Island Taste Trail — A Vancouver Island Culinary Adventure

EMBARK ON A GASTRONOMIC JOURNEY FROM COWICHAN, NANAIMO, PARKSVILLE QUALICUM BEACH, COMOX VALLEY, CAMPBELL RIVER

Join us in exploring the rich culinary landscape of Central Vancouver Island as we tantalize your taste buds and quench your thirst for discovery. Our annual pairing event takes place October 18 to November 10, 2024!
Stay tuned to experience great local pairings at local eateries. This year’s pairings will be sorted by time of day: a mix of breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings will be available.

Enjoy local pairings:
October 18 to November 10, 2024

ENJOY Local TASTES THIS FALL.

Head to a local eatery to share expertly crafted local pairings with family and friends. Experience the comforting richness of great tastes that fills you up with every bite. The selections of hearty, satisfying dishes will warm you, body and soul, as the cooler weather sets in.

Food has the remarkable ability to bring people together. Whether you’re dining with friends, family, or new acquaintances, the Island Taste Trail offers a warm and inviting atmosphere for all. Share tasty moments as you explore our vibrant culinary scene from Cowichan all the way to Campbell River, with stops in Nanaimo, Parksville Qualicum Beach and the Comox Valley.

Discover Participating REGIONS of VanCOUVER ISLAND

The gateway to great taste! You will find a great selection of dining opportunities in each of these communities.

It’s the People & Places That Make Dining Out Great

The people are what make dining experiences great! When you make the choice to support a local restaurant, coffee shop, café, winery, distillery or craft brewery, you are celebrating the skill and craft that these people proudly bring to the table. You are engaging with a beautiful web of people who live and work in your community and are proudly #foodies.

The food web includes not just chefs, cooks, hosts, servers, bussers and dishwashers but the all the local farmers, vineyards and winemakers, craft brewers, distillers, fishers, harvesters and producers that they partner with on their menus and drinks lists. That’s why it’s so important to #EatDrinkLocal and #BuyBC!

Artisan Crafted Beverages

Our lush Vancouver Island inspires not just chefs, but also artisan producers, distillers, vintners baristas, bartenders, mixologists and more! Wash down your delectable food choices with a wide selection of locally made beverages. From handcrafted wines to artisanal brews to local ciders and spirits, we’ve got your thirst covered. Discover the passion and dedication that goes into every sip.

Alcohol free or sober curious? Many eateries are adding local craft sodas and zero proof cocktails to their offerings.

Special Dining Experiences

Every dining experience brings something special. Our region’s chefs will be working with local farms, fishermen and producers to create pairings that reflect the abundance Vancouver Island has to offer.

Each eatery will offer a pairing: sometimes those will be a main course featured with a local beverage. Other pairings include two dishes that compliment each other like a soup and sandwich.

Every pairing will highlight uniquely Vancouver Island tastes.

Building Community

When you support locally owned businesses, you make a difference for the passionate people that work in that business and the other local businesses that supply them.

For every $100 spent with a BC local restaurant, $68 is re-circulated back into our BC economy.

Each and every local buying decision helps support local foodpreneurs, farmers, fishers, makers, producers and harvesters. It has an incremental to our local agri-food economy – and it tastes great!