From muskox wraps to fish tacos, Inuvik restaurants attract locals and tourists alike
INUVIK, NWT – In the heart of the Western Arctic, restaurants offer local flavors to community members and tourists alike.
Mamaqtuq, which means “delicious” in Inuvialuktun, was recently opened by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in Inuvik, NWT Along with fried chicken, salads and sirloin steaks, Chef Brendan Vogt plans to add game and other locally sourced foods to the menu. add.
“I want all food to look as good as our namesake,” he said.
A rural food processing plant, also operated by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, opened in the city last year. There, wild game such as moose, beaver and musk ox brought in by hunters and trappers is processed and packaged. Vogt also wants to take advantage of the hydroponic greenhouse in Inuvik, where leafy greens are grown all year round.
“We had muskox lettuce wraps this weekend and it went really well, so I feel like people really want game,” he said.
Vogt, who is Inuvialuit and Gwich’in, said he has been cooking for 15 years, starting with home economics. He said one of his first jobs was at Le Frolic, a since-closed French restaurant in Yellowknife.
Vogt said he hasn’t always had the chance to work with wild game in the past. He said he is passionate about using local food because it is sustainable and fresh, provides employment opportunities and draws people into the land to learn traditional knowledge.
Mamaqtuq aims to be not only a culinary destination, but also a place where people can learn about Inuvialuit culture. It is decorated with motifs of ulut – traditional half-bladed knives – while a Delta braid pattern, trimmed with a geometric pattern used to decorate clothing, decorates the walls, along with pictures of prominent Inuvialuit and drums.
Vogt said his restaurant also started a breakfast program last week where kids can eat for free.
“It’s a pretty big undertaking,” he said. “Ultimately, our goals for us were to have a place for people to gather, affordable food for the masses and to support the community.”
A little way down the road, Pam McDonald and her husband Brian are cooking in a yellow school bus. Alestine’s restaurant, named after her mother-in-law, recently celebrated its ninth anniversary.
“We’re really enjoying the tourist season this year,” McDonald said. “It’s been busy and it’s just the two of us, so sometimes it’s a little crazy, but we’re enjoying it.”
McDonald said the most popular item on the menu is fish tacos. The restaurant also offers hamburgers on fried bread, chili and pulled pork.
Along with locals, she said the restaurant has received visitors from Panama, Russia and Australia.
“It was always my husband’s dream to open it,” she said. “So when we parted ways with the government we decided we would give this a shot and so far we have done very well. We still enjoy it.”
McDonald said it was a family adventure to ride the bus from Aklavik, NWT to Inuvik in 2014. While they initially planned to use the vehicle for just one summer, she said it continues to serve their needs year-round and has become a staple of their car. garden.
The side of the school bus is now decorated with stickers, license plates and signs from all over the world, including Hawaii, New Zealand, Germany, Scotland and Austria. McDonald said the tradition started when her husband started collecting stickers as a child and now people send them from all over.
Elsewhere in the garden there are treasures hidden in every nook and cranny, from a green planter in the shape of a teapot made from tires, a yellow Volkswagen Beetle with a red fox painted on its side, and large decorative dragonflies with ceiling fan wings.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 14, 2023.
This story was produced with the financial support of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
