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Preserving heritage one signature at a time

A Yellowknife bistro is leaving its signature on the food industry.

Bullocks Bistro in Old Town may be well known for its fish and chips but one of the biggest staples according to current owner Jo-Ann Martin is the 20 years of signatures which fill the inside of the restaurant.

“I consider our wall of signatures a living thing, she said. “Our food is great but I do believe the wall keeps people coming back.

Since the early 1990s the idea of signing the historic bistro has been almost as traditional as the fresh-from-the-lake fish which previous owners Sam and Renata Bullock served.

“It started with one tourist who asked if he could hang his picture on the wall and sign it,” said Renata. “People just kept putting up pictures, they would sign the tables, the wall and before you knew it they wanted to sign the floors.”

An idea which Sam was not fond of at first as locals and tourist began to go a little penmanship crazy.

“People even wanted to sign the window.... Renata had a large hardwood bread table

For over 20 years tourists, celebrities and local customers have signed everything from tables to stove-tops at Bullocks Bistro
Michael Hugall/ NNSL photo

which she made dough on and they would sign that too,” he said.

However after an overwhelming plea from customers he switched his thinking and allowed them to leave their respective mark on the establishment even though it sometimes got a little out of hand.

“I made up a sign for the old-wood table because people were putting a lot of ink on it after I sanded it which made it impossible to finish.” said Sam who claimed he tried reiterating the message with a sign. “My sign said 'this antique table came from Transylvania and if you write on it, the spirits of the table will haunt you...that didn't work.'”

The wall, consumed by signatures, business cards, pictures and even international currency has been featured all over the internet which continues to bring tourists to the location.

South Korean tourists Yun Ji, left and Yun Chan enjoy a meal in front of the famed wall of signatures at Bullocks.
Michael Hugall/ NNSL photo

“We heard about this place online and knew we had to come and try it,” said South Korean tourists Yun Ji and Yun Chan.

“We are going back to Toronto tomorrow, but this is a place we are definitely going to tell our friends about,” said Chan, pointing to her boarding pass she posted on the wall.

The wall has also attracted famous celebrities such as Canadian political comedian Rick Mercer and Duke of York, Prince Andrew.

The signatures on Bullocks Bistro has been a way for customers to leave their mark on the restaurant.

Not to be overlooked by the signatures on the wall is the signature style of traditional Indigenous cuisine which, as Sam looks back on, was a way to preserve his Gwich'in heritage.

“The idea for Bullocks dates back to a cold February night at our apartment,” said Sam. “Renata's dad served us traditional Croatian wine, after a few bottles we decided we wanted to take part in the Caribou carnival (now Long John Jamboree). With Renata's culinary expertise and my biology background we figured opening up a food business would be best.”

Sam added the idea for Fish and Chips came because the two wanted a business that was fast but nutritious.

Sam, a self-proclaimed artisan fillet-er, grew up inside a log house on the Mackenzie Delta and would travel back and forth from Inuvik until he was 16. He claims the way he cuts his fish is based on the traditional Gwich'in way.

“I had to modify them so that when the fillet came off the fish it was boneless and when you took the skin off the fillet would remain intact,” said Sam. “Out of all the NWT people who came to try the food from the Gwinch'in community they said it was the best fish they ever had.”

The history of Indigenous people indicate fish was one of the main resources available before first contact an aspect of the culture which Sam and Renata are both passionate about.

Bullocks Bistro is the creation of Sam and Renata Bullock, today it remains as the only restaurant in Yellowknife to serve fish and wild-game, exclusively.

“Fish is the future, it's a manageable resource and in many of the ethno-cultures of the native people you'll always find that fish is what brought them through a lean-winter and they never ran out of it,” said Renata.

“It's so tasty,” said Derrick Chocolate who finished a piece of whitefish and salad. “I've only been here two-times but the food here is just like how it was traditionally prepared.”

Bullocks remains the only establishment in the city which serves food exclusively from-the-lake and wild game, however both previous owners agree the restaurant is a signature on the food industry much the same as the people who left the signatures on the bullocks wall.

“It's all about consistency and the signature,” said Sam. “Our contribution to the north has been my artisan filleting and Renata's master of flavours. We wanted to create a welcoming atmosphere with delicious food...by the grace of God and some good luck we've seemed to have done that.”