producer of the year: The Canadian Birch Company
Canada is known for its maple syrup, but in Manitoba’ s back yard, a different type of liquid gold has been, until recently, an untapped treasure. Above Lake Winnipeg’ s south basin, ideal soil conditions have caused birch trees to flourish and produce rich, clear sap.
Owners of The Canadian Birch Company, Glenda and Rory Hart, began tapping into the birch syrup market in 2006. After years of trial and error, the couple impressed judges and placed 3rd for best new product at the 2014 Manitoba Taste Awards. Defying syrup’ s sugary connotations, it is typically used as glaze for meats rather than topping a stack of pancakes.“ At first no one knew about birch syrup,” says Glenda.“ Slowly those conversations changed to,‘ birch syrup— I’ ve heard of that! Can I try?’” An increased demand from chefs across Canada and the high-end market lead to rapid expansion from 1,200 birch trees in 2013 to a projected 2,500 for the 2018 season.
With the recent growth of production came new products such as Birch Whisky Toffee sauce and Birch BBQ sauce created by birch syrup devotee and former President’ s Choice executive chef Christine Cauvelier. A chef’ s touch has helped Glenda and Rory grow their product line while staying on trend. This impressive ingenuity has led us to award The Canadian Birch Company the title of Ciao! Magazine’ s Good Food Manitoba 2017 Producer of the Year.
The Canadian Birch Company products can be found at retail outlets including Kenaston Wine Market, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Boutique and St. Norbert’ s Market and appears in dishes at VG Restaurant and Clementine Cafe.— NB
inthekitchen
may seem at odds with the restaurant industry, which values consistency and unlimited choice. Yet these hurdles drive creativity, resulting in a wide ranging, varied menu that capitalizes on what’ s good, right now: the line up of dishes changes with the season, and accommodates for the diversity of the museum’ s guests( more than half the menu is gluten free and / or vegan).
Traditional techniques like preserving, pickling, freezing, and using all parts of the animal( or vegetable) are taken up with gusto. That’ s why you’ ll find shelves lined with jars of pickles, and ingredients like beef tongue— the basis for Era’ s popular beef chips— on the menu. This kind of cooking can be a way to open diners’ eyes to new possibilities.“ I want to change people’ s minds with food … take something people would dismiss and transform it,” says Steven.
Extolling the plump rye berries from Tamarack Farms in Erikson, MB, or beef
“ I want to change people’ s minds with food.”
from Carman(“ It’ s so well marbled it looks like knock off Wagyu!”), chef Steven reinforces the bounty that is right under our noses in Manitoba.“ When the farmers do their job, it’ s easy to do my job,” he avers. The bright, concentrated flavours of a freshly pulled carrot or a gorgeous ripe tomato are proof enough.
Input from the other chefs in the kitchen is another important part of menu creation. Cooks with culturally diverse backgrounds— Jamaican, Filipino, French— introduce dishes and techniques from their heritage, along with creative new ideas. Everyone from sous chef to line cook is encouraged to chime in.
Chef Steven intentionally defies the image of the snappy, domineering chef. He is humble, explaining his kitchen philosophy with an earnest passion, and lights up when he talks about his staff. He
10 ciao! / aug / sep / two thousand seventeen