With Canada Day almost upon us, many will be looking forward to fun with family, friends, and of course, food. And what might be some good food choices to celebrate Canada’s national day? There are the quintessential favourites: maple syrup, Montreal smoked meat, and Canadian back bacon. But then again, what about the plethora of cuisines represented by the various cultures inhabiting this vast country of ours?
I decided to give my friend, chef Trevor Bird, a call to see what his thoughts on Canadian cuisine are. For those of you who don’t know of Bird, he was the runner up on the popular television cooking competition: Top Chef Canada Season 2.Bird, originally from Montreal, earned a degree in culinary management from Algonquin College in Ottawa and worked at Truffert and Restaurant Garcon (both in Montreal), as well as Sooke Harbour House (on Vancouver Island) and Lumiere in Vancouver. Bird, who eventually ended up as chef de partie at the Shangri-La Hotel, had applied for promotions, but came up empty. Self doubt started creeping in, but when the opportunity to be on Top Chef Canada came along, he decided that it was the perfect time to challenge himself and become the best chef that he could be.
While competing during the Restaurant Warsepisode, Bird came up with the vision for his team’s restaurant. “We came up with the concept farm to table for that competition and that was the premise of our food. Put farm and table together and you make Fable.” The team won the challenge. After completing the competition and returning to Vancouver, he quit his job at the Shangri-La, partnered with Ron MacGillivray (formerly of Kingston Pub) and Kathy Schleyer (formerly of Goldfish), and turned his dream into a reality. Fable Restaurant on West 4th Ave., opened in May of 2012, and the restaurant is packed every night.
Although Bird is a busy chef and restaurateur, he kindly shared his thoughts on Canadian cuisine with me in a Q&A session.
When you were younger, did you think that Canada had a distinct cuisine?
When I was younger I was unsure of Canadian cuisine and where it was going to go. Poutine is always the go to for Canadian cuisine and it is the first thing that commonly comes to the minds of Canadians when asked. I think Canadian cuisine is defined more by distinct ingredients than cuisine as a whole. Maple syrup, bacon, poutine...but I always thought that cooking with the seasons was always very important.
Have your thoughts on Canadian cuisine changed over the years? If so, what factors have influenced your thoughts?
My thoughts have never really changed on Canadian cuisine. Most Canadian chefs are trying to define what we put out, and I think the best way to describe it would be farm to table. We have such a unique opportunity with food, especially in Vancouver, and so much multicultural food. As long as we use what ingredients are available to us on a seasonal basis, we have a lot of opportunity to use multiple cooking techniques brought from around the world.
The basis of Canadian cuisine is cooking with the seasons, farm to table. Fable is about going back to cooking fundamentals and knowing where your food comes from. The name is whimsical and points to the fact that there’s a story behind everything, even your food. The definition of a fable is an animal or inanimate object coming to life to illustrate a moral, so there’s basically a moral behind your food.
Sure. I’ll send you a simple and healthy recipe that I believe is a staple in Canadian cuisine: Kale Salad.
Enjoy and Happy Canada Day, everyone!
Kale Salad
A. Confit Garlic and Shallots:
60 ml garlic, thinly sliced
250 ml shallots, thinly sliced
25 ml grapeseed oil
Procedure:
Cook over low heat until the garlic and shallots are soft with no or little colour. Remove from heat and set aside.
B. Mustard Vinaigrette:
50 g confit garlic and shallots (A)
50 g dijon or stoneground mustard
75 g cider vinegar
50 g vegetable stock
38 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1.5 g salt
C. Salad:
1 bunch kale, washed, drained and cut
Procedure:
1. Mix together Confit Garlic and Shallots, mustard, cider vinegar, and vegetable stock. Using an immersion blender, add butter and process until mixture emulsifies. Add salt.
2. To serve, for each large handful of washed, drained and cut kale, dress with 2 oz. of Mustard Vinaigrette.
