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For Christie Peters, celebrating Food Day in Saskatchewan is just a chance to recognize the top-tier, locally grown ingredients she uses in her dishes every day.
Peters is the executive chef and owner of Primal, a Saskatoon restaurant located on 20th Street.
In her work at Primal, where part of Peters’ job is to source the best possible ingredients for the restaurant’s gourmet menu, she said using food that’s grown in Saskatchewan by local farmers is significant.
“It’s just really meaningful to support our local economy and keep control of our local food systems,” Peters said.
She highlighted high-quality ingredients like grains — calling Saskatchewan a bread basket of the world — as well as berries and various organic vegetables.
“Saskatchewan has some of the most beautiful products in the entire world,” Peters proclaimed.
Chanterelles — a form of mushroom — are in season now, Peters said. The chef said she uses chanterelles from Saskatchewan in restaurants around the world — from Vancouver to Copenhagen.
“Because they’re the most beautiful ones in the entire world,” she emphasized.
Peters said it’s important to ensure local growers are supported as they continue to produce world-class foods.
Mon., Aug. 7 marks Saskatchewan’s first Food Day Canada, as the province joins others in observing and celebrating Canada’s farmers, ranchers, processors, chefs, researchers and more.
Peters said now is a good time to celebrate, calling it a time of abundance — beans, snap peas, white tokyo turnips are all coming up out of Saskatchewan soil. She uses carrots and cucumbers from her own garden, directly, in some of her dishes.
The variety — and trying to use anything she can get her hands on — helps Peters be creative.
“Make sure that we’re giving everyone sort of a taste of the season,” she shared.
Even when winter makes it more difficult to source local ingredients, Peters said she ensures she has a reserve to fall back on. She spends time freezing, smoking, drying, fermenting, canning and pickling as much as she can to preserve local ingredients well into the colder months.
Peters said it’s well worth the effort, and while it may be more difficult to source local products for at-home use, she encouraged people to seek out sellers like Little Market Box on 20th Street or SaskMade Marketplace that prioritize products from local growers and producers.
According to Peters, the extra effort will result in a higher quality of product yielded and give meaning to where Saskatchewan people are spending their money.
