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(CNN) — American food is immigrant food.That’s evident in the cookbook “A Place at the Table: New American Recipes from the Nation’s Top Foreign-Born Chefs,” which celebrates this essential truth about the country’s cuisine.Diners with wanderlust know that to taste the world’s most varied flavors, it’s now as easy as heading to a restaurant in any pocket of the US. Scores of immigrant chefs in cities across the nation mix and match their cuisines of origin with local ingredients in dishes as rich, varied and ever-evolving as American heritage itself. It’s fusion but without all the fuss of being Fusion, with a capital F.Culinary contributionsMarcus Samuelsson’s Berbere-Smoked Salmon with Sweet Potato Waffles incorporates Ethiopian flavors and spices.Courtesy Peter HurleyWhen the jury for the Vilcek Foundation, whose aim is to raise awareness and appreciation of immigrant contributions in America, set out to honor stars in the culinary arts last year, they knew the breadth of talent from which to pick would be great. Marcus Samuelsson, owner of Harlem’s Red Rooster and arguably the most recognizable ambassador for culinary immigrant opportunity in this country (as well as one of its staunchest advocates) took the top prize — a $100,000 cash award. “Unless you’re Native American, you’re an immigrant,” he tells CNN. “Our journeys are different, but we share big dreams. The key is to remember that. Eating each other’s foods, listening to each other’s music, hearing each other’s stories, act as a constant reminder.” The Foundation’s Creative Promise Awards, which come with a $50,000 purse, were handed out to the New York Times California food critic Tejal Rao and chefs Fabián von Hauske Valtierra and Nite Yun.Erik Bruner-Yang’s Oysters with Uni is all about brine on brine, according to chef Bruner-Yang.Courtesy John Taggart “We were overcome by the sheer number of candidates whose work and experiences so clearly reflected our foundation’s values. ‘A Place at the Table’ is an opportunity to expand the conversation about immigrants’ contributions with a wider audience,” says Vilcek Foundation president, Rick Kinsel.The cookbook features two recipes each from the 40 star chefs featured. Their stories, marked by achievement and uplift, are as varied as their dishes, as demonstrated by the feast-for-the-eyes pics. “The food we make in America today is a reflection of ourselves,” writes Spanish-born super chef and humanitarian José Andrés, the 2010 Vilcek Prize-winner (he launched World Central Kitchen with his Vilcek prize money), in the book’s foreword. “…it is the creation of generations of immigrants representing waves of migration from all around the world. “Today, sushi, kebabs and tacos are just as important to American cuisine as burgers, pizza, and meatloaf.”Forging American culinary identityChef Nite Yun’s Coconut Milk-Marinated Pork with Rice (Bai Sach Chrouk) fuses Cambodian flavors with California produce.Courtesy Karaminder GhumanFor Nite Yun, who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after her parents escaped the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, honoring her heritage by reviving its food in the US seems close to a calling. Her wildly popular Oakland restaurant Nyum Bai sprung from her passion to reshape the story of Cambodian people, this time marked not by violence and war, but by resilience and beauty. “I have received letters from Khmers that Nyum Bai has inspired them to connect with their roots and to learn about their history,” she says. “I think food is a beautiful way to communicate stories and also has to ability to bring people together.” It’s not surprising then that her recipes like Fried Fish Fillets with Mango Salad and Coconut Milk-Marinated Pork with Rice stay true to Cambodian flavors and ingredients as much as the California growing season allows. Finding flavor For others, however, mixing it up is the key to their approach to food. “I think America is the world’s most awesome melting pot — and that encompasses my approach to food,” says India-born, Nashville-based Maneet Chauhan. “My roots are in India while I continue to grow in America.”Maneet Chauhan’s Naanzanella takes naan, a flatbread integral to Indian cuisine, and gussies it up.Courtesy Emily B. HallHer approach to nachos, invented themselves by a Mexican chef for an American clientele just south of the border, reflects that idea. From the start, the staple of football Sundays reminded Chauhan of the Indian snack chaat. For her Lamb Keema Papdi Nachos (recipe below), she combines textures and flavors for a fresh take.Similarly, Taiwanese-American Erik Bruner-Yang, who helms several DC hotspots, flips the hush puppy — a food truly rooted in this country, tracing its origins to Native American tradition of cooking with ground corn — on its head by reimagining it with Japanese flavors.”For Takoyaki Hush Puppies I was really excited about exploring regional staples from two varying countries and figuring out how we can could deliver two unique culinary experiences in the format of one dish. To someone that has never had Takoyaki before this would kind of rope them into trying it. Vice versa for someone that has never had a hush puppy but loves Takoyaki.”On the horizonAsked what’s next — or what they’d like to be next — to grab our appetite for heritage cuisine, answers vary.Considering the current landscape, Samuelsson says “I would love to know more about Native American food and origin. I’m also interested in important local stories like how come there is a huge Somalian population in Minnesota or a large Indian community in Edison, New Jersey, which is so contradictory climate-wise. That is fascinating to me.” Chauhan would like the conversation around immigrant food to move beyond the traditionally broad stroke of “ethnic.” “When you say Indian food, you cannot define the type of food because every region in India has a distinct cuisine,” she says. “I hope that more people start discussing the regionality of food — whether that be Indian, Thai, Vietnamese — and understanding the different types.”Fried Fish Fillets with Mango Salad (Trei Jien) from Nite Yun are a part of the chef’s history.Courtesy Karaminder GhumanBruner-Yang sees “A Place at the Table” as a way to map the ever-evolving American culinary experience: “It has an amazing range of chefs, simple to complicated dishes, and so many different journeys. I am rooting for more volumes so over the course of time it turns into an encyclopedia of the journey of what it means to be cooking food in America.” Despite the current political climate around immigration, the chefs all agree that the future holds plenty of promise, especially when food is used as a means to bring people together. “I believe that if each and every conversation was had around a table of delicious food and drink, there would be no disagreements!” says Chauhan. “And I think that’s what this entire book is about.”Recipe for Maneet Chauhan’s Lamb Keema Papdi Nachos Lamb Keema Papdi Nachos are bursting with flavor and texture.Courtesy Emily B. HallThe first time I had nachos, the combination of flavors, textures, and colors reminded me of chaat, which are crispy, crunchy, saucy snacks beloved in India. I instantly fell in love, and knew I wanted to create a dish that blended the two together. I included a recipe to make your own papdi chips, but you can buy them, along with many of the other ingredients, at Indian markets. The tamarind chutney adds a flavor that almost mimics barbecue sauce. For the papdi chips 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 g) besan (gram or chickpea flour) 1⁄2 teaspoon ajowan seeds1⁄4 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed1⁄8 teaspoon saltBaking soda1⁄2 cup (15 g) fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped2 teaspoons canola oil, plus more for frying the chips2 tablespoons all-purpose flour For the lamb keema 2 tablespoons coconut oil2 onions, finely choppedSalt1 large tomato, finely chopped 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) tomato purée 1⁄2 tablespoon ginger paste 1⁄2 tablespoon garlic paste2 tablespoons meat masala powder1 teaspoon chili powder1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves Granulated sugar1 pound (450 g) ground lamb3⁄4 cup (180 ml) water1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves For the pico de gallo 4 small tomatoes, finely diced2 small English cucumbers, finely diced3 small jalapeños (or Fresno chiles), seeded (optional) and finely diced1 small red onion, finely diced 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juiceSalt and freshly ground pepper Chaat masala For the lemon yogurt 1 cup (240 ml) plain yogurt3 tablespoons granulated sugar Zest of 1 lemon2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Salt For serving Tamarind chutney (see page 37), for drizzling 3 ounces (85 g) Provel cheese, grated 1⁄2 teaspoon chaat masala, for serving Pickled jalapeños, for serving For the papdi chipsIn a large bowl, whisk together the besan, ajowan seeds, crushed black peppercorns, salt, and a pinch of baking soda. Stir in the cilantro. Using your hands, rub the canola oil into the mixture then add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to make a sticky dough. Add the all-purpose flour and knead in the bowl to form a stiff dough. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until 1⁄8 inch thick (0.25 cm). Cut the dough into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces. Set a rack inside a baking sheet and arrange it near the stove. In a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, bring about 3 inches (7.5 cm) of canola oil to 350°F (180°C). Working in batches, carefully add a few rounds of dough to the hot oil and fry, occasionally flipping and moving them around in the oil, for about2 minutes or until crisp and golden yellow. Using a slotted spoon or a strainer with a handle, transfer the chips to the rack to drain and cool. Repeat to fry the remaining chips. For the lamb keema In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the tomato and tomato purée and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is thick. Add the ginger and garlic pastes, followed by the meat masala powder and chili powder and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the fenugreek leaves, a large pinch of salt, a small pinch of sugar, and the ground lamb and stir to combine. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Season to taste with salt, sprinkle with the cilantro, and keep warm. For the pico de gallo In a small bowl, combine the toma- toes, cucumbers, jalapeños, red onion, and lemon juice and season to taste with salt, pepper, and chaat masala. Set aside some of the pico de gallo for serving. For the lemon yogurt In a bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and the lemon zest and juice and season to taste with salt. Set aside some yogurt for serving. The leftover yogurt can be refrigerated and should be used within 1 or 2 days. For serving Set the oven to broil.Arrange half the papdi chips on an oven-safe platter or baking sheet. Top with half the lamb mixture and a drizzle of tamarind chutney. Add the remaining chips, followed by the remaining lamb mixture and sprinkle with the Provel cheese. Broil a few inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. Top the nachos with some pico de gallo, lemon yogurt, chaat masala, and pickled jalapeños. Serve hot.

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(CNN) — Panda brothers Pit and Paule took their first steps outside Wednesday with their mother Meng Meng at Zoo Berlin. The twins — the first pandas ever to be born in Germany — are on view to the public for the first time on Thursday.The pair, who also have Chinese names, were born on August 31, 2019.Pit (Meng Xiang) is “laid-back, dreamy and always ready for a nap,” according to Zoo Berlin’s website. Paule (Meng Yuan) is 48 minutes younger than his more sedate sibling and “known for his mischievous, inquisitive nature.” Two zoo keepers carry the young panda twins at the Berlin Zoo.Michael Sohn/APBrother Pit will give Paule a loud yelp when his younger brother gets too rough and tumble, the zoo noted.”On this special day I would particularly like to thank the Zoo’s committed team of keepers, vets and biologists,” said Zoo and Tierpark Director Dr. Andreas Knieriem in a statement. “But I am also grateful to everyone else who contributed to the successful breeding of these wonderful bears here at Zoo Berlin.”The twins’ parents — mother Meng Meng and father Jiao Qing — arrived in Germany in summer 2017. They’re on loan from China for a fee that goes toward conservation work. As is normal for giant pandas, Jiao Qing is not involved in the rearing of the cubs. The cubs will stay at Zoo Berlin for their first few years and eventually return to China.

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Editor’s Note — CNN Travel’s series often carry sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile. However, CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy.(CNN) — People are slurping dumplings in Portland, Oregon and in Berlin. They’re dipping bread crust into a cargo of melted cheese in Manhattan and Warsaw, and savoring bites of eggplant stuffed with ground walnuts in Washington DC and London. Georgian food and wine, long revered for its individuality, exoticness and delectability, is now finding its rightful place on tables around the world. The greatest gastronomic secret has been let out of the bag.Meanwhile, in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, a culinary revolution is taking place. Chefs are redefining the conception of Georgian food in terms of flavors, methods and sophistication.Driven by greater contact with the rest of the world, the movement is also a resurrection of old culinary traditions. There has never been a more exciting time to dine in Georgia.Here are the dishes you must try.KhinkaliThe best way to explore Georgian cuisine is to start with traditional fare, and no food says Georgia more than khinkali. This boiled dumpling originates from the high Caucasus, where it is traditionally stuffed with mutton, but down on the flatlands a spiced blend of ground beef and pork is more commonly used. Because the dumplings pack a rich broth, you must first bite a hole and slurp the stock before gobbling the khinkali down. Don’t even think of using a knife and fork. Hundreds of restaurants serve khinkali and everyone has their favorite. However only a handful of places mix the dough by hand, making it more indelicate and sticky as it absorbs the juices. Sioni 13, a new place in Old Town, serves outstanding Khevsuretian beef and pork, made by a highland native, while Zakhar Zakharich (3 Sanapiro St), under Tbilisi’s Dry Bridge, offers delicious mushroom and traditional lamb versions.Khachapuri and acharuli”Khacho” means curd in Georgian and “puri” means bread. Put those words together and you have the legendary cheesebread that comes in various shapes, sizes, and variations. (It is no longer khachapuri, however, when the bread is stuffed with beans, meat or potatoes.)Google “khachapuri” and the iconic acharuli invariably comes up because, frankly, there is nothing like it in the world. Named after the Black Sea region of Adjara where it originates, the pie is literally a boat of supple leavened dough with a payload of gooey cheese topped with a raw egg yolk and a gob of butter. It is the mother of all comfort foods, eaten with the hands by ripping off pieces of crust and dipping them into the arterially perilous fondue. Often imitated but never matched, real acharuli can only be found in an Adjaran grandmother’s kitchen, a few Batumi restaurants, or at Cafe Retro, in Tbilisi, made by the hands of Gia Agirba, a Batumi native, in his personally-designed oven.MtsvadiMtsvadi with goat is served at the Restaurant Kakhelebi.Justyna MielnikiewiczTaking chunks of meat, skewering and roasting them on coals is perhaps the most primitive carnivorous dish. Yet Georgians have somehow perfected this basic way of preparing meat, particularly in the eastern region of Kakheti, where they use the burning embers of grape vine trimmings — which burn hot and fast — to make mtsvadi. Typically made from pork, it’s on the menu at most traditional restaurants in Tbilisi. Not all, however, go all out with choice cuts, perfectly cooked and seasoned — especially those where tourists are the target customers. On the outskirts of town, away from the sightseers, is Kakhelebi, a restaurant that raises the bar of Kakhetian cooking by using the freshest ingredients and whipping up traditional recipes most restaurants ignore — like nettle salad, or the house specialty, roasted oyster mushrooms with fresh tarragon. Their mtsvadi with pork, veal and goat is to die for.ShkmeruliThe mountain region of Racha is sometimes called “the land of swine and wine,” famous for its smoked pork and semi-sweet kvanchkara wine. It is also the birthplace of the monumental garlic chicken dish, shkmeruli. Roasted in a raw ceramic casserole dish with milk and enough garlic to ward off a battalion of vampires, shkmeruli is not for the faint-hearted. It is always a good idea to order roasted potatoes to dip into the sauce after the bones are sucked dry, but bread will also do. A great place to dig in like a hungry vampire hunter is at Rachis Ubani, in the Tbilisi ethnographic park overlooking the city.Kharcho with ghomiKharcho is a spicy marriage of veal, tomato garlic and spices.Justyna MielnikiewiczWalnuts feature heavily in Georgian cuisine, whether ground and mixed into cucumber and tomato salads, blended into vegetable pâté called phkali, or crushed into the holiday dessert, gozinaki. They’re also used to thicken stews, like the west Georgian kharcho — a spicy marriage of veal, tomato, garlic, and a plethora of spices. Kharcho goes perfectly with ghomi, Georgian polenta. Before the Georgians had corn, they made ghomi with a local millet, a fact that has been all but forgotten. One Tbilisi chef, Giorgi Iosava, makes a gorgeously thick kharcho that he serves with millet ghomi at his cozy bohemian basement restaurant, Salobie Bia. Chakapuli and mussels chakapuliThey call Tekuna Gachechiladze the queen of Georgian fusion — a moniker she disdains as she says all Georgian food is fusion, influenced by centuries of contact with Silk Road travelers and outright conquerors. Yet she was the first chef to boldly experiment with traditional recipes and, in doing so, set new trends in the local food scene. Some of her recipes are now riffed on at restaurants around the world. One of her more famous is mussels chakapuli, a recipe that angered many traditionalists for its gastronomic blasphemy. Chakapuli is a stew of lamb (or veal), sour plums, white wine, and a heroic wad of fresh tarragon, and is a seasonal dish served on Easter Sunday. Gachechiladze simply substituted mussels for the meat to create this singular, zesty, eye-popping seafood specialty, which she serves at Cafe Littera, an idyllic restaurant in the lush garden of the early 20th-century David Sarajishvili mansion. There’s no lovelier place for summer dining in the city.Paul Rimple is a freelance journalist based in Tbilisi since 2002. For the past four years he’s been the the bureau chief for Culinary Backstreets Tbilisi.

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Tinian, Northern Marina Islands (CNN) — In these days of long airport security lines and faceless online reservation systems, imagine booking a flight with an airline where you can ask for your pilot by name and then sit in the co-pilot’s seat. With that kind of availability, young pilots from around the world are gaining a bit of fame — in China specifically — and a great deal of precious experience at Star Marianas Air, a small Pacific island carrier.From a base on the tiny island of Tinian, Star Marianas flies to other US island territories in the Pacific — Guam, Rota and Saipan as well as Tinian.Among those are scheduled flights on one of the shortest routes in the world, a less than 10-minute hop from Saipan to Tinian, just 10 miles (16 kilometers) across the blue Pacific.Take this flight to meet Kai Frenay, a 24-year-old from Texas by way of Guam.Frenay taxis the single-engine, six-seat Piper Cherokee out from the terminal at Saipan International Airport. He checks his gauges and settings as he nears the main runway for takeoff. The wind blows in through the partially opened passenger door.The drone of the engine makes hearing difficult. But the backseat passenger, a burly bearded gentleman, feels an urgent need to be heard, and he gets the passenger behind the pilot to tap him on the shoulder.Frenay removes his large headphones to hear.”Aren’t you going to shut that door?” the backseat passenger asks. The young pilot’s response is matter of fact.”I will before takeoff. Gets too hot in here if I do it now,” he shouts to the back seat.That’s a typical passenger reaction, says Frenay. And far from scary for someone who has become a bit of a veteran on this route, even though he’s only been in the job five months.”I was absolutely terrified!”Star Marinas pilot Matan Chen, a 33-year-old originally from Israel, gets ready for takeoff on the short Tinian-Saipan flight.Brad Lendon/CNNLater, sitting in the pilots’ room at Tinian airport, he recounts a more harrowing experience, one of the airline’s “discovery flights,” 25-minute charter tours above Saipan, where tourists get a chance to take the controls.”They get to fly the plane themselves. We have no hands on the controls. It’s all them,” Frenay says.Well, for the most part. The tourists don’t take off or land, and they can’t touch the throttle or the rudder. But Frenay says the yoke (steering wheel) enables then to get a full range of motion in the small plane.Most of the clients are Chinese and most don’t understand English. Communication is done with hand signals and a bit of Google translate.How would Frenay describe his first experience with this?”I was absolutely terrified!”The Chinese tourists have seen “Top Gun,” the classic 1980s film in which Tom Cruise plays a US Navy pilot and F-14 jet fighters zoom about the sky in gravity defying stunts. Sometimes, they expect a similar experience, to “feel the need for speed” as they say in the film.But the small Cessna 172 propeller plane Frenay uses on these flights goes about 130 mph (209 kph). Cruise’s F-14 did almost 1,800 mph (2,900 kph).”It’s sooooo slow,” the tourists will say.”Something was lost in translation,” Frenay deadpans.That momentary customer disappointment well may be the price Frenay and his fellow fliers pay for celebrity status — at least in China.Tourists like to go home and share their experiences with pictures on Chinese social media sites like Weibo, says Shaun Christian, president the airline founded by his father, Robert Christian, in 2008.”We have requests for pilots by name,” he says. “Even pilots who haven’t been with us for four years.”A pilot incubator George Haines, 48, Star Marianas assistant director of operations, says he can attest to the movie-star feel passengers bring. He pulls his cell phone from his pocket and produces a picture.He’s flanked by four tourists, all who came dressed as pilots, all giving a thumbs up.”You can see their uniforms are better than mine,” he says.Despite their sometimes celebrity status, the pilots of Star Marianas don’t usually stick around for long.Most have just obtained their commercial pilot’s licenses, which require 250 hours of cockpit experience. That’s not enough to land a job at a major airline or even a regional carrier in the US.But it’s plenty for Star Marianas, which sees itself as sort of a pilot incubator, according to Christian.Pilots fly around 70 hours a month, so they can build experience quickly.Christian says the excitement in learning to fly, getting a commercial license, getting a first aviation job, can wear off quickly when it becomes a work routine.”We have to … make sure they don’t start becoming complacent or that they start to find interesting and exciting things to do with the airplane to get that excitement back,” he says. The company funds activities like scuba diving or ATV treks to make sure there’s an outlet.Dallas Brissett, a 26-year-old former flight attendant from Utah, is just on her third day as a Star Marianas pilot and ready for the challenge. She says she’s here because it’s “character building — because it’s in the middle of the ocean.” And in a year or so on the job, she, like the other pilots, can reach the 1,500 flight hours needed for regional carriers.”I’m definitely a way better pilot now than when I first got here,” says Prevag Lukovic, a Serbia-born 29-year-old who grew up in Milwaukee and has been with Star Marianas since May 2019.He says he wants to fly for a cargo airline when he finishes his stint in the Pacific.No cakes allowedA sign at the Tinian airport cargo desk lets passengers know they can’t ship cakes as cargo.Brad Lendon/CNNAnd Star Marianas pilots get some eclectic cargo experience. Planes might carry everything from tractor tires to a huge bag of Big Macs on one flight.Sitting in the waiting area of the Saipan International Airport commuter terminal is a woman with a stack of boxes of Winchell’s doughnuts, which is a popular spot on the island of 50,000 residents.Christian says she’ll be taking them back for family and friends on Tinian, which only has a population of around 3,000 people and no doughnut shop of its own.Another flight might carry bread and other baked goods, he says.But Star Marianas had to draw the line at cakes.”We tried our best but sometimes even during the car ride from the bakery to here (Saipan airport) there will be damage to the cake,” he says. “When it gets to the consignee over on Tinian, well, they want their money back for the shipping, they want their money back for the cake.”We don’t know of any other airline in the world that accepts cakes in this condition for shipment. We’re probably going to have to yield to their better judgment and not do that,” Christian says.

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Kerala’s fascinating port city of Kochi is home to landmarks representing settlers from its past, but traditional culture is still alive and well.

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Kelowna, British Columbia (CNN) — For Valentine’s Day this year, you could indulge in a cocktail-paired tasting menu at a top Vancouver restaurant, jet off to Whistler for a ski holiday or book a cozy lodge on the west coast of Vancouver Island to storm watch. But for those tired of such romantic (Canadian) clichés, British Columbia’s Hotel Zed has a heart-day alternative.The hotel, with locations in Victoria and Kelowna, is offering a four-hour “Nooner” special on February 14, which it has done for the past five years. Couples can check in from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rates start at $59 CAD) for some nookie, followed by a game of post-coital ping-pong in the lounge or perhaps a sexy soak in the outdoor hot tub. Baby maker promoThe Canadian hotel chain has locations in Victoria and Kelowna and is set to open one in Tofino this year.Courtesy Hotel ZedThis holiday the hotel chain is raising the stakes with a baby maker promo — if sweethearts welcome a bundle of joy into their life nine months after the Nooner rendezvous, they’ll win a free stay at the Hotel Zed of their choice for the next 18 years. (Need further incentive? A new Zed is opening this summer in Tofino, a secluded hamlet on Vancouver Island famous for its rainforest hikes and surf breaks.) Hotel Zed CEO Mandy Farmer came up with the original Nooner idea when her kids were little and she was struggling to find quality, child-free time with her husband. The prospect of a romantic tryst on February 14 was more appealing to her than a bouquet of carnations or a box of chocolates, so she took the idea to the board and they ran with it. This year’s baby making incentive seemed like a fun twist — the holiday is notoriously known for engagements, so why not conceptions?”I don’t think we’re going to convince someone who’s not thinking about having a baby to have a baby. But if you’re serious about expanding your family, why wouldn’t you try?” Farmer asks. “If you succeed, you’ll win a way to celebrate your baby’s conception for the next 18 years.”Any baby, any wayCouples who become parents through surrogacy or adoption also qualify for the promo.Courtesy Hotel ZedHotel Zed is a Pride at Work partner, and the promotion is open to everyone regardless of gender identity, expression or sexual orientation. This means couples can still win the prize through surrogacy or adoption. Attention dog lovers: Fur babies don’t count.In certain circles, “nooner” is slang for illicit quickie, so the Valentine’s special comes across as tawdry to some. The hotel has received criticism through letters and comments on social media calling it shameful and disgusting. Since the baby maker promo launched on January 14, one Facebook user has accused the contest of discriminating against people who don’t want kids or who already have kids. The hotel responded directly to the Facebook post by saying it doesn’t mean to discriminate and will take that into account for future contests.On-brandIn the Hotel Zed Kelowna lobby, mod light fixtures and low-slung couches make for an inviting atmosphere.Courtesy Hotel ZedThe promotion is meant to be playful and encourage happy, healthy sex lives, says Farmer. It’s also consistent with Hotel Zed’s brand, which is all about being different.Both the Victoria and Kelowna properties are upcycled motels decorated with a nod to the 1970s. In the Kelowna Zed, located downtown across from City Park beach on the shore of Okanagan Lake, the lobby features low-slung couches and mod light fixtures, and the bright colors of the disco decade light up the walls, upholstered chairs and throw pillows. Guests can play an ABBA album at the vinyl listening station, compose a letter home on one of two vintage typewriters, or try out a pair of the four-wheel roller skates for free. There’s even a tiny disco, complete with a fog machine, mirrored disco ball and a karaoke set up.”It’s not huge but we like to think of it as intimate,” says assistant manager Kaileigh Battah. This sentiment could describe the entire property. From the cozy living room-style nook off the lobby and inviting window seats inside the Ping Pong Lounge, to rooms with cute kitchenettes, fun color schemes and comic book reading material, it feels more like your cool friend’s retro home than a hotel. Rooms even have rotary phones and instructions that explain how to use them. Game onOne returning couple likes the special touches, including candy cigarettes on the nightstand.Courtesy Hotel ZedThe funky atmosphere and comfy bed in The Kitschy King room, Battah’s favorite, just might get contest participants into a baby-making mood. But would a winning couple want to return to Hotel Zed year after year on Valentine’s Day? For Kelowna resident Jenn Sutton and her husband the answer is yes. They’ll be checking in to Hotel Zed this February 14 for their fourth Nooner. It’s become a Valentine’s Day tradition ever since a friend bought them a gift card three years ago.”It’s a really fun vibe in the hotel and they do an outstanding job,” says Sutton. “They leave us little candy cigarettes on the nightstand, and last year there was a deck of naughty cards in case we wanted to get creative with positions.”The couple won’t be trying for a baby, however — they already have two teenagers. “We will cheer on others,” Sutton says with a laugh. Lisa Kadane is a travel and lifestyle writer based in Kelowna, British Columbia.

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