The Home Base Youth Centre in Yellowknife is running a weekly program called Kitchen Talk, where youth can learn how to cook dishes from various cultures.
“Here in Canada, we’re very diverse, so we try to do as much as possible to bring in different kinds of cooks from different places,” said Vincent Ret, the recreation coordinator for Home Base.
The program aims to encourage youth to try new things and taste different cuisine.
Home Base invited cooks from restaurants across the city to whip up the dishes. They also have some staff who can prepare Middle Eastern food, Filipino meals and more.
Ret said the program has been offered on Wednesdays for more than 15 sessions and it has been a success every time.
“Mainly, I think it’s because there’s food involved and everybody loves eating,” he said.
The only expectation for the youth who participate is to show up and be willing to learn and sample the fare.
“We’ll teach you guys how to make food and have fun with us,” Ret said.
The program shows the youth that there is a structure and a process for preparing and presenting food, which can vary depending on the culture.
“By providing traditional foods to these programs, it’s a way to support youth and Elders, like connect with being out on the land without actually going out to be on the land, which is especially important for Indigenous youth and Indigenous Elders,” said Rena Mainville, land-based educator for children and youth with the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, who also acted as the chef recently.
She mentioned that since Dechinta’s fall program was cancelled — and it used to build and support community partnerships — she has therefore been taking advantage of this event instead.
“I feel really grateful to be able to build those partnerships with Home Base and the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre and all other organizations involved in putting something like this on,” she said.
Yellowknife Elder Emelda King, who was teaching the participants how to make bannock at a recent session, said she simply hoped to have fun with the hands-on experience.
