FEAST CAFÉ BISTRO
Food & Philanthropy BUSY CHEF IS BALANCING A FULL PLATE
BY JENNIFER MCFEE
S ometimes, the restaurant busi- ness is either feast or famine. Since early 2020, Feast Café Bistro has had a taste of both ex- tremes, dealing with seating restrictions, closures, cost increases, supply-chain dis- ruptions and, more recently, staff shortages. “It’s been a pretty tough couple of years,” says owner Christa Bruneau-Guenther. “We just try to take things one day at a time.” As a chef, Bruneau-Guenther has become a recognizable face for Indigenous cooking on a national scale, on Food Network Can- ada shows, and as a guest of The Marilyn Denis Show on CTV. As a local business owner, she gets cre- ative to generate revenue for her Ellice Av- enue eatery while giving back to the com- munity. When COVID-19 first emerged, she closed her restaurant before mandates re- quired her to do so, but she was determined not to waste the fresh food that filled her fridge. So, along with staff members who volunteered their time, Bruneau-Guenther prepared 150 meals to donate to elders and families in need. Their philanthropic efforts continued with the Indigenous Feast Boxes fundrais- ing campaign, in partnership with the In- digenous Culinary of Associated Nations, which donated $25,000 to the initiative. The goal was to support Indigenous chefs across Canada while providing meal kits to Indigenous families during the 2020 holi- day season. Chefs from Toronto, Quebec, Edmonton,
Saskatoon and Iqaluit participated in the ef- fort, which enabled them to rehire workers who had been laid off. Feast Café Bistro’s food boxes contained a meal of turkey, wild rice, corn, beans, bannock and Arctic char from Nunavut, which was sourced from a non-profit in Winnipeg. Community mem- bers could make donations to provide Feast Boxes to local families in need. “Food insecurity in our Indigenous com- munities is an ongoing issue,” Bruneau- Guenther says. “We knew we wanted to do our part to help.” On the business front, she found new ways to adapt to restrictions. Feast launched an on-site marketplace to sell a variety of prod- ucts, such as wild rice and local honey. It also offered grab-and-go meals, as well as meal kits to prepare at home. Although the grab-and-go and market- place selections started to dwindle as indoor dining resumed for fully vaccinated guests, Bruneau-Guenther is trying to maintain a supply of dessert bannocks, occasionally alongside items like jam, sweetgrass and traditional teas. “It’s hard to have so many components go- ing at once, but we’re doing our best,” she says, noting the rebound brought new, un-
expected challenges. “All of a sudden, things got really busy. People have been cooped up for so long that they’re coming out, and our catering is also starting to pick up,” Bruneau-Guenther says. “We’re experiencing staff shortages in the hospitality industry across the country, and we’re having a tough time finding workers.” To prevent staff burnout, she has even turned down business. “We don’t have the staff power to accom- modate the demand. It’s not something I ever thought would be an issue,” she says. “It’s a really tough challenge because you want to meet that demand to get stable again, but it’s difficult when you don’t have the manpower. That’s been a bit of a shock to me.” At the same time, Bruneau-Guenther is increasingly in demand on TV, after appear- ing on Food Network Canada’s Wall of Chefs and as a guest judge on Top Chef Canada. “I’ve had quite a few requests for other shows,” she says. “I’ve also become a regular on The Mari- lyn Denis Show and they’d like me to con- tinue. I’m really thankful for the space I’ve been given on that show. It’s been a great experience.” ■
Chef and owner Christa Bruneau-Guenther created meal kits for people in need, and offered grab-and-go meals and grocery products for sale at her Ellice Avenue bistro.
(Main Photo) Gabrielle Touchetta Photography Other photos courtesy of Feast Café Bistro
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WINTER 2021
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