SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020
IN TIMES OF TURMOIL, HOME-COOKED MEALS SEEM TO HAVE A WAY OF SOOTHING JANGLED NERVES. Christa Guenther, owner of Feast Café Bistro, was faced with a dilemma when she shuttered her business at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. “I shut down right away for the safety of my staff and community. We all made a decision together as a Feast family that we had to do this. We cried and prayed and said we would weather this storm together — and then we just completely shut down,” she said. “But I had all of that food. I like to honour our sacred vegetables and all of our animals, so there was just no way that I was going to let anything go to waste.” Instead, Guenther prepared about 150 mouth-watering meals featuring Indigenous ingredients to donate to elders and families in need. “Some staff came in and volunteered to process all that food, which was really great,” said Guenther, who grew up in the North End organizations and I got a long list of people. I called on volunteers in Winnipeg to help deliver the food until it was gone. It was nice to be able to do that.” Offerings included bison and wild rice, bison stroganoff with peas, Mexican chili bake with bison, and maple shredded chipotle chicken for tacos. with roots in Peguis First Nation. “I contacted different Indigenous
The packages also came with fresh fruit and all the fixings for salad, as well as a carbohydrate such as bannock, pita or tortilla. At the time that Feast closed its doors, the restaurant had been in the middle of a $250,000 expansion, thanks in part to a grant geared for women entrepreneurs. “I’ve used this closed time to regroup and do this expansion in peace and quiet,” Guenther said. “We’ve got all our equipment in and we’re trying to get things organized.” With an eye on the horizon, she’s looking ahead at how to reopen and work within the new reality. “We’re looking at having a Feast market on one side of the café, so we’re sourcing some local Indigenous products like wild rice and locally made honey that people can purchase,” she said. “We’re also going to amp up on the baking side of things. Without Neechi Commons, there’s no place where you can go to pick up a beautiful loaf of bannock or frozen fry bread that you can heat up to have that decadence at home.” Guenther also plans to create a section for grab-and-go meals, as well as packages of ingredients for those who want to make a meal at home by following a simple recipe. “You’ll be able to pick up a buffalo lasagna and we’re also going to have some Métis options. We’re going to be releasing more blogs on cooking, gardening and our traditional medicines. That’s our new vision.” Located at 587 Ellice Ave., Feast Café Bistro will continue to offer delivery and take-out,
Proud to honour the heritage, cultures, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. Thanks for being part of the FWS team! CELEBRATING NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
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May the celebration and teachings of love, respect, honesty, bravery, humility, truth, and wisdom of Indigenous culture enrich us all.
She takes pride in preparing healthy meals with Indigenous ingredients.
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