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You might have been welcomed by her sunny smile if you ever took a cooking class at the Lakehouse Home Store & Cooking School on Bernard Avenue or if you dined at the former Krafty Kitchen on Lawrence Avenue.
The Lakehouse family and many others in Kelowna’s culinary community are mourning the loss of a woman described as a bright light.
Mia Papadopoulos was the front-of-house operations manager at the Lakehouse. She was previously the operations manager and sommelier at Krafty and had also worked as a sommelier in San Francisco.
In a post on its social media feeds on Monday, Lakehouse announced the “unexpected passing of beautiful Mia Papadopoulos”.
“Words can not describe the loss and the hole that is left in all of our hearts. Most importantly, our sincerest condolences to her family; we know just how much her family meant to her,” reads the post.
Lakehouse said that everyone who knew Mia knew what a bright light she brought to every room she stepped into.
“Her passion and dedication to hospitality will be forever remembered and admired. She helped bring life to our cooking school and made it better and warmer every day. She genuinely took care of everyone, ensuring they had the best experience possible, down to every last detail.”
Comments on the store’s Instagram account show how much Mia meant to the community.
Carnist Kelowna wrote, “We still can’t believe the news. Mia was such a sunshine and will be missed in the whole community. We are sending all our positive vibes to her loved ones.”
“We are so devasted by this news. Mia has such a light and a deep passion for our industry and truly loved it. She will do deeply missed,” wrote the Okanagan Chefs Association.
For the time being, the next few cooking classes have been cancelled at the Lakehouse Kitchen while co-workers deal with the loss and prepare to welcome guests back.
