Chef Steph Baryluk on how her Gwich'in culture inspires her cooking
CBC
Steph Baryluk has made a name for herself by showcasing her Gwich'in culture through food.
The Teetlit Gwich'in chef grew up in Fort McPherson, N.W.T., and is currently based in Tsawwassen B.C. Baryluk is the sous chef at Chartwells Canada, and has travelled the world sharing food inspired by the ingredients and culture of her home community.
This weekend, she was at the NWT Culinary Festival, where she teamed up with Chateau Nova executive chef Ibro Vejzovic and his team to cook a five-course meal showcasing ingredients local to N.W.T.
Items on the menu included fried bannock with spruce tip, poached Mackenzie Delta whitefish, beet chips with Back Eddy's Seasoning, and a cloudberry cheesecake.
Baryluk spoke to CBC's Sarah Krymalowski on Saturday as she was preparing the meal.
The following text has been edited for clarity and length.
What was your path to becoming a chef?
I left my community right after high school. I was always encouraged to kind of see what's out there… After trying a bunch of different paths I ended up in culinary. I think it was a way for me to build that connection to my culture again.
Leaving a community of 800 people and all of a sudden living downtown Vancouver is a big change. You're suddenly not surrounded by the people you know, the food you eat, or even the landscape.
Culinary is where I keep my connection to my Indigenous culture. It's taken me to Italy, Texas, throughout Canada, where I do teaching, receptions, dinners, all with Indigenous culinary.
How long have you been in this industry?
I've been in it for about 9 or 10 years. Growing up in McPherson though, I got to kind of see first hand the harvesting, the processing, how different preservation methods are in place.
It wasn't until I completed or was in culinary school, living on my own, that I started to appreciate that it's not normal for everybody to kind of have their dad hunting and their mom making dry meat or things like that. So I'm very fortunate to grow up where I did with parents who are passing that tradition on.
What's the most most important thing you learned about food from your community?
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