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Best of Pemberton 2022

The results are in!

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

That could be the reigning motto for Pique’s Best of Pemberton readers’ poll.  Year after year, we see many of the same faces atop their respective categories. Heck, Bob Menzel has won Favourite Pembertonian so many times now, we might as well name the whole dang award after him.

And maybe that’s fitting for a community that in so many other ways is changing at breakneck speed. As Pemberton’s population continues to grow as more young families look to the Spud Valley to set down roots, it’s comforting familiarity that most readers yearned for in this year’s survey.

That’s not to say there aren’t several notable exceptions. Beloved plant-based haven, The Hwy. Café, returned after its inaugural year in Best of Pemberton to dominate several food categories, for instance. But for the most part, this year’s survey reads like a warm hug from a longtime friend. And considering all the division and uncertainty that has seemed to exemplify goings on in the wider world over the past year or so, maybe that’s just what Pemberton needs right now.

Quintessential Pemberton

Favourite Neighbourhood

1. Pemberton Meadows

2. The Glen

3. Mount Currie

Most Desirable Amenity Missing from Pemberton

1. Swimming pool

2. More restaurants

3. TIE: Ice rink and cinema

No. 1 Reason We’re Not Like Whistler

1. Sense of community

2. Small-town feel

3. Less touristy

News Story of the Year

1. Pemberton’s Trinity Ellis and Ethan Hess at the 2022 Olympic/Paralympic Games

2. Pemberton’s population growth

3. Pair of Pemberton developments propose hundreds of new homes

Best Environmental Initiative

1. Integration with Lil’wat/N’Quatqua to learn from traditional knowledge

2. Salmon restoration

3. Creation of Riverside Park

Favourite Volunteer

1. Graham Turner

2. Karen Tomlinson

3. Garth Phare

Favourite Pembertonian

1. Bob Menzel

2. Anna Helmer

3. John Dingle

Media, Arts & Culture

Favourite Artist/Artisan

1. Painter Vanessa Stark

2. Painter and multimedia artist Levi Nelson

3. Painter Karen Love

Favourite Photographer

1. Anastasia Chomlack

2. Toshi Kawano

 3. Amie LeBlanc

Favourite Band/Musician

1. Dakota Pearl

2. Grateful Greg Reamsbottom (of the Hairfarmers)

3. The Spiritual Warriors

Favourite Writer  

1. Lisa Richardson

2. Anna Helmer

3. Yvonne Wallace

Which Local Event are you Most Looking Forward to Returning this Year?

1. Slow Food Cycle

2. Barn Dance

3. Farmers’ Market

Food and Drink

Favourite Overall Restaurant

1. The Hwy. Cafe’

2. The Pony

3. Mile One Eating House

Best Value

1. The Hwy. Cafe’

2. TIE: Mile One Eating House and Grimm’s Gourmet and Deli

3. A Chef’s Life

Best Breakfast

1. The Hwy. Cafe’

2. North Arm Farm

3. Blackbird Bakery

Best Coffee

1. Mount Currie Coffee Co.

2. Blackbird Bakery

3. The Hwy. Cafe’

Best Plant-based Menu

1. The Hwy Cafe’

2. Stay Wild Natural Health

3. A Chef’s Life

Best Takeout

1. The Hwy. Cafe’

2. Mile One Eating House

3. Backcountry Pizza

Best Burger

1. Mile One Eating House

2. The Hwy. Cafe’

 3. The Pony

Best Dessert

1. The Hwy. Cafe’

2. Blackbird Bakery

3. The Pony

Best Beer Selection

1. The Beer Farmers

2. The Pony

3. Mile One Eating House

Best Service

1. The Hwy. Cafe’

2. The Pony

3. Mile One Eating House

Best Patio

1. Fescue’s at Big Sky

2. The Hwy. Cafe’

3. The Beer Farmers

Sports and Recreation

Favourite Golf Course

1 Big Sky Golf Course

2 Sunstone Golf Club

Favourite Bike Trail

1 Cream Puff

2 Radio Tower

3 Overnight Sensation

Favourite Hiking Trail

1 Lumpy’s Epic

2 Tenquille Lake

3 Joffre Lakes

Favourite Lake to Visit

1 Birkenhead Lake

2 Gates Lake

3 Anderson Lake

Favourite Winter Adventure Activity

1 Cross-country skiing

2 Backcountry skiing and snowboarding

3 TIE: Snowshoeing and snowmobiling

Favourite Summer Adventure Activity

1 Mountain biking

2 Backcountry hiking

3 Boating

Favourite Athlete

1 Paralympic sit-skier Ethan Hess

2 Mountain biker and BMX rider Lucas Cruz

3 Olympic luger Trinity Ellis

Business Services

Favourite New Business

1 The Cheese Pusherman Roadhouse

2 Daisy Lane Acres

Favourite Tourism Operator

1 Beer Farmers

2 Copper Cayuse Outfitters

3 Laughing Crow Organics

Favourite Farm

1 North Arm Farm

2 Laughing Crow Organics

3 Helmer’s Organic Farm

Favourite Wellness/Fitness Service

1 Village Yoga

2 Local Motion Therapy

3 Ivy Esthetics

Favourite Hotel or B&B

1 Joffre Creek Cabins

2 Pemberton Valley Lodge

3 The Log House Inn

Favourite Building or Construction Company

1 Fitzgerald Building Company

2 BC Passive Haus

3 New Leaf Contracting

Best Wedding Venue

1 North Arm Farm

2 Riverlands Red Barn

3 Big Sky Golf Club

Favourite Gas Station

1 Pemberton Petro-Canada

2 Lil’wat Gas Station

3 AC Gas

Favourite Realtor

1 Danielle Menzel

2 Katelyn Spink

3 Lisa Hilton