From just a small take-out window five years ago the Wild Scallion restaurant has grown to become a local dining favourite with its eclectic offerings.
The idea was to provide healthy and delicious vegetarian food at an affordable price. As the popularity grew, the restaurant has now expanded to a 50-seat dining room and 30-seat patio in the summer.
The homemade style food is packed with nutrition, lots of local vegetables and organic grains, nuts and seeds. Featured items include curries, soups and salads, though choices always change depending on what ingredients are in season. The menu is also 100 per cent gluten and dairy free, which is very helpful for people with food sensitivities.
Over the years the restaurant has built great relationships with local farmers to provide the best ingredients possible. Wild Scallion prides themselves on using wholesome, non-processed foods.
Chefs make all desserts and salad dressings from scratch, and strive to provide customers with the best food choices available.
In addition to serving up the dishes they’ve become best known for, the chefs at the Wild Scallion offer instruction on how to make them in their cooking classes.
“We offer a different a different look on food and the connections we have with food,” said general manager Al Box. “It offers a different philosophy on how it can be healthy, beautiful and delicious with high nutritional value. How food can be created with ease and love. I welcome you go learn and taste the magic of nourishing food.”
Five years ago Box, born and raised in Penticton, felt there was definitely a need for his type of restaurant.
“I really have a good understanding of what community means and I really saw a niche where we didn’t have this type of food available to us and I want to be a bit of a gatekeeper as far as what’s available,” he said.
“I don’t be giving you GMOs when you don’t know about it, I don’t want to be giving you toxic food when you don’t know about it, I don’t want you to have preservatives when you don’t know about it, food colourings, that type of thing. That’s the general reason for the restaurant.
“We found there’s a little too much emphasis on how things taste and how convenient they are and very little to do with what our body actually wants from the food. What we’re trying to do is get the best of both worlds, something that tastes good and is convenient and quick and yet it contains all the things that our body wants and very little of what our body doesn’t want.”
This feature is part of a series in partnership between the Penticton Western News and the Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce featuring winners of their social media contest.
