INUVIK, Northwest –
In the heart of the western Arctic, restaurants are providing a local taste to community members as well as tourists.
Mamaqtuq, which means “delicious” in Inuvialuktun, was recently opened by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in Inuvik, NWT Along with fried chicken, salad and loin, Chef Brendan Vogt plans to add wild game and dishes other locally sourced food on the menu.
“I want all the dishes to look as good as our name suggests,” he said.
A rural food processing plant, also operated by Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, opened in the town last year. There, wild animals such as elk, beaver and muskox supplied by hunters and trappers are processed and packed. Vogt also wants to utilize the hydroponic greenhouse in Inuvik to grow vegetables year-round.
He said: “We had the thyme salads over the weekend and it was really successful so I feel like people really wanted to have a wild game.
Vogt, an Inuvialuit and Gwich’in, says he’s been cooking for 15 years starting with a housewife class. He said one of his first jobs was at Le Frolic, a closed French restaurant in Yellowknife.
Vogt said he hasn’t always had the opportunity to work with the wild game in the past. He says he is passionate about using local foods, because they are sustainable, fresh, provide jobs and help people get out of this land to learn traditional knowledge.
Mamaqtuq not only aims to be a culinary destination but also a place where people can learn about Inuvialuit culture. It is decorated with motifs of uluit – traditional knives with semicircular blades – while Delta braids, decorated with geometric patterns are used to decorate clothes, adorning the paintings. wall with photographs of the Inuvialuit and prominent drums.
Vogt said his restaurant last week also started a free children’s breakfast program.
“It’s a pretty big job,” he said. “Ultimately, for us, our goal is to have a place where people can congregate, affordable food for the masses, and community support.”
Not far away, Pam McDonald and her husband Brian were cooking inside a yellow bus. Alestine’s restaurant, named after her mother-in-law, recently celebrated its 9th anniversary.
“We’re really enjoying the holiday season this year,” McDonald said. “Busy and just the two of us, so it’s a bit crazy at times, but we’re enjoying it.”
McDonald’s says the most popular item on the menu is fish cakes. The restaurant also offers burgers on fried bread, chili and pulled pork.
Along with locals, she said the restaurant has hosted visitors from Panama, Russia and Australia.
“My husband has always dreamed of opening it,” she said. “So when we left the government we decided to give it a try and so far we’ve done well. We’re still enjoying it.”
McDonald said it was an adventure for the whole family to ride the bus from Aklavik, NWT to Inuvik in 2014. Although they originally planned to use the vehicle only for one summer, she said it was. continues to serve their needs year round and has become a staple in their lives. yard.
The side panels of school buses are now decorated with stickers, license plates and signs from around the world, including Hawaii, New Zealand, Germany, Scotland and Austria. McDonald says the tradition started when her husband started collecting the stickers as a child, and now people send them in from all over.
Elsewhere in the yard, there are treasures tucked into every nook and cranny, from a potted green plant in the shape of a teapot made out of tires, a yellow Volkswagen Beetle with a painted red fox on its side, and Large decorative dragonfly with ceiling fan.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 14, 2023.
This story was produced with the financial support of Meta and the Canadian Press News Scholarship.
