Cooking on Common Ground At Cooks Camp 2026
Cooks Camp by Chef’s Table Society of BC
Location: North Arm Farm, Pemberton
I could tell from the way Chef Robert Belcham spoke about Cooks Camp - he knew something we didn’t. As I walked onto the property of Pemberton’s North Arm Farm, the effect was immediate. Sunlight filtering into the valley through a soft haze, the smell of frying curry leaves, and the buzz of conversation calling from every direction - unexpected greetings between friends mixing with stories shared between strangers. It was unlike anything I’ve witnessed before, and the sense of optimism that the scene inspired was undeniable: something important is happening here.
Building a better, more sustainable industry is the driving force behind everything that Chef’s Table Society does. Cooks Camp is not only an expression of this initiative, but a celebration of the value of unity.
While Cooks Camp is put together by chefs, for chefs, the event welcomes a broad scope of hospitality professionals. Attendees ranged from butchers and suppliers, to industry advocates and educators. Whether polishing cutlery was the full extent of their kitchen expertise, or if working the pass was second nature, everyone lent hands to help. The diverse attendance is testament in itself - the hospitality industry is at its strongest when working together towards a common goal.
That common goal is of immense importance to all who work in and around hospitality: tocreate an industry predicated on support, sustainability, kinship, and mutual growth.
This commitment to actively cultivating a unified industry is encapsulated by The Great Alignment: a panel consisting of leading voices from a range of British Columbia’s hospitality based organisations. While their operations are often distant in both locale and focus, they share an overarching dedication to improving the industry holistically - from BC Hospitality Foundation’s efforts to supply financial support for industry professionals who have suffered an injury, to Les Dames D’Escoffier’s massive scholarship projects. In part, The Great Alignment’s goal is to harmonise these respective verticals rather than continuing to work within independent silos. The panel amplifies a diversity of voices, and by extension, emphasises the value in leveraging those voices as a united front committed to advocacy and inciting meaningful change.
As dinner prep rolled along, folks shifted between watching the process unfold and hopping in to help. The flow of it all is self-sustaining. Belcham refuses to allow a three day culinary event to translate into three days of relentless work, but the risk of that seemed distant when everybody present was equally enthused to contribute as they were to escape the bustle for a walk amongst the fields.
The first night’s dinner is always a cultural showcase. This year, Cooks Camp welcomed teams from Restaurant Kavita, Pind De Pantry, Jugal’s, and Desi Indian Lounge to prepare an expression of India’s diverse culinary traditions, including chutneys created from North Arm Farm’s own produce that had been harvested just hours before service. Chefs took turns rolling paper thin chapati by hand. Daal bubbled in a pot hung above hot coals, and chicken charred over open flames. Even with a slight breeze whistling through the valley, the savoury, spiced aromatics drew everyone’s eyes to the kitchen.
You’re probably imagining a meal like this prepared in a standard, industrially fitted kitchen. Nope. The day before Cooks Camp kicks off, the team from Bargreen Ellingson puts together a fully functioning open air kitchen: prep tables, burners, warming racks, the works. It’s a whole operation, and it lives on North Arm Farm for a three day stretch. Even in its fleeting existence, the makeshift kitchen allows chefs an opportunity to cook somewhere stripped of formalities. It places everyone on an equal playing ground. No fancy equipment, just honest cooking.
It’s within that equal playing ground that the whole point of Cooks Camp comes into focus. Even after everyone has packed their tents away, Cooks Camp is a reminder to respect each other as equals, to share stories and share knowledge, to lift each other up, and perhaps above all of these things, to remind ourselves that what we do is worth celebrating.
