Gardengate celebrates 20 years of flavour, friendship at Summer Salsa Challenge

Aug 21, 2026 | 5:03 PM

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — The tomatoes were fresh, the claims were bold, and for the 20th year, Gardengate was turning up the heat. More than ten community teams came ready to chop the competition, each convinced they had the recipe for success.

“It’s our salsa challenge. It’s the 20th year we’ve been doing it,” Mia Duncan told the CFJC Today team Friday (Aug. 21). “We’ve got a whole bunch of agencies from around the community, and they have all prepared salsas. People are welcome to go walk around, try all the different salsa.”

The recipes range from sweet to spicy, but at the Kamloops Food Bank table, one ingredient was not up for discussion.

“Some secret ingredients I’m not going to tell you,” jokes Isaac Puig Moreno, the lead for perishable operations with Kamloops’ Food Bank.

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Moreno’s team has entered before, but without a win. However, after bringing some Mexican authenticity this year, he hopes their luck was ripe for a change.

Duncan says there are three titles on the table.

“People’s choice, team spirit and then we’ve got a chef that’s going to judge.” explains Duncan.

Beyond the earned bragging rights, the garden’s celebration of taste buds serves up a chance for local organizations and residents to connect, with some friendly competition as the garnish.

“It’s an opportunity for people to connect with different community groups,” says Duncan. “So if they [participants] are looking for a particular service, they can talk to their booth and kind of learn more about it.”

Some recipes might be a secret, but the goal is simple: bring the heat, bring the flavor and ultimately, one of these teams walking away with the salsa supremacy.

by Jeremy Russo

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Gardengate celebrates 20 years of flavour, friendship at Summer Salsa Challenge

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