A feast for all senses

Page 7

Herring roe, sea asparagus, breast of pheasant and roast bison loin were just some of the dishes served at the First Nations Food and Art Evening held on March 30. Guests were treated to artfully prepared delicatessen and dined in the elegant surroundings of the Longhouse at the Native Education Centre, specially adorned with artwork by First Nations artists and traditional music for the event.

"I am so full," exclaimed one guest, savoring the last bite of her elderberry bannock pudding. "But I don't have any of that heavy feeling you get from eating a full meal!"

A full meal indeed! The evening's chefs, led by Qey Sta:M Café's head chef Ben Genaille, proudly demonstrated their world-class cookery by blending traditional Native ingredients with European style-a mixture that Genaille says is more marketable-in the hope that the community will recognize First Nations cuisine as a unique component of Canadian culture.

According to Flavio Caron, executive director of the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business and emcee for the evening, head chef Ben Genaille had taken his trainees to a restaurant in downtown Vancouver and spent more than $700 "to show them what five-star dining was supposed to feel like."

Genaille's ultimate goal is to take his team of First Nations chefs to the next Culinary Olympics, set to take the stage in Japan in 2002.

"We send chefs abroad to promote Canadian cuisine," Genaille said, "I want the community to think of us when they think of Canadian cuisine. I want to show that my team is at that level where we can represent Canada," added Genaille, who also teaches traditional Native cooking at the Musqueam Culinary Training Centre.

The guests certainly seemed to appreciate their efforts.

"You can tell by the fact that there's no salt and pepper on the table how much effort they've put into the food," said another guest. "They season everything, and they don't want you to mess with it." The chefs paid great attention to detail, and went as far as to spray the roast bison loin with juniper perfume. "You can't taste it, but it adds to the aroma," explained one of the servers.

Dinner was followed by a fashion show by Capilano First Nation designer Pam Baker. Baker has received a number of awards for her evening gowns adorned with intricate hand-sewn or burnt-out Aboriginal designs. She presented her award-winning gowns as well as her latest line of evening wear.

"This is my dream collection," she said, leaning over to fix a model's silk dress before sending her into the audience. Baker has recently opened her own design school and hopes to cultivate young designers to integrate Native designs into modern fashion.

"The purpose of the event is to familiarize communities with the extravagant and exotic traditional Aboriginal culture," said organizer Chris Piche. "We also want to showcase Aboriginal artists who are bringing the ancient into the present with both visual art and couture fashion."

The evening ended on a high note when Baker showed off her $5,000 cape made up of more than 40 pieces of Aboriginal design embroidery.

"I hope this is the first of many events of this kind," said emcee Flavio Caron, as he bid more than 70 guests farewell.