British Columbia

Best Destinations in BC 2021: A Penticton Coffee Shop With a Great Origin Story

Wayne and Freda is a family café with a family story.

By Alyssa Hirose /

There is so much to love about this family-owned coffee shop in Penticton€”the pretty interior, the huge wraparound patio, the menu (which screams millennial, but you can€™t say that an avocado toast with housemade kale pumpkin seed pesto doesn't sound good).

In fact, you could have a perfectly nice outing to Wayne and Freda without knowing their story at all. But hearing that Wayne, owner Ryan's grandfather, and Freda, owner Jen's grandmother, lived in the same care home€”and became friends after learning their grandchildren were dating€”is truly the icing on the cake (or the whip on the coffee).

Simple line drawings of the two seniors dancing dot the walls of this cozy, storied space. It's feel-good vibes all around, and It's a perfect oasis for a year where travel feels both foreign and essential.

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, illustrator and comic artist. Her work has been featured in Vancouver magazine, Western Living, BCBusiness, Avenue, Serviette, Geist, BCLiving, Nuvo, Montecristo, The Georgia Straight and more. Her beats are food, travel, arts and culture, style, interior design and anything dog-related. She publishes a daily autobiographical comic on Instagram at @hialyssacomics.