From her Gwich鈥檌n family鈥檚 kitchen in Fort McPherson, Steph Baryluk grew up learning how food was central in creating a positive atmosphere.

鈥淭hroughout my upbringing, I got to see some very important parts of tradition, culture and community. And something that was happening in my home was that my dad was out harvesting and then my mom would be processing.

鈥淪o this is all the things that were happening throughout my life. At the time, it was just a part of who we were. We hunted and fished and spent that time on the land as a family,鈥� Baryluk said.

In her grandmother鈥檚 home next door, she said almost anyone who came to her doorstep was welcomed with nourishment.

鈥淪he would have something ready to cook or she would already be cooking. Entering Jijuu鈥檚 (her grandmother鈥檚) home or my mom鈥檚 home, very quickly, they're going to serve you something they made, and I think that became part of who I am as well.鈥�

Seeking reconnection

Once Baryluk finished high school and made her way into the world away from all things familiar, she said she felt a disconnect from the comfort of her culture and traditional food.

鈥淚 think for Indigenous students or young people, it's hard to kind of step out of that to pursue education. You're trying to find your way in life,鈥� she said.

鈥淪o, career-wise, I tried different things, which ultimately led me to culinary because I was at a point in my life where I needed to do something that I enjoyed. And once I started cooking, I started to build that connection back to my culture.鈥�

Now, a decade later, Baryluk is a red-seal chef.

Ingredients for success

While she started out in the culinary field working in camps, restaurants, hotels, and seniors homes, several years ago she had the opportunity to create an Indigenous food program through Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, B.C.

鈥淭hat was my first step, so I created the program,鈥� she said.

She now lives in Tsawwassen, B.C., but she is closer than ever to her 黑料吃瓜网 roots because she has since incorporated the familiarity of traditional foods into her dishes.

Sourcing the ingredients from reputable suppliers means she can procure such foods as elk, moose, rabbit or salmon.

She also builds on her creations by using traditional plants that are part of Indigenous culture, such as dried sweetgrass, cedar and spruce tips.

鈥淎ll of a sudden, we had 16 recipes for this institution. It just took off,鈥� she said of the popularity of the program, named Rooted. A year and a half later, they launched Rooted Catering as well, she added.

International flavour

Baryluk has since been preparing many dinners, including a special menu for the NWT Culinary Festival held in Yellowknife in July.

Her work has taken her to Texas, which she described as 鈥渟uper, super cool,鈥� and she also travelled to Rome, Italy, where she prepared a reception for hundreds of people.

鈥淓verything I do, at almost every event, or every talk I do, someone reaches out to me. They are appreciating that Indigenous food is being served. Or maybe it鈥檚 a non-Indigenous person who is thanking me for that little bit of education into Indigenous cuisine.

鈥淭here has been so much positive feedback,鈥� she said.

Meaningful connections

Baryluk said several highlights of her work stand out in a very positive and meaningful way.

鈥淲e held a big event at SFU and I have maybe nine dishes throughout the whole dining commons. And there was one Indigenous student who approached me, and she was so emotional. She's studying at SFU, she's away from her home territory. She appreciated so much that her food was being served.

鈥淎nd that's exactly what I'm trying to do.鈥�

Another such instance occurred when she was in Europe.

鈥淚 was in Italy, serving the food and a young gentleman came up to me and he said mahsi cho 鈥� and in our language that means thank you.

鈥淪o, right away, I lifted my head, and he said, 鈥業'm from Alaska and my friend is Gwich鈥檌n. And he always says mahsi cho. So, there are two examples of these younger, Indigenous people... seeing their Indigenous food being served. So this is so much wider than me or chef stuff. This is for our people.鈥� she said of the impact serving traditional food can have on people.

鈥淚 received a call from a few Elders in my community who were so proud that their food was being served.

Red-seal role model

鈥淎nd I think that's my goal in this, is just to empower our people. But as an Indigenous woman, I enjoy just telling our stories as I do this,鈥� she said of her ability to create the menus that represent her people.

Baryluk said she encourages others to fulfill their dreams, despite challenges they may encounter.

鈥淎s an Indigenous person, as a very young person, there were barriers already. But we are very resilient, we are very strong. And a lot of what I do, and my strength comes from our people 鈥� all my Elders, my parents James and Mary Ross.

鈥淚 am representing so much more than just myself.鈥�