Latest / Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam / A Coffee with Renowned Indigenous Chef, Shane Chartrand!
Transcript
- 0:01Hi, I'm Shane Chartrand, and you're listening to Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam.
- 0:27Jennifer, I'm just gonna say this, it's cold.
- 0:30It's really cold.
- 0:31And guess what?
- 0:32What?
- 0:32It's gonna get colder.
- 0:33I knew you were gonna say that.
- 0:34It is freezing out there.
- 0:36But hey, it is Alberta, and it is December.
- 0:39And yeah, it's all just cold.
- 0:41Have you dug out your winter parka?
- 0:44I'm refusing to wear my winter parka until it dips to minus 20 during the day.
- 0:49Then I'll put my winter parka on.
- 0:51Overnight, one day this week, I'm just gonna say it.
- 0:53It's gonna dip.
- 0:54And this is without wind, minus 38.
- 0:56Okay, but I'm staying inside.
- 0:58So there's no need for the parka because I'm staying inside.
- 1:00Anyways, welcome everybody to another Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam.
- 1:05And we are coming to you again this morning, live from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson.
- 1:15So if you hear some noise in the background, maybe some kids screaming or talking or coffee machines whirring or people chattering, it's because we're live in the coffee shop.
- 1:23That's where we are.
- 1:24And it's a great day to come visit the Wall Coffee Roaster and try one of their new holiday drinks.
- 1:29That's right.
- 1:29They got their Christmas drinks out.
- 1:31Their eggnog latte, their peppermint mocha latte.
- 1:37Their, no, that's not a, the mocha is not a latte.
- 1:40It's just the mocha.
- 1:41Shows what I know about that.
- 1:42Yeah, I always get that.
- 1:43I'm always confused.
- 1:44And then- And the espresso cranberry tonic.
- 1:48I haven't tried that one yet.
- 1:49Me neither, but that sounds very interesting.
- 1:51So hey, if you're not doing anything this afternoon and it's cold where you are and you want to be warm, come down to the Wall Coffee Roasters, and have a Christmas coffee.
- 2:00That's right.
- 2:00Kind of cool.
- 2:01So yeah.
- 2:02And we want to make mention that today Coffee In The Park is brought to you by Wing Snob.
- 2:09Where the wings are fresh, never frozen, Cam with 16 different flavors.
- 2:1316! And 4 rubs.
- 2:154 rubs, 16 flavors, best parm fries you're ever going to have.
- 2:18And they make this amazing cornbread.
- 2:20I love that cornbread.
- 2:22I could just eat the cornbread.
- 2:25But I like the wings.
- 2:26Well, I was going to say, we're going to start with the wings.
- 2:28And I always ask you this, and I do it because maybe from week to week it changes.
- 2:32What's your favorite flavor?
- 2:33Well, I really am liking the mango habanero this week.
- 2:35That's what you liked last week.
- 2:37I know, but it's still good.
- 2:37I was hoping you'd change it.
- 2:38Well, yeah.
- 2:39But I'm with you.
- 2:40It's great, that mango habanero.
- 2:42So, hey folks, if you've never been to a Wing Snob, you've got to go to Wing Snob.
- 2:4510 locations here in the city of Edmonton.
- 2:47And it's a game day here in Edmonton.
- 2:49And I think, are the Oilers playing tonight?
- 2:51I don't know.
- 2:51I think they are.
- 2:52So, on game day, you can get their Wing Snob Oilers special.
- 2:56It's amazing.
- 2:56Stop by.
- 2:57You don't have to cook.
- 2:58Bring the family around the TV.
- 2:59Watch the Oilers game and have Wing Snob.
- 3:02Check them out at www.wingsnob.ca.
- 3:05That's it.
- 3:06And we'd also like to thank Mprint.
- 3:09Let's get that right.
- 3:10Mprint.
- 3:11Not Im.
- 3:12Mprint.
- 3:13For sponsoring us some of the most amazing printers you will ever find.
- 3:16They're located right here in Acheson and they do amazing work.
- 3:20Anything from business cards all the way up to...
- 3:24Well they wrap.
- 3:25Vehicles.
- 3:25They wrap.
- 3:26They do.
- 3:27Yeah.
- 3:27They wrap them.
- 3:28I don't know if they wrap your house.
- 3:29We should ask them.
- 3:29Oh, I bet they would.
- 3:31That would be so cool to wrap your entire house.
- 3:34They wrap windows like Christmas themes and Oilers themes.
- 3:37They do Oilers themes and Christmas themes.
- 3:39But hey, give them a call.
- 3:40Whatever you might need, whether it's brochures or booklets or business cards or whatever it is, Mprint here in Acheson, they're amazing.
- 3:46www.mprint.ca.
- 3:49Check them out.
- 3:50I'm really excited about today's show because we have a guest who's going to talk about one of my favorite topics.
- 3:56Food.
- 3:57Yeah, food's the way to.
- 3:59Right now, food.
- 4:00The world's going crazy.
- 4:02The stabilizer is food.
- 4:04You're right.
- 4:04I'm going to run on that platform.
- 4:06I'm going to run for office on that platform.
- 4:08It's part of the realest party, Cam.
- 4:09That's right.
- 4:09Part of the realest party.
- 4:11Jennifer and I have started the realest party.
- 4:13You don't have to pay to join.
- 4:15You don't get to vote for anything, but you're just part of the realest party. You're just real.
- 4:18Anyway, I'm so excited about our guest today.
- 4:20I think this is going to be a great show.
- 4:22And Jennifer, introduce him.
- 4:24Okay.
- 4:25Let's go.
- 4:25Our guest today is Shane Chartrand.
- 4:29Welcome, Shane.
- 4:30Good to have you.
- 4:31Chef Shane.
- 4:31Hello.
- 4:31Thank you very much.
- 4:33Do we call you Chef or what would you like us to call you?
- 4:35You can call me Shane.
- 4:37Okay.
- 4:37But I like Chef because I think that's cool.
- 4:40I like Chef too because I've earned, I believe, I've earned that title.
- 4:44That's right.
- 4:45And so, if you've probably heard this name before, folks, because Shane was a contestant on Top Chef Canada, did I say that right?
- 4:53Yes.
- 4:54Top Chef Canada, Season 11.
- 4:56Season 11.
- 4:57And so you might have watched him.
- 4:59You know, I actually, I first saw you, I'll tell you where I first saw you, at Q-Bar.
- 5:04Oh, Q-Bar, that must've been a while ago.
- 5:05I was there with a friend of mine, Adam, and Adam, he pointed, you were at the bar, and he goes, do you know who that guy is?
- 5:12And I have to admit, at that time, I did not know who you were.
- 5:15Yeah.
- 5:15He goes, that's Chef Shane Chartrand.
- 5:18Right.
- 5:19And I was too scared to come up and say hi, so I didn't do that.
- 5:21Okay, before we talk about that, I gotta bring it back to your original conversation that you were having prior to me jumping in with you.
- 5:29Yeah.
- 5:30Food.
- 5:31Food.
- 5:31Okay, listen, this is how I do my Christmas.
- 5:35If there's kids or adults that are very sticklers on what they specifically want, that's fine.
- 5:41Yeah.
- 5:42I'll get you what you want.
- 5:43Yeah.
- 5:43Yeah.
- 5:44But who is to say food is not the best Christmas gift?
- 5:48Oh, 100%.
- 5:50I agree.
- 5:51If my family's listening, this is good right now.
- 5:54Yeah.
- 5:54Okay.
- 5:55So my brother is going to laugh.
- 5:57He's going to laugh because my brother doesn't watch TV, doesn't listen to radio.
- 6:03But this is why I can spoil it for him, for your listeners because this is the truth.
- 6:09Yeah.
- 6:10Cree, tâpwê, truth.
- 6:13Rib eye.
- 6:13I'm going to buy him a whole, an entire rib eye.
- 6:17Do you mean one of them big ones with the bone? No, not a tomahawk.
- 6:22No, just a bone out rib eye. Rib roast, like a prime rib.
- 6:24But are you going to make it for him?
- 6:26No, no.
- 6:27Like he gets the whole thing.
- 6:28Here you go.
- 6:29See, that is the most amazing gift ever.
- 6:31Now, I imagine something like that, you can't leave under the tree for a week.
- 6:35No, he'll get it the day of, that's right.
- 6:36Yeah, he'll get it the day of.
- 6:38I work in the Old Strathcona Farmers Market, I got a cafe there.
- 6:41Yes, you do.
- 6:42So they have, I'm going to get my dad some wild game, my mom some seafood, she loves lobster.
- 6:50My brother loves anything food.
- 6:52And then all the kids and everything just get what they want.
- 6:54Oh, I love it.
- 6:55Food?
- 6:56When does food become so bloody expensive that now it's a gift?
- 7:00Well, no, that's right, right?
- 7:02Like 10 years ago, giving a steak would have meant whatever.
- 7:06Just whatever.
- 7:07Did you just give me a steak for Christmas?
- 7:08You got to take a third mortgage out just to get a decent steak. I know, that's anything! It's ridiculous.
- 7:12I know, anything. $60 something dollars.
- 7:14You'll see a couple of steaks in whatever store.
- 7:19Like $45?
- 7:20Yeah! What happened?
- 7:22It's nuts, but it's getting worse.
- 7:24But anyway.
- 7:25That's another podcast.
- 7:26We don't need to get into that.
- 7:27But I love what you're saying.
- 7:29Giving the gift of food.
- 7:32Because this is great.
- 7:33I think it's fabulous.
- 7:34But we need to take it back to the very beginning.
- 7:37There's so much to know about our guest today.
- 7:39He's an amazing guy.
- 7:40He's done amazing things.
- 7:42And let's start from the beginning.
- 7:45Where did it all start for Chef Shane? Where did you grow up?
- 7:49Okay, I'll make this real quick, snappy, as fast as possible.
- 7:52I grew up on a farm outside of Red Deer.
- 7:55I came to culinary school because I wanted to be a chef.
- 7:58Everyone, I'm just going to say it the way it is.
- 8:00Everyone laughed.
- 8:01Everyone thought it was a silly idea.
- 8:03A chef has a career.
- 8:04That's not a career.
- 8:06I'm like, okay, the more you say no, the more I want to do it.
- 8:10So I went to culinary school, got my Red Seal in my 20s.
- 8:14I'm 50 now.
- 8:16I've been cooking a long time.
- 8:17I never quit either.
- 8:19I never quit because you know what?
- 8:21I could go up north.
- 8:22I could make my money on the oil rigs or whatever.
- 8:27I didn't want to be the guy to do that.
- 8:29I worked my way up the ladder the way you're supposed to.
- 8:32That doesn't happen anymore.
- 8:33Everyone thinks you're just a chef at 20.
- 8:36Self-proclaimed or no culinary school at all.
- 8:40Self-proclaimed.
- 8:41I did everything the way I was supposed to, including wine training.
- 8:44Then I moved here for school, finished that and went to hotels, restaurants, bistros, Japanese joints.
- 8:50And then I starred in competition.
- 8:51Then I started travel.
- 8:52Then I wrote a book.
- 8:54And then I kept traveling more.
- 8:57Yeah.
- 8:58Okay.
- 8:58But I really, really.
- 8:59So, what age were you when you thought, when you really started liking cooking?
- 9:05Like, how old were you?
- 9:06Oh, yeah.
- 9:06Really young.
- 9:07You know what it was?
- 9:09I'm going to tell you what the epiphany was.
- 9:11I saw a couple.
- 9:13They were really young, too.
- 9:14A couple came into the restaurant I was at.
- 9:16I don't know how long have you lived in?
- 9:18Do you live in Edmonton?
- 9:19Yeah.
- 9:19Yeah.
- 9:20Well, I was born here.
- 9:22So, there you go.
- 9:23You know the place.
- 9:24Yeah.
- 9:24When I was younger, when I was younger, a couple came in.
- 9:29I mean, when I was in my 20s, a couple came into the restaurant and the owner said, cook for them.
- 9:35And I'm like, sounds good.
- 9:36And it was their first date.
- 9:38Oh, yeah.
- 9:38And so went out and they were so happy and they were in love with each other.
- 9:43And I was thinking to myself, wait a minute, they actually drove all the way out here to this crappy place I'm working at.
- 9:52It's long gone.
- 9:53You don't want to name it?
- 9:54It was in Red Deer.
- 9:55Oh, okay.
- 9:56We are in Red Deer.
- 9:57Before, this is the epiphany to go to culinary school and become a chef.
- 10:00Right, right.
- 10:02So it was across the street from the tea cup restaurant, Glenn's Restaurant, down.
- 10:07But no, it wasn't Glenn's.
- 10:09I did work at Glenn's as a kid, but it was down from there, long torn down.
- 10:13It was a truck stop.
- 10:14Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 10:14A true truck stop.
- 10:15Yeah, true truck stop.
- 10:17That's where they wanted to go for their dinner.
- 10:19Right.
- 10:20And my food affected them so much, I thought about it.
- 10:24I'm like, you know, I could be a plumber, but I'm paid to do a job.
- 10:30Right.
- 10:30Right?
- 10:30Yeah.
- 10:31And there's nothing wrong with that job.
- 10:32No, good job.
- 10:33Yeah.
- 10:34Or am I going to be selfish and take in that self-gratification that I'm going to get right away, or possibly the insult of bad food right away?
- 10:43Right.
- 10:43I better be good.
- 10:44Yeah.
- 10:45So because I made such an impression on them, it made me think, you know what?
- 10:49I can actually change people's day.
- 10:52Right.
- 10:52I can change their lives in one sitting.
- 10:55And that couple has been affected by what I cooked for them.
- 10:59And then boom.
- 10:59Well, that's true, right?
- 11:01Because if you've had a really good meal at a restaurant, you never forget it and you talk about it for the rest of your life.
- 11:07If you've had a bad meal, you'll never go back.
- 11:10That's it.
- 11:10You'll never go back.
- 11:11That's exactly it.
- 11:12And the point on that is you wake up in the morning, you burn your toast, you're pissed off.
- 11:17Yeah, yeah, that's right.
- 11:18You're going to work, ahh.
- 11:19Yeah, no.
- 11:20It's going to affect your mood.
- 11:22Absolutely.
- 11:23Yeah, a burnt toast can wreck your whole day.
- 11:24Yeah, I'm just saying.
- 11:26Or a bad cup of coffee.
- 11:29You are Cree, from Enoch Cree, is that correct?
- 11:33Yeah, I'm also from the Enoch Cree Nation.
- 11:34Yeah, that's right, which is for those listening around the world, because we have listeners around the world, that is Enoch Cree Nation is just right next to Edmonton.
- 11:42Yeah, I drive by it every day, I go by it every day on my way home.
- 11:45And so yeah, great place, wonderful people.
- 11:48And so 20 years old, you caught the bug, or earlier than 20.
- 11:52Yes, yes, I was no, I was probably just a little over 20, 21, 22.
- 11:57Yeah, I'm like, I got to be a chef.
- 11:59But there's more to it.
- 12:00Yeah, anybody in your family, a chef?
- 12:02No, nobody.
- 12:03You're the only one.
- 12:03No one, just myself, me and people.
- 12:06My family still are blown away.
- 12:08Especially my dad.
- 12:09Yeah.
- 12:10He's just like, I can't believe you picked culinary as a career.
- 12:12I just, I never expected you to go this far.
- 12:14Was he supportive of that?
- 12:15Oh, yeah, my mom and my dad still are.
- 12:18And they're around and still loving, you know, following my stuff.
- 12:24They don't always get it.
- 12:25And I understand.
- 12:27The food world is ever-changing.
- 12:28That's why the cookbook, Tawâw, means come in.
- 12:32Okay.
- 12:32Like as you enter Edmonton, Tawâw, come in, come in, welcome.
- 12:37You're welcome.
- 12:38It basically just means come in, you're welcome.
- 12:41Which is what the book means.
- 12:43And then Progressive Indigenous Cuisine on that cookbook just means food is ever-changing.
- 12:47Not progressive as in getting finer diner.
- 12:50That's not it.
- 12:50Fine dining has nothing to do with it.
- 12:52It's just food is changing.
- 12:53So my family don't follow it like I do.
- 12:56No one does.
- 12:57Wow.
- 12:57That's okay.
- 12:58Yeah.
- 12:58So you went to culinary school.
- 12:59Yeah.
- 12:59Here in Edmonton.
- 13:00I went to NAIT.
- 13:01NAIT.
- 13:02I'm a proud NAIT grad.
- 13:04Right on.
- 13:04I actually have a NAIT sweater.
- 13:06Go ookpiks.
- 13:06No, but I just got a new one.
- 13:09I'm 50 now.
- 13:10And I throw on it.
- 13:11They got this new black one out.
- 13:12It's really cool.
- 13:13And like, because people steal them.
- 13:16Like, what the heck?
- 13:17Like right off your back or what, man?
- 13:19Like, that's really great.
- 13:23Okay.
- 13:23You went to NAIT.
- 13:24Yes.
- 13:25Then you graduated.
- 13:26And you're a Red Seal chef.
- 13:28Yeah, I'm a Red Seal chef.
- 13:30That's like important for people to know.
- 13:32You're certified.
- 13:33Yeah.
- 13:34So this is the thing for people to know, though.
- 13:37I'm a certified cook.
- 13:39The Red Seal is like a plumber.
- 13:42You can't be a plumber without a Red Seal.
- 13:44Right, right.
- 13:44You can't be a chef without a Red Seal, but you are not a chef.
- 13:49You earn that title.
- 13:51That's why it's important that you ask.
- 13:53I like that.
- 13:54I didn't know that.
- 13:55Yeah, you have to earn the chef title.
- 13:58Right.
- 13:59And that's why I don't want people to whip it around like, with no regard.
- 14:03I'm a chef.
- 14:04How can you possibly be a chef at 23?
- 14:06How, unless you literally took no day off, you cooked day and night for the past two straight years and years and years.
- 14:14Actually, to be honest, you should be in your early 30s to mid 30s to be a proper chef.
- 14:20Really?
- 14:21You should be.
- 14:22But now everyone whips it around and that's why.
- 14:24If you think about it, that's like a doctor.
- 14:26Seriously, right?
- 14:27Because you're not a real doctor at 21.
- 14:30Or even at 27 when you graduate from med school.
- 14:33You gotta put your time in.
- 14:35Think about, put it in this regard.
- 14:37You have to know meat cutting, baking, knife skills, gourmanger, rotisseur, you have to poissonnier, which is French terms for like fish cookery, meat cookery, grill, grilling, marinating.
- 14:50Then you have to do cold kitchen where years ago when I worked at the Four Seasons, which is a Sutton place, you'd have a kitchen, in a kitchen, in a kitchen.
- 14:58So this is the main kitchen.
- 15:00Then that would be a temperature control kitchen inside the kitchen.
- 15:03And there's a chef that runs that part.
- 15:05I was a chef of the Fantasyland, three floors into the downstairs all the way up, two kosher kitchens, plus I was their private chef and I had to run all the kitchens.
- 15:15And then there's catering.
- 15:18Folks, you never, the average person coming in to the restaurant knows none of this, none of this.
- 15:24We just come to eat, to have a good meal.
- 15:26We have no idea what's going on behind the scenes.
- 15:29So here's another small example is that we already know because of training, how, when you're making a cheese and meat cracker platter, how big does it need to be for 50 people?
- 15:39We know by a box of crackers or if we make the crackers, whatever it might be, lavash or whatever, we'll already know what amount that should look like.
- 15:49A prime rib, just looking at it.
- 15:51Normally you weigh it and go, okay, if everyone's getting six ounces, the yield could be, do your math.
- 15:56We already know because you've been trained.
- 15:58So I did dinner theater.
- 16:00I've done all of it.
- 16:02That's all mathematics and so that is more information.
- 16:08I think it's incredible.
- 16:09In essence, there's a science behind this.
- 16:11There's a real science behind it.
- 16:13That people have no idea.
- 16:15Yeah, no idea.
- 16:17What you had to do to get to where you are today, the steps you had to go through, the places you had to tell.
- 16:23So tell us when you graduate, tell us some of the places you've worked.
- 16:26You mentioned a couple, Four Seasons.
- 16:28I worked in Edmonton.
- 16:29I worked at a place called Dante's Bistro and Sky Lounge, if you remember that place in the West End.
- 16:35Dante's with Chef Emmanuel David.
- 16:37I worked with him for quite a few years.
- 16:41He taught me a lot of good old school French terms.
- 16:45Then I worked at the Union Bank Inn.
- 16:48I worked at the Fantasyland Hotel.
- 16:50Then I switched over and worked at.
- 16:53Actually Dante's had a sushi bar in there too.
- 16:56We got a little bit of a touch of that.
- 16:58Noodle bowls, rice bowls.
- 17:01An then we, and then I worked, where the heck else did I work. Then I worked at the Hotel Mac, just the staple places you've got to go to.
- 17:10I felt it was necessary for me to be who I am.
- 17:16It's necessary to be able to do these things.
- 17:19Nowadays, this is what's destroying our world, is Pinterest and Instagram.
- 17:25So everyone gets ideas way quicker.
- 17:28Way back then, yes I know, call me old, call me whatever you want.
- 17:31Don't matter to me.
- 17:33It is what I'm, that's my age.
- 17:35So back then, what did you get inspired, what are you opening a better Betty Crocker cookbook?
- 17:41And getting inspired by the Coil, by the Coil. The coil bound. Like no thanks.
- 17:49No pictures.
- 17:51But listen to this, I was 23, somewhere in here, I opened up this book, Susur Lee.
- 17:59And Susur Lee, he's a colleague, he's from Toronto, he's Chinese, but does French cuisine mixed.
- 18:06He was like the king of fusion.
- 18:07When fusion was a thing.
- 18:09Now it's just a thing.
- 18:11Yeah.
- 18:12Mixed, there's no term anymore.
- 18:15But I was searching, because let's say, if we all graduate from school, we all follow each other's path, where are you gonna, how can, your marks are better, your marks are better, how am I gonna keep up with you, with you two?
- 18:26What's gonna make me stand out?
- 18:28Okay, so how am I gonna pull this off?
- 18:30I love my culture, I know nothing about my culture at a young age.
- 18:37So I went down that.
- 18:38But it was Susur Lee's Chinese cookbook that introduced me, because it had a wild game, it had birds, it had talons, it had beaks, it had feathers.
- 18:49You're not eating the beaks, it's just a picture of emotion.
- 18:53It's hunting, it's catching.
- 18:55I think you're right, because I think of like Julia Childs.
- 18:58She was an instigator for so many people in French cuisine.
- 19:04That's right.
- 19:04You're right.
- 19:05The cookbook with the spine, the coil spine, maybe not my...
- 19:09No, it's just...
- 19:09It's not gonna do much for you.
- 19:10It's just whatever...
- 19:11Yeah, it gets you where you go, that type of thing.
- 19:13Whatever grabs you.
- 19:14And that's what made me think, this is the path I need to be on, except not Chinese.
- 19:19My path.
- 19:19Your path.
- 19:20So I felt it was necessary.
- 19:22But why TV then?
- 19:24Why would I do that next?
- 19:25Why do you travel in TV than traveling all the way through?
- 19:29So let's talk about that.
- 19:30So now you're doing...
- 19:32Yes.
- 19:32How would you categorize your food?
- 19:34I do Progressive Indigenous Cuisine.
- 19:35Okay.
- 19:36Called nêhiyawi-, which is a word for Cree that is not Cree.
- 19:39It means Cree.
- 19:41So we're nêhiyawi- people, not Cree people.
- 19:43Okay.
- 19:46So I decided to start traveling to learn more.
- 19:50Sure.
- 19:51So, but you gotta realize I'm taking a big jump in not making any money.
- 19:55Of course.
- 19:55Yes. Yeah.
- 19:55So I'm gonna not make any money by learning.
- 19:58But stage in the culinary world and everyone has to do it.
- 20:02You have to just go, throw a bag on your back and go, bring your knives and just go learn.
- 20:09Right.
- 20:11And just travel.
- 20:12Would you do it?
- 20:13I don't know.
- 20:13I don't know.
- 20:15That's a pretty big risk.
- 20:16It is.
- 20:17It is.
- 20:17Yeah.
- 20:18That's what we do.
- 20:19Yeah.
- 20:20So where all did you go?
- 20:22I've cooked in New York, Chicago, LA.
- 20:28Northwest Territories, well, Behchokǫ̀, Cairo, Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh, sorry.
- 20:40And then just like all around Canada.
- 20:42Yeah.
- 20:42Yeah.
- 20:43All the major cities in the US.
- 20:44I've been in all the major cities in Canada.
- 20:46How long did you spend in each of those places?
- 20:48This is my question.
- 20:49Some months, some days.
- 20:52Yeah.
- 20:53Yeah.
- 20:54Some of them were called upon, some were not.
- 20:56Right now, I'm really trying to win over a spot up at Tuktoyaktuk.
- 21:01Really?
- 21:01To go whale, seal hunting or whale hunting.
- 21:05I won't get into that, but it's a dream of mine.
- 21:08Yeah.
- 21:09That would be incredible.
- 21:11It would be life changing.
- 21:12Oh, I can only imagine.
- 21:14We don't realize what we really have until we're taken in and we get back home in our own bed all snuggly.
- 21:20Yeah.
- 21:20No, I agree.
- 21:21Yeah.
- 21:22But then I thought to myself, wait a minute.
- 21:23Okay.
- 21:24So that's traveling and I'll continue that.
- 21:27But now why the cookbook came to me.
- 21:30Yeah, tell us about that.
- 21:31Somebody saw Michelle Peters.
- 21:38She's a food blogger.
- 21:39I can't remember.
- 21:40Yeah, yeah.
- 21:41She saw something that day.
- 21:42She's like, you need to write a book.
- 21:43It's incredible.
- 21:44Your food is beyond words.
- 21:46I can't explain what this is like to me.
- 21:48I would like to do Indian food because she's East Indian.
- 21:50I would like to do East Indian food in the same as yours, but I don't know how because I'm not a chef.
- 21:56But you need to write a book.
- 21:57So me and Jennifer Cockrall-King, who's a food writer, blogger, food writer, period, we connected.
- 22:05We were always crossing paths.
- 22:06Sure.
- 22:07But we never really had a real big reason.
- 22:09How many people you've crossed in your world?
- 22:11Yeah, yeah.
- 22:12You know what I mean?
- 22:13So we crossed paths and she's like, I love your story.
- 22:15I love your ideas.
- 22:16I'll journal it.
- 22:18Let's get going.
- 22:19And then we thought we'd be done in two years, took three.
- 22:22Because there was a year where me and her really had to, personal reasons.
- 22:27Yeah, yeah.
- 22:28My personal reasons, then she had personal issues.
- 22:30Right, right.
- 22:31Like family stuff.
- 22:32But I think people think writing a cookbook is just getting a whole bunch of recipes.
- 22:36And growing it in a book.
- 22:37Yeah, putting it in the book and now you got a cookbook.
- 22:39Obviously, this is not it.
- 22:41The next book will be easier.
- 22:43Yeah, for sure.
- 22:44You've done it already.
- 22:44Yeah.
- 22:45So, me and you want to write a book, three of us were going to travel all the way across Canada and come back.
- 22:52That's right, all the way through.
- 22:54When we get back, we're going to journal all of our notes and come up with a great cookbook.
- 23:00Wouldn't that be a sick story?
- 23:02That would be an amazing story.
- 23:03Think of what it would do for the podcast.
- 23:04It would be unbelievable.
- 23:05But then think about this.
- 23:07So, it sounds easy.
- 23:08Then you're thinking about who's going to… Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 23:12Who's your publishing company?
- 23:13We're going to do it on our own.
- 23:14No, no, no, no.
- 23:16You sure about that?
- 23:17Yeah.
- 23:17Because if you do it on your own, you do know.
- 23:19Yeah.
- 23:19You make all the money.
- 23:20Right.
- 23:21But are you going to have the book that you're picturing in your mind?
- 23:24Who's going to publicize it for you?
- 23:25Who's going to get it out there?
- 23:2650 grand.
- 23:27Yeah.
- 23:28You got 50 grand?
- 23:29I certainly don't.
- 23:30And then who's going to book our flights and our book tours?
- 23:33Yes.
- 23:34Not us.
- 23:34No, it's true.
- 23:35We're not doing it.
- 23:37Then, but that's what I'm saying, but then you have to think about who's going to test your recipes to make sure they work.
- 23:44Because a lot of the cookbooks, I'm not going to say who, I know, are not been tested.
- 23:50So you've invested yourself into a cookbook that doesn't work.
- 23:55So how does that work?
- 23:56You get a recipe that you think you want to publish.
- 23:58I give it to you because you're a food writer.
- 24:01Here's $1,000.
- 24:03Give me the results.
- 24:05Yes, it works.
- 24:05No, it doesn't.
- 24:06You need more of this.
- 24:07You need more of that.
- 24:08How many times do you cook that dish as the chef?
- 24:10I do it.
- 24:11It depends.
- 24:13Some of my recipes are really simple.
- 24:14Some are really complicated.
- 24:17And the good thing about the publishing company that I went with is they were okay with storytelling.
- 24:21I won't say the other publishing companies.
- 24:23They're all great.
- 24:25But there's three other ones I was choosing from.
- 24:27Big ones too.
- 24:29But they're like, you can't have stories.
- 24:32It's just a cookbook.
- 24:34Or you have to fend for yourself out there.
- 24:36But we'll put it together.
- 24:37Get all the information.
- 24:39We'll tell you what to do.
- 24:41Get everything together and we'll get it for you.
- 24:43Okay, now skip all that publishing part.
- 24:45Paper.
- 24:47Where's your paper coming from?
- 24:50It's important.
- 24:52Are you so, so worried about that?
- 24:55I'm not.
- 24:56I wasn't.
- 24:56Because you're a chef.
- 24:57You're not worried about paper.
- 24:59Some people are.
- 25:01Some people are like, no, I want my paper from Canada.
- 25:04Oh, okay. Only Canadian trees.
- 25:05Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 25:06Yeah.
- 25:06It's like, okay.
- 25:08But then you got to talk about gloss, the amount of pictures.
- 25:11Yeah, yeah, putting it all together.
- 25:13Who you're thanking, legal fees, never-ending.
- 25:16So when you put a recipe in a cookbook, is that trademarked?
- 25:22Is that recipe yours?
- 25:24No, no, no.
- 25:25It's out there now.
- 25:26Anybody can use it.
- 25:27Do it.
- 25:27Change it.
- 25:28Do whatever they want.
- 25:29You can say what you will.
- 25:30And those people out there know who written a cookbook.
- 25:33Yeah.
- 25:34You don't make money of a cookbook.
- 25:38Okay.
- 25:38What you do is you make your name.
- 25:41Right.
- 25:42So how many chefs do you know of?
- 25:45Restaurant?
- 25:46Yeah.
- 25:46Cookbook?
- 25:47Yeah.
- 25:47Or whatever else?
- 25:49No, just you.
- 25:50Just you is all I know today.
- 25:52You're the only one.
- 25:54But you know Lynn Crawford.
- 25:55You watch Top Chef Canada.
- 25:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 25:57She just wrote a book.
- 25:58I just looked at hers yesterday.
- 26:01So it's, but it's enlightening to see how other people approached it.
- 26:05Yeah.
- 26:06But that is a really, that's a massive struggle to write a book.
- 26:11Okay, so you mentioned it.
- 26:12And let's go down that road of Top Chef Canada.
- 26:17Oh, Top Chef Canada.
- 26:17How did you get on?
- 26:19I like what, how did, well, just how did it all happen?
- 26:23So this is my ninth show.
- 26:25So let's start from, I was on Chopped.
- 26:28I was on Chopped initially.
- 26:30And I applied three times and didn't get on, till finally they got me on.
- 26:34Right.
- 26:35And I did really well.
- 26:37Right.
- 26:38Then in the next show, they called me and they said, we want you to be on the Wall of Chefs.
- 26:46Oh, okay.
- 26:47And I was on four episodes.
- 26:49I didn't apply.
- 26:50Right.
- 26:50I was a judge.
- 26:51Oh, pretty cool. I'm like oh my god, I'm jumping around, woo-hoo! Yeah, that's pretty cool.
- 26:57Then I got the call, Iron Chef Canada.
- 27:02Okay.
- 27:02They were only handpicking two seasons.
- 27:05And you're one of them.
- 27:06Wow.
- 27:07I lost my marbles.
- 27:08I lost it.
- 27:09You gotta realize, it doesn't matter if it's Top Chef, Iron Chef Canada, Iron Chef US.
- 27:14Yeah.
- 27:14None of them are really around.
- 27:15Right.
- 27:16These shows are all done.
- 27:17Yeah.
- 27:17It doesn't matter.
- 27:18It's still the same lights.
- 27:20Yeah.
- 27:20It's still the same stress.
- 27:21Yeah.
- 27:22Oh my goodness.
- 27:23But even though you say none of them around, people still remember.
- 27:26They're still, yeah, you can still.
- 27:28Yeah.
- 27:28They talk about those shows.
- 27:30Yeah, they're still.
- 27:30Yeah.
- 27:31Because now there's no, well, there's internet, but I still miss internet.
- 27:35Stacked TV, Pro-Media, you can go back.
- 27:39So for those who are listening, because we do have listeners right around the world, in North America, they have like the Food Channel.
- 27:46You probably watch it over in Germany or wherever else too, but they're all associated with that, the Food Channel or whomever.
- 27:53So we have the Canadian version, the American version, and they do the same shows kind of back and forth.
- 27:58The Food Network.
- 27:58Yeah, the Food Network.
- 27:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 27:59Now it's Flavor, but around the world, they have Iron Chef Brazil, Iron Chef Mexico.
- 28:02Yeah, that's right.
- 28:03Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 28:04That's right.
- 28:05All over the place.
- 28:06Yeah, so it's still hanging on, but they're done.
- 28:10Okay, so you're now on Iron Chef Canada.
- 28:12So Iron Chef Canada.
- 28:13A participant.
- 28:14Iron Chef, as a participant, did really well.
- 28:17Then the next show was a show called Fridge Wars on the CBC Gem.
- 28:23Fridge Wars.
- 28:24Fridge Wars.
- 28:24Fridge Wars. It was fun! Okay, tell us about Fridge Wars.
- 28:27Yeah, Fridge Wars.
- 28:28I love that name.
- 28:29I love that name.
- 28:30Fridge Wars.
- 28:31Literally, the TV crew shows up at your house, takes pictures of your fridge, shows up at your house, takes pictures of your...
- 28:38Yeah.
- 28:38No, no, your fridge.
- 28:40Then they make two refrigerators on two stages with your fridge.
- 28:46Okay.
- 28:47They even had a frozen goldfish in one of them.
- 28:49No! And so you have to come in and cook?
- 28:52And cook with whatever is in that fridge.
- 28:54Make a three-course dinner.
- 28:55Was it a three-course?
- 28:55Did you cook a goldfish?
- 28:57No.
- 28:57No.
- 28:58But it was funny that it was there.
- 29:00Like they took leftovers of...
- 29:02Like if there was a moldy grilled cheese, it would be in there.
- 29:04And you have to make a dish?
- 29:05A moldy grilled cheese.
- 29:07No, it's full.
- 29:09It's your fridge.
- 29:09Yeah.
- 29:10Okay.
- 29:10So whatever you have leftover is gonna be in there.
- 29:13You don't have to use the leftovers.
- 29:14I see.
- 29:15Okay, okay.
- 29:15You can use whatever.
- 29:16It's just literally your fridge.
- 29:18Round two comes in.
- 29:20Olympians, musicians, whatever is round two.
- 29:24Then they stack up the points.
- 29:25Winner is the winner.
- 29:26Oh, okay.
- 29:27Okay.
- 29:28I'm gonna have to go look that up.
- 29:29Honestly.
- 29:30Because that looks, yeah, CBC Gem, because that looks interesting.
- 29:33It was fun.
- 29:34It was hard.
- 29:35It was grueling.
- 29:36It was, there were switches.
- 29:38I thought it was the most, the best show.
- 29:41Yeah.
- 29:41Now, after that one, I did a couple of documentaries.
- 29:48Right.
- 29:48And then I got back, and then Top Chef Canada called me and said, you are an icon in the Indigenous world, culinary world.
- 29:58Yeah.
- 29:58Yes.
- 29:59So we want you to compete.
- 30:01But you got to tell us.
- 30:03I won't say too much about who called me, because I don't think you're allowed to know.
- 30:07But so they called me, and I still had to, because you got to apply, right?
- 30:12Yeah.
- 30:12So I still had to apply, and I still had to show that I'm good.
- 30:15Yeah.
- 30:16I can move.
- 30:19You know what I'm saying, right?
- 30:20So tell us about, we all watch these shows, and they're an hour long with 10 commercials.
- 30:26So they're really 45 minutes long.
- 30:29It is so true.
- 30:30So we're watching 45 minutes of what looks like you did that in 45 minutes.
- 30:35Yeah.
- 30:36A day and a half.
- 30:37Day and a half.
- 30:37Per show.
- 30:39Per episode.
- 30:40About a day and a half per episode.
- 30:41Oh yes.
- 30:42And also this year I did season 12 as well.
- 30:46So for a day and a half, you're doing one episode.
- 30:49I did season 11 as a competitor.
- 30:51And this year, I did season 12 as a judge.
- 30:55So this year as a judge, I got to know both sides.
- 30:58Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 30:59Back up to being a competitor.
- 31:01It's crazy the things that people don't see.
- 31:05But you know that, you naturally know that.
- 31:08But the thing is you don't really know how bad things can get that affect your results.
- 31:16I want to ask the question, how bad do things get?
- 31:20Okay, a small example.
- 31:22I shoved fish bones in the tips of my thumbs.
- 31:27But I mean, bad.
- 31:28What kind of?
- 31:29Perch.
- 31:30Oh, yeah, little, yeah, little, sharp bones.
- 31:33And so during my seafood one, which you don't see, those fish bones came out, where I showed the medic.
- 31:43Remember, I was complaining about those fish bones.
- 31:45Cause like, imagine all the way through, I'm like, cause the next, once I shoved those bones in my thumb, thumbs, it was by pure accident, clearly.
- 31:53Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course.
- 31:54I'm like, I don't know if I can finish this.
- 31:56I am dying here.
- 31:58I am dying.
- 31:59You know the feeling of having shoved way deep.
- 32:02Yeah.
- 32:03Yeah.
- 32:03Yeah.
- 32:04That's one small little thing.
- 32:06Nevermind.
- 32:06And so you have to stop the show?
- 32:08No.
- 32:08No, no, no, no.
- 32:08No, you just keep going.
- 32:10You're cooking with fish bones in there. It's up to you.
- 32:13So I cooked, I did the whole series, the whole series with fish bones shoved in my thumbs.
- 32:20Then you get people that like other people or friends with other people and rooting for themselves.
- 32:27Then you get floods in the kitchen.
- 32:29Really?
- 32:29There's a huge flood.
- 32:31Oh my gosh.
- 32:32Yeah, see, because again, what we see is basically flawless.
- 32:37Yeah.
- 32:37It's smooth.
- 32:38They'll show the odd thing.
- 32:40But also here's something else too, is they change your personality.
- 32:45So you're nice.
- 32:46Yeah.
- 32:48Someone can't be nice.
- 32:49It's got to be...
- 32:50Really?
- 32:51Well, I'm not saying that they switch it that way.
- 32:53But there's got to be the antagonist, almost, like the...
- 32:57Yeah.
- 32:57You got to have different personalities for it, because we're all different.
- 33:00Sure.
- 33:01And on Season 11, sorry, yes, Season 11, I got to know everybody.
- 33:08And so my personal feelings of them are different.
- 33:12And then I watch them on TV, I'm like, oh, weird.
- 33:16I don't know how to feel.
- 33:19You know what I mean?
- 33:20Even about yourself, like, they made me look very serious.
- 33:25They dropped all my jokes aren't in there, my laughing's aren't in there, my smiles aren't in there.
- 33:29I was very serious right from the start.
- 33:32Really?
- 33:33Yeah.
- 33:33They edited all that out.
- 33:34Yeah.
- 33:34Oh, yeah, for sure.
- 33:35So you don't know what you look like until nine months later.
- 33:39You don't have a, you have no clue how your hair looks.
- 33:42And you have no say in it.
- 33:44No.
- 33:45Just the way it is.
- 33:45You have to sign.
- 33:46Okay.
- 33:47Yeah.
- 33:48See, this is like incredible to me.
- 33:50But that's what I'm saying.
- 33:51Are you willing to, are you really, like you said, are you willing to do that?
- 33:55Yeah.
- 33:56So the reason I did it and the reason why I do TV is because I like to challenge myself.
- 34:00Yeah, yeah.
- 34:00I like to say I did it.
- 34:02If I win, if I was to win, let's be honest, it's not that much money.
- 34:08Well, yeah.
- 34:09It's a good chunk to take care of a car.
- 34:12But it's notoriety.
- 34:13No, it's not.
- 34:14Yeah, it's notoriety.
- 34:15It's everything.
- 34:15But here's the question.
- 34:17Here's the question.
- 34:19Is the real winner the winner who wins first place in a show like that to you?
- 34:24Or is the winner the person you're cheering for? Of course.
- 34:26Right.
- 34:27Yeah, yeah.
- 34:28That's a good point.
- 34:29That's it.
- 34:29Because if you have your favorite, even if they don't win, they're still your favorite.
- 34:33Yeah.
- 34:33You're not switching to the winner.
- 34:37And that's what I did.
- 34:39And believe it or not, we just finished watching season 12.
- 34:43Really?
- 34:43And my guess was the winner.
- 34:45Really?
- 34:46And I was ready to say, no, no, no, no, no, I can't.
- 34:50I made my choice.
- 34:52Here's something else.
- 34:53Who do you represent?
- 34:53Yourself, your family, your background, your heritage?
- 34:56Of course.
- 34:57Your teacher, your culinarian?
- 34:58And how did you feel about that?
- 34:59Well, but I'm asking you that, right?
- 35:02Like how do you go on?
- 35:04And so when people ask that, you're judging my entire world of culinary arts in one show.
- 35:11Right, right, right.
- 35:13All my life.
- 35:14So you have to think about that, too.
- 35:15Yeah.
- 35:16Yeah.
- 35:17I could have done that.
- 35:18Oh, that was simple.
- 35:19Did you feel more pressure because you were Indigenous?
- 35:23No, no.
- 35:24I felt, as long as they get the right spirit behind what it is, I'm okay with it.
- 35:29Yeah.
- 35:30What I was a little concerned about is how they took it.
- 35:37And there's some goods and bads in there, mostly goods.
- 35:41I just felt like this, some of the stuff I did, it was repeated.
- 35:45Right.
- 35:46And then other people did well because of it.
- 35:49I'm like, wait a minute.
- 35:50I did that exact thing.
- 35:52That was me.
- 35:53Yeah.
- 35:54Like, where did that come from?
- 35:55But that's okay.
- 35:56That's how we learn.
- 35:58But this is the thing.
- 35:59My name is Shane, Chef Shane Mederic Chartrand.
- 36:04Chef Mederic Chartrand.
- 36:06Métis.
- 36:07My real name is Cree.
- 36:10Shane St.
- 36:10John Gordon.
- 36:13Do I represent the Enoch Nation?
- 36:15Do I represent the Métis family that I was adopted in?
- 36:19Do I represent Chef Shane Chartrand from NAIT?
- 36:22Or do I represent Shane the guy?
- 36:24Yeah.
- 36:26And?
- 36:26So, but that's what I'm saying.
- 36:28Of course I can represent just who I am as a whole, right? Shane the guy.
- 36:33The author.
- 36:36I'm just going to do the very best I can.
- 36:38But I did all Indigenous food.
- 36:41Someone came to me and said, how?
- 36:44You're going to lose.
- 36:45Why would you say that?
- 36:46Yeah.
- 36:47Why would you?
- 36:48Why would you stick it in my head?
- 36:49Yeah, that's ridiculous.
- 36:50Because I need, I need, you need it.
- 36:53I need to stay focused.
- 36:54You need a mentor.
- 36:55Yeah, yeah.
- 36:57But I don't have one anymore.
- 36:59It's just me.
- 37:00Yeah.
- 37:00I'm at the age where my, they're all retired.
- 37:02Now people are looking at you as their mentor.
- 37:04That's right.
- 37:05So how am I going to affect kids, adults, people who don't know anything about the Indigenous world?
- 37:12Why don't I put out ingredients they've never heard of?
- 37:15And any, anyways, to back it up, he said, you'll never make it because they can't even judge your food.
- 37:20They don't know what reindeer lichen is.
- 37:22They don't know what bear grease is.
- 37:23They don't know what Saskatoon berries are on the East Coast.
- 37:27On the East Coast.
- 37:28Yeah.
- 37:28Yeah.
- 37:28You know, you need to go.
- 37:30But we know what they are here.
- 37:32That's right.
- 37:33For sure.
- 37:33And then you got nettles and then you got chaga.
- 37:37I don't get that because what difference does it make?
- 37:40If you've never had it and you're trying it and you like it, who cares?
- 37:45But that's what I'm saying.
- 37:48That's how I am with food.
- 37:49That's what I would be like.
- 37:51I don't know if I'm going to...
- 37:52Clearly, I'm not going to put some weird...
- 37:54No, but...
- 37:55You know what I'm saying.
- 37:56Yeah.
- 37:56But I mean, indigenous is just another genre of food.
- 38:00Like South Asian or Mexican or whatever it might be.
- 38:04That's right.
- 38:04It's just another genre of food.
- 38:06Yeah.
- 38:06And there's a specific diet that we follow, clearly.
- 38:09Yeah, yeah.
- 38:10But he said they're not going to be able to understand anything so they can't judge it.
- 38:15I think that's a good point.
- 38:17And then I was on the next morning, the next day...
- 38:21Or sorry, when it's all done, I rewatched it eight months later.
- 38:25And the one girl couldn't actually say one of the ingredients I put up.
- 38:29She's like, whatever this is, is over cooked.
- 38:31I'm like, what do you mean, whatever this is?
- 38:33It's supposed to be.
- 38:34Yes.
- 38:35That's the point.
- 38:36It's grilled.
- 38:37So it was a grilled bannock.
- 38:38OK.
- 38:39So I've done bannock, baked, grilled, fried, open fire on sticks.
- 38:44This was baked, but like meant to be this way.
- 38:48Right.
- 38:48And to her, it was too overcooked.
- 38:50And that's fine.
- 38:51Sure.
- 38:51It's fine.
- 38:52To her palate, as people like to say.
- 38:55I hope that word someday goes away.
- 38:57Yeah.
- 38:57Yeah.
- 38:58That's right.
- 38:59Palate.
- 39:00Whatever.
- 39:00But yeah.
- 39:01So OK.
- 39:01So there it is.
- 39:02A lot.
- 39:02There's a lot of things that run through your brain.
- 39:05And as the show's going on, you what are you thinking?
- 39:08Just let me not be the first one.
- 39:10Yeah.
- 39:11Yeah.
- 39:12And then you make it.
- 39:13Then you make it.
- 39:14And you're like, let me not be the second one.
- 39:15Yeah.
- 39:16Wait a minute.
- 39:16Yeah.
- 39:17Yeah.
- 39:17The pressure intensifies.
- 39:18Yeah.
- 39:19Yeah.
- 39:19Yeah.
- 39:19And then you're like, and then you're like, okay, so I'm all the way up to halfway mark, right?
- 39:27I'm like, do I?
- 39:28And I win the day.
- 39:31I'm like, do I use that word, pivot?
- 39:35Yeah.
- 39:36And go back to French cuisine that I know?
- 39:38No.
- 39:38No.
- 39:39Do I finish it off with French cuisine?
- 39:41Or do I keep on the Indigenous that I was meant to be?
- 39:44Where you started.
- 39:45Yeah.
- 39:46So I stayed, but I could have changed.
- 39:48And who knows what the outcome could have been?
- 39:51Buttery, fattier, more French, more delicious.
- 39:55So how far did you go?
- 39:56You went to?
- 39:58I made it to the fifth place.
- 40:00Fifth place.
- 40:01Yeah.
- 40:02So I was one away from the finale.
- 40:04Right.
- 40:04Right.
- 40:05Or two.
- 40:05So what did it feel like when you?
- 40:07Oh, yeah.
- 40:08So you haven't seen it, right?
- 40:10No, I haven't.
- 40:10But I will now.
- 40:11But I'll just say because I don't want to spoil it for you guys.
- 40:16My ingredient was garbage.
- 40:18Garbage ingredient.
- 40:20Like it's a good ingredient.
- 40:21Yeah.
- 40:22But everyone's like when I was finally for me to go, everyone's bringing out perch and seaweed and it was everything from the, I can't remember what else they brought out.
- 40:34And then I saw mine.
- 40:36I'm like, oh, it's over.
- 40:38Yeah.
- 40:38There's no way.
- 40:39Okay, that's it.
- 40:40I'm watching it tonight.
- 40:41I'm going to watch it tonight.
- 40:43Yeah.
- 40:43I got to see this now.
- 40:44But there's so much more to it that makes it exciting.
- 40:48So there's no, there's no, I love doing TV period.
- 40:54Did your life change after that?
- 40:56No, no.
- 40:56No.
- 40:58A lot of other people it did because they're in bigger cities.
- 41:01Right.
- 41:01But back on that note, this is why I think all we focus on is hockey.
- 41:09In Edmonton?
- 41:10You mean in Edmonton?
- 41:11In Edmonton.
- 41:11Yeah.
- 41:12Well, yeah.
- 41:13But who, what other rock stars do we have here?
- 41:18Wow. There's a lot.
- 41:18Like we should be celebrating anyone.
- 41:21Well I agree.
- 41:22There's a lot of people in the arts.
- 41:23Yeah.
- 41:24A lot of singers.
- 41:25Yes.
- 41:25A lot of performers.
- 41:26There's lots of chefs.
- 41:27Yeah.
- 41:27In the culinary world, I believe that we need to look, dive a little deeper.
- 41:33Right.
- 41:34What place did you see her going to?
- 41:36Like an old school, Italian place, you're thinking about checking out.
- 41:39You know, who says it's not their turn to be the next rock star?
- 41:43Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- 41:43I mean, if they're in their 60s or 70s.
- 41:45So tell us now, you have a restaurant now.
- 41:48Oh, yeah.
- 41:48I got Paperbirch, which is just a little cafe in the Old Strathcona Market.
- 41:52Great place.
- 41:53Old Strathcona Market.
- 41:54Yeah.
- 41:54Yeah.
- 41:54I still work with youth.
- 41:58As a matter of fact, I just got off the phone with the Terra Center.
- 42:00Oh, yeah.
- 42:01I'm teaching them how to the young...
- 42:02Come on.
- 42:04My daughter volunteers there.
- 42:05Yeah.
- 42:06Yeah.
- 42:06So then we know each...
- 42:07I know her.
- 42:08Yeah.
- 42:08I don't know if you tell me her name.
- 42:10I won't remember.
- 42:10We'll talk.
- 42:11Yeah.
- 42:11I know.
- 42:11Yeah.
- 42:11We'll talk after.
- 42:12Yeah.
- 42:12But that's really cool.
- 42:13Yeah.
- 42:14So I do...
- 42:14I teach the young ladies how to cook.
- 42:17Yeah.
- 42:18That's awesome.
- 42:18And then I teach Indigenous elders about Indigenous food.
- 42:22Right.
- 42:23Because some of them came from residential schools, which were...
- 42:27food was taken away.
- 42:28Yeah.
- 42:28And I truly believe, you know, language, dance, culture, that's one part of it.
- 42:32But food was taken away too.
- 42:35You can't find food traditions in the Indigenous people.
- 42:38Like, there's no such thing as Indigenous food.
- 42:40It's because it was taken away.
- 42:42We're not going to go down that negative...
- 42:44Yeah.
- 42:44But you're right.
- 42:45Yeah.
- 42:47But you're revisiting it.
- 42:49You're bringing it back.
- 42:50So, I am adopted.
- 42:52And I was adopted into a Metis family.
- 42:54I did find out I was from Enoch when I was 30.
- 42:57Okay.
- 42:5730.
- 42:58Okay.
- 42:58Yeah.
- 42:5929.
- 42:59Yeah.
- 43:00So from 29 to 50...
- 43:02Well, before that, I was already doing Indigenous food.
- 43:05Right.
- 43:05Right.
- 43:05But I didn't know how.
- 43:06Right.
- 43:06So I'm like, okay, when I found out I was from Enoch, it was like, catch up time.
- 43:10Okay, now for the rest of my life, I've got to keep learning about Indigenous.
- 43:14And I mean, I've got ulu knives to regalia, to bear claw necklaces, not stuff like this is to brag about.
- 43:21No, no.
- 43:21It's just stuff I've collected.
- 43:23Yeah, it's fascinating.
- 43:23And I've been gifted.
- 43:24Absolutely fascinating.
- 43:25Yeah.
- 43:26Yeah.
- 43:26And there's a good, good strong spirit.
- 43:28And right now we also do Indigenous dinners.
- 43:30Indigenous dinners in the evening time that are loaded with storytelling.
- 43:35Yeah.
- 43:35But really deep storytelling will make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, make you walk a better life.
- 43:41Right.
- 43:41And I think right now in our world, we need to laugh more.
- 43:45We need to walk better.
- 43:47And no matter how sick we get, we're all sick.
- 43:49We just don't want to admit it.
- 43:51Right.
- 43:52That life is short.
- 43:54Let's live a good life.
- 43:55Yeah.
- 43:56You know, I love that you say, tell the stories.
- 43:59Stories, oh yeah.
- 44:00And this is how this podcast got birthed.
- 44:02Is we just want, it's the story behind the story.
- 44:05We just want to tell the stories.
- 44:07But isn't, yeah, but isn't there something, and you and I have always said this, because I think it's a piece that's missing, too, from our world today, is sitting down with friends and family, over food, and telling those stories, and connecting.
- 44:21Yeah.
- 44:22The stories from way back, the stories that mean something, meant something then, but should mean something today as well.
- 44:28Yeah.
- 44:29And it's funny that you say that too, because my dad's dad's dad, that's old.
- 44:35Yeah.
- 44:36There's a spoon that's cut off with a hole in it in our fishing box.
- 44:41I'm like, what is that?
- 44:42It's like my dad's, granddad's dad.
- 44:44Yeah.
- 44:45Uses the spinner.
- 44:47He had no money.
- 44:48Yeah.
- 44:49I'm like, he fished with a spoon?
- 44:51Yeah.
- 44:52I know, eh?
- 44:53And that stuff just blows you away.
- 44:55I know, but my dad's like, I just leave it there.
- 44:57I'm like, No! There's a story there.
- 45:01Yeah, that's a good enough story.
- 45:02And the fact that it just is broke.
- 45:05Hopefully we catch something on it.
- 45:07He's like, yeah, I think we caught it.
- 45:08Man, oh man.
- 45:09Can you just talk it, no nonchalant.
- 45:12Yeah.
- 45:13We live good lives and we have an opportunity to make somebody feel better about their life, whether it's feeding them or talking to them or making their day that way.
- 45:22Absolutely.
- 45:23Man, I feel like we could just go on forever here.
- 45:25This is just, it's blowing me away.
- 45:28It's fascinating.
- 45:29I love you.
- 45:29I love what you're doing.
- 45:30This is absolutely incredible.
- 45:32But time is our constraint.
- 45:36So again, so many questions.
- 45:38Yeah.
- 45:38So many questions.
- 45:39So many questions.
- 45:41Is there any last questions?
- 45:42Yeah, there is.
- 45:43There is a last question.
- 45:44We ask every, every guest.
- 45:45So yeah.
- 45:46Okay.
- 45:46So Shane, what is the best piece of advice that you've been given either personally or professionally that you still carry with you to this day?
- 45:58Oh my God.
- 45:58I know there is, um.
- 46:02And we purposely put you on the spot.
- 46:04Ask it again.
- 46:06Best piece of advice you've been given either personally or professionally that you carry with you to this day.
- 46:15I have it.
- 46:19I'm going to tell you right now.
- 46:20Give me one second.
- 46:22I'll tell you.
- 46:24Okay.
- 46:24Give me a second here.
- 46:25Okay.
- 46:25Okay.
- 46:26So I've been trying.
- 46:28This is a piece of advice that a lot of people have given to me to explain to you what Indigenous Cuisine is.
- 46:35What is it?
- 46:36Yeah.
- 46:36Yeah.
- 46:37Yeah.
- 46:37Like you left me hanging here.
- 46:40But this isn't my words.
- 46:41This is your words, your words.
- 46:44Cree, Blackfoot, Stoney, the Bloodfoot, the Blood Tribe.
- 46:51So this isn't really a piece of advice, but it's a cuisine meaning.
- 46:56Okay.
- 46:57So Indigenous Cuisine's meaning that I've been able to gather, that makes you walk this earth the way I do, is it's ethically collected ingredients that have been cooked in a traditional manner that evokes emotion and the spirit of life.
- 47:13Oh, wow. I love that! So that's because people have influenced my spirit through their food, to their speeches, to their conversations.
- 47:21So they gifted me this information.
- 47:26I hope that helped.
- 47:27I love, because you know what?
- 47:31That's not just, what you just read there is actually profound because I don't believe that that just applies to Indigenous.
- 47:39No.
- 47:40It could apply to. Absolutely.
- 47:42Heritages and ethnicities, like German, Polish, French.
- 47:48Yeah.
- 47:49At that, we got to get that from you.
- 47:51You got to send that to us because we got to put that on our website because that's phenomenal.
- 47:55I agree.
- 47:56That's really incredible.
- 47:57This has been phenomenal.
- 47:59I'll tell you what this has been, folks.
- 48:00I'm going to be honest with you.
- 48:02Jennifer, it's blown my mind.
- 48:04It's just totally blown my mind because I feel like today, a whole new world has been open.
- 48:09And Chef, I don't know what to tell you.
- 48:12I'm not sure what I expected for you coming in, but this is phenomenal and I think this is great.
- 48:18Yeah.
- 48:19Yeah.
- 48:19And so we want people to know, first of all, where can they find your cookbook?
- 48:24Yeah.
- 48:25Any major cookbook.
- 48:26Okay.
- 48:26Amazon.
- 48:27Indigo, and Chapters.
- 48:28It's a major cookbook.
- 48:30Amazon.
- 48:30Okay.
- 48:31We're three weeks away from Christmas.
- 48:33This would be a phenomenal Christmas gift.
- 48:36Amazon next day delivery.
- 48:38All right.
- 48:39So I'm just saying.
- 48:40And where can people, again, they can check out Paperbirch at the Old Strathcona.
- 48:46Farmer's Market off White Ave, Edmonton.
- 48:48Okay.
- 48:48Is there a website or you're on Instagram?
- 48:50You might know that.
- 48:51Yeah, there's, I don't know what it is.
- 48:53OldStrathconafarmersmarket.ca.
- 48:56Yeah.
- 48:56I believe.
- 48:57Okay.
- 48:58Amazing.
- 48:58Fantastic.
- 48:59We're coming there to eat.
- 49:00We are.
- 49:01So just so you know, we're coming to eat.
- 49:04We're going to do that.
- 49:05And I want you to cook for us because I think it would be absolutely fantastic.
- 49:09Folks, this has been great.
- 49:11I love this.
- 49:13We could do like nine episodes of this.
- 49:15We could do like Top Chef Podcast Canada.
- 49:18This would be like unbelievable.
- 49:19Oh, yeah.
- 49:20Just food alone.
- 49:22The things that are like over stimulated.
- 49:27Just anything.
- 49:28Fantastic.
- 49:29Hey, everybody, just a reminder, don't forget, talking about food, www.wingsnob.ca, fresh, never frozen.
- 49:38Best wings you're ever going to have in the city.
- 49:40Unbelievable.
- 49:41Mprint, they do an amazing job.
- 49:42If you're looking for stuff to be printed, they do amazing menus, whatever it is, they'll do it up for you.
- 49:47And hey, you got to make sure you tell people about the podcast.
- 49:51Thanks for listening today.
- 49:52Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your coworkers, tell your enemies.
- 49:56If you don't have a friend, make one, just so you can tell them about this podcast.
- 50:00You know what?
- 50:01What?
- 50:01If you're looking to make a friend, you can buy them a Chef Shane's cookbook.
- 50:04Buy them a Chef Shane's cookbook.
- 50:06They'll be your friend for life.
- 50:08Yeah, that's right.
- 50:08Unbelievable.
- 50:09And hey, wherever you get your podcasts, or at www.coffeeinthepark.ca, no, .com.
- 50:17We're at.com.
- 50:18We're at.com now.
- 50:18We've moved up in the world.
- 50:19No, we've always been.com.
- 50:20Oh, we've al...
- 50:21Yeah, we're a com, not a ca.
- 50:23I know, we're a com, not a ca.
- 50:24so.com, you can check us out there.
- 50:26And thanks for listening, everybody.
- 50:28Appreciate it.
- 50:29This has been great.
- 50:31I'm going to listen to this one.
- 50:32Like, I don't listen to many.
- 50:33Well, I shouldn't have said that.
- 50:34I'm going to listen to this one 10 times, because this is really great.
- 50:38Thanks, everybody.
- 50:38Thanks, everyone.
- 50:39See you next time.