Modern Native Feasts: Healthy, Innovative, Sustainable Cuisine

258 Pages·2013·6.72 MB·English

by  Andrew George

Modern Native Feasts
ARSENAL PULP PRESS VANCOUVER
MODERN NATIVE FEASTS
Copyright © 2013 by Andrew George Jr.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any part by any means—graphic, electronic,
or mechanical—without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may use
brief excerpts in a review, or in the case of photocopying in Canada, a license from Access Copyright.
ARSENAL PULP PRESS
Suite 202 – 211 East Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC V6A 1Z6
Canada arsenalpulp.com
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada (through the Canada Book
Fund) and the Government of British Columbia (through the Book Publishing Tax Credit Program) for its
publishing activities.
The author and publisher assert that the information contained in this book is true and complete to the best
of their knowledge. All recommendations are made without a guarantee on the part of the author and
publisher. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For
more information, contact the publisher.
Note for our UK readers: measurements for non-liquids are for volume, not weight.
Design by Gerilee McBride Cover and interior photographs and food styling by Tracey Kusiewicz, Foodie
Photography Author photograph, page 9: Rob Gilbert Editing by Susan Safyan Library and Archives
Canada Cataloguing in Publication George, Andrew, author Modern native feasts : healthy, innovative,
sustainable cuisine / Andrew George Jr.
Includes index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-55152-508-2 (epub) 1. Indian cooking. 2. Indians of North America—Food— Canada. I. Title.
TX715.6.G4586 2013 641.59'297071 C2013-903243-6
C2013-903244-4
I would like to dedicate this book to my spouse, Cecilia, and our wonderful children, Mckayla
and Andrew, for their support, patience, and numerous sacrifices throughout my culinary
journey. I would also like to welcome our granddaughter, Sophia, to the family.
To all my culinary students, past, present, and future, I hope this book inspires you to take
your career in the world of Aboriginal cuisine to the next level, and to be proud of who we are
and where we come from.

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
STOCKS, SAUCES, SPREADS & DIPS
APPETIZERS
SALADS & SALAD DRESSINGS
SOUPS
MEAT & POULTRY ENTRÉES
FISH & SEAFOOD ENTRÉES
VEGETARIAN ENTRÉES & SIDE DISHES
PASTAS & PASTA SAUCES
DESSERTS
BREAKFASTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
I grew up in Telkwa, British Columbia, the third eldest of six kids. Our home
didn’t have indoor plumbing or running water. For food, my family and I had to
take advantage of what was available to us seasonally, in the wild. In the spring
and summer, we would harvest trout and salmon; in the fall, we would hunt
moose, rabbit, and deer; in the winter we would go ice fishing. Aboriginal
people have a strong tie to the land and to their traditions, and it has always been
my goal to fuse these traditional values with modern and innovative cooking
techniques. With that in mind, at the age of 18, I decided to become a chef.
In 1983, I was accepted into the Vancouver Vocational Institute (now
Vancouver Community College) for culinary training, and I graduated in 1985. I
continued my education by taking apprenticeship programs through the British
Columbia Institute of Technology. While still apprenticing, I became the head
grill cook for the First Nations Restaurant at the Folk Life Pavilion at Expo ’86
in Vancouver. I continued my apprenticeship afterward at Avenue Grill in
Vancouver before completing my training at Isadora’s Restaurant on Granville
Island (in Vancouver) in 1989.
SUPERCHEFS
The SuperChefs of the Universe program was originally created by Vancouver chef, clown,
and dentist Greg Chang to help fight childhood diabetes and obesity by teaching kids the joys
of cooking. In 2012, I established the first Indigenous SuperChefs Camp with them. We taught
the kids not only how to cook, but also how to create meals that were traditional and healthy.
On National Aboriginal Day (June 21), the kids cooked for more than a hundred
Kwakwaka’wakw District Council community members, and they’ve since participated in
several local food festivals. SuperChefs will continue to host a camp annually to provide kids
with the great opportunity to learn how to cook with some of the best Aboriginal chefs in
British Columbia.
In the early ’90s, I decided to open my own business, the Toody Ni Grill and
Catering Company, which specialized in Northwest-style Native cuisine. In
1992, I was chosen as a representative for the Aboriginal peoples of Western
Canada, along with four other Native chefs from across Canada, to participate in
the World Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt, Germany. This event was attended by
13,000 people from more than fifty-four different countries, and we were the
first Aboriginal team from anywhere in the world to compete at that level.
After the 1992 Culinary Olympics, I was part of a group that assisted in the
development of program curriculums and recipes designed to encourage
Aboriginals to join the cooking trade, which is how I ultimately began my
teaching career. I moved to Montreal, where I co-taught a course at the Institut
de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec. While there I was given the opportunity
to travel all over Canada speaking with Native elders on how they traditionally
harvested, gathered, and preserved their food. I brought this wealth of
information back to my class in Montreal, where I used it to develop new,
modern versions of the recipes I had heard about.
In 1997, my first cookbook, Feast!: Canadian Native Cuisine for All Seasons
was released. Feast! featured basic recipes that introduced the reader to