will be a trivia team, so bring your friends or join a team with like-minded generous people from our community. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:00 p.m. and trivia starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets only $60.00 by emailing Stephen Smith at stephentsmith@telus.net before they sell out. To donate a prize, contact Irma Lux at luxor02@telus.net.
URBA After Hours is May 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. at JOEY Kelowna, #300 – 2475 Highway 97. Attendees will meet Damon Manak, URBA’s new Operations Manager for the re-launch of the Community Ambassador and On Call Program. City of Kelowna Event Development Manager, Chris Babcock will share how local businesses can get involved in the upcoming Touchdown Kelowna Festival to explore opportunities to drive traffic to their business during the excitement. Tickets are $20.00.
Everything Japanese Sale, hosted by the Kelowna Buddhist Temple is Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 1089 Borden Avenue (across from Your Independent Grocers). This is a sale that you will not want to miss offering new and gently used kimono, Japanese dishes, books, cups, dishes, chopsticks and much more. There will be a limited amount of sushi available for sale at 11:00 a.m. and cups of green tea will also be sold.
On Saturday, May 23rd, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Memorial Cup will be ceremonially escorted through Orchard Park’s Harvey Avenue entrance, led by bagpipes, CHL members, alumni, and featuring a special appearance by Rocky, the beloved mascot of the Kelowna Rockets, before arriving in Memorial Cup Court. Community members are invited to get up close and take photos with the Memorial Cup, hockey alumni, and Rocky.
As Memorial Cup fever grips the city, the Kelowna Art Gallery, 1315 Water Street is stepping on the ice with Wackem Sackem, a high-octane pop-up exhibition by Penticton-based artist and Player Glenn Clark, running eleven days from May 21 to 31, 2026. Visitors will encounter sculptural paintings mounted on floor stands, designed for a face-to-face, skate to-shoe confrontation. These life-size artworks capture the grit, humor, and nostalgia of the game. Viewers will see a legendary NHL “tilt” unfolding in front of them as well as age-old rivalries like the Habs vs Leafs immortalized in paint and steel.
https://www.kelownaartgallery.com/wackem-sackem-memorial-cup-edition/
During Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign, $59,390.86 was raised for the YMCA of Southern Interior BC representing more than 29,000 cookies sold in support of the YMCA’s Healthy Snacks Program for children and youth.
The 2nd Annual Pandosy Neighborhood Parade of Garage Sales is Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register for special one day discounts in some local stores and restaurants at:
https://www.pandosyneighbourhood.ca/index.php/garage-sale-info/
Birthdays of the week – Happy 80th Char Van (May 25); Happy 75th Garry McCracken (May 21); Happy 60th Gary Bloomfield (May 21); Robert Moore (May 20); Carie Metzger (May 20); Judy Stewart (May 21); Regan Bartel (May 21); Patrick Ray (May 21); Elfriede Schmoll (May 21); Beryl Itani (May 21); Jeremy Dawn (May 21); B Mack (Brian Mack), (May 22); Dr. Richard Hooper (May 22); Rick Warner (May 22); Carol Burden-Woods (May 22); Dino Gini (May 22); Mike Mervyn (May 22); Tascheleia Marangoni (May 22); Marlene Denchuk (May 23); Don Schneider (May 23); Francis Braam (May 23); Steve MacNaull (May 23); Alan Tozer (May 23); Hannelore Clark (May 23); Travis Hackl (May 24); Vincent Jones (May 24); Jeremy Dyck (May 24); Monica Miller (May 25); Lou Blais (May 25); Lani Rout (May 25); SiQi Zhong (May 25); Dave Teapot Dunscombe (May 25); Lynn Pedde (May 25); Deb Dunnigan (May 25); Don Shafer (May 25); Ron Mattiussi (May 25); Wes Van (May 26); Richard Sawchuk (May 26).
The Specialty Bakery Birthday Cake Winner of the Week is Wes Van. Wes, please pick up your Birthday Cake from any one of the four Specialty Bakery locations by noon on Wednesday, May 27/2026.
Maxine DeHart is a Kelowna City Councillor and local hotelier. Phone her at 250-979-4546 or 250-862-7662. E-mail max@maxinedehart.ca
