Chef Profile – Culinary Travels

Inside Saskatchewan’s Rising Food Scene

25 November 2025

Chefs across the province are redefining prairie cooking with fearless menus rooted in local ingredients.

By Cathy Senecal

Southwestern Saskatchewan is all blue sky and cumulus clouds over rolling hills and endless grasslands. Across its small towns, a new guard of chefs is reimagining the province’s bounty with menus rooted in prairie flavour.

Harvest Eatery, Shaunavon

After cooking in renowned restaurants in Alberta and B.C., Garrett “Rusty” Thienes returned home to Shaunavon to raise a family and now creates a stir as chef and co-owner, with his wife Kristy, of Harvest Eatery, an award-winning steakhouse between Grasslands National Park and the Cypress Hills.
“I had this idea for a chill yet high-calibre restaurant that makes top-notch food you could eat in jeans and a T-shirt,” says Thienes, wielding a grinder over sizzling steak in the theatre kitchen beneath a faux tin ceiling.

With 99 per cent of its supplies sourced within 60 kilometres, Harvest Eatery has plenty to play with, from Speckled Park beef—“best beef in the world”—to bison from Wigness Farms, wild boar, rabbit, chicken, pork, durum wheat, mustard, chickpeas, lentils, mushrooms and both farmed and wild fish. “Some of the best experiences are outside urban centres, with a few exceptions. We’re a bit more fearless and inventive,” Thienes adds. “Creative chefs want to tell Saskatchewan’s food story alongside producers who are growing and raising incredible ingredients.”

According to Thienes, foodies who give Saskatchewan a chance will be “amazed as much by the hospitality as the food.” He proves it with one of the best tenderloins in the province, served in a dining room decorated with local art that hums with the buzz of regulars.

Schoolhaus Culinary Arts, Regina

In Regina, chef and entrepreneur Aimee Schulhauser echoes this theme of warm hospitality. “Saskatchewan’s cuisine is rooted in place, full of heartfelt hospitality,” she says.

A graduate of Calgary’s SAIT, Schulhauser now runs a catering business, Tangerine, as well as Schoolhaus Culinary Arts. The school offers a fun night out where friends learn to cook together and then eat their creations. “Non-foodies enjoy the hands-on, interactive experience, and foodies love learning new techniques,” she says. (I mastered the butane torch while caramelizing mini parfaits.)

She has witnessed Saskatchewan’s culinary scene evolve over two decades. “When I first entered the industry 20 years ago, the ‘meat and potatoes’ stereotype was just starting to be challenged. Now, we have chef-driven restaurants, farm-to-table experiences and unapologetically prairie flavours.”

Free Bird, Lumsden

At Free Bird in Lumsden, avocado toast is elevated with pico de gallo, red grape tomatoes, herbs and chili oil on buttery sourdough, served with a soft egg on the side. It’s a playful take on what chef JP Vives calls “common food done uncommonly well.”

Vives opened Free Bird in 2019 after training and working in B.C. and Saskatoon. For him, culinary trends grow out of close chef-producer relationships. His tie to Babco Meats, which started across the street from the restaurant, brings organic beef, pork and chicken directly into his kitchen. “I often buy from Lincoln Gardens, too. I’m just taking these amazing local ingredients and adding my own twist to make simple, good food,” he says.

Trigo Food + Drink, Lafleche

Adam Henwood, owner-chef of Trigo, exemplifies Saskatchewan’s do-it-your-own-way spirit. After 17 years as a lawyer, he left big-city Alberta for Lafleche (population: 373) and reinvented himself in the kitchen. Today, he serves multi-course tasting menus that spotlight a different country every five months.

“Trigo is doing something completely unique, offering a dining experience using local fare yet authentic to a featured country,” he says.

When I visited, the theme was Georgia. Henwood orchestrated a supra, a traditional Georgian feast, pairing marigold-petal sauces with beetroot and spinach pâtés, serving cheese bread with Georgian wine and encouraging diners to slurp juice from steaming dumplings. In a room barely big enough for a dozen tables, the air filled with Georgian music as mains of beef kharcho were paired with red wine from the birthplace of viticulture.

Between courses, I dash down the town’s deserted main street to catch the setting sun tinting the grassy coulees—a moment only possible when fine dining unfolds in the middle of Saskatchewan’s Wild West.

The Modern Holiday Recipe Series: Chef Nuit Regular’s Yum Kanom Jin

25 November 2025

For this series, we asked four renowned chefs share their favourite hosting tips and the non-traditional recipes they cook for gatherings with their loved ones. Here, Toronto-based chef Nuit Regular shares her recipe for Yum Kanom Jin (Rice Vermicelli Noodle Salad).

Toronto-based chef Nuit Regular, the force behind restaurants like Kiin and Pai, is known for bringing the heart of northern Thai cooking to Canadian tables. For the holidays, she leans into that heritage while making entertaining easy and joyful.

“I love to make Yum Kanom Jeen for the holidays, which is a Thai noodle salad,” she says. “I prepare everything in advance and just assemble the day of. It’s an easy dish to make for gatherings while showcasing my Thai heritage at the same time.”

Regular explains that holiday cooking for her is about connecting to her roots while creating a relaxed space for friends and family.

“We have a tradition every Christmas of getting together with my husband Jeff’s high school friends. They were so warm and welcoming when I came to Canada. We do a potluck, deciding in advance who will bring what. Because everyone is so busy, it’s wonderful to meet once a year to catch up. It’s all about enjoying each other’s company and great food.”

Hosting Tip: “Prep as much as you can in advance. On the day of, you’ll be busy and want to spend time with your family or guests. I love just reheating and assembling before the gathering. Braised meats or curries are perfect—they taste even better the next day!”

Recipe: Yum Kanom Jin (Rice Vermicelli Noodle Salad)

By Chef Nuit Regular

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 package (300 g) dried rice vermicelli noodles
¼ cup water
1 tsp salt
1 lb (450 g) ground pork
⅓ cup sunflower oil
¼ cup Thai garlic
cloves, unpeeled (or peeled regular garlic, finely minced)
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup fish sauce
1 Tbsp cane sugar
1 Tbsp chilli powder (or 1½ tsp for milder flavour)
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Method
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan over high heat, bring water and salt to a boil. Add ground pork and cook, stirring, until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, heat sunflower oil. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir in fish sauce and sugar until dissolved. Add lime juice and chilli powder, mix well.

Add noodles and pork, toss to combine. Top with cilantro and green onions. Serve immediately.

Excerpted from Kiin by Nuit Regular. Copyright © 2020 by Nuit Regular. Photography copyright © 2020 by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott. Published by Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

The Veal Deal: Cooking Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna

11 November 2025

Vienna’s Wrenkh brothers teach the art of schnitzel and invite travellers to taste Austria’s heritage, one cutlet at a time.

By Ann Ruppenstein

When it comes to preparing Wiener schnitzel, the golden, deep-fried veal cutlets that are a staple of Austrian cuisine, chef Leo Wrenkh has a straightforward approach for beginners. “There’s a simple rule,” he explains from the cooking studio at Wrenkh, both a restaurant and a culinary school in Vienna. “Small cuts mean small mistakes and big cuts mean big mistakes—so we’re making little schnitzels because that’s easier.”

As children, Leo and his brother Karl followed their parents into the kitchen. Although their grandmother came from a family of butchers, their parents went on to establish Vienna’s first top-rated vegetarian restaurant. “Growing up above the restaurant, the kitchen felt more like a living room to us. We have vivid memories of sneaking sweet bites from the chefs or being kicked out by our furious mother,” he recalls. “Later, we took over the restaurant at quite a young age. Karl had just returned from a job in Switzerland and I was still doing my military service. There were even moments when I had no time to change and had to cook in uniform.”

While the menu at Wrenkh now includes meat, the brothers emphasize top-quality, fresh and locally sourced ingredients. “Taste always comes first,” Leo says. “We focus on fresh, healthy ingredients, simple preparation methods and enjoying the perfect moment together.”

Launched in 2019, the cooking school reflects that vision: “to share our love and passion for the culinary arts—and to turn strangers into friends through the experience.”

It’s fitting, as their cookbook Vom Glück Gemeinsam Zu Essen translates to the good fortune of eating together. “We believe there’s nothing better than a fresh, home-cooked meal,” Leo says. “Our goal is to inspire our guests to recreate the experience at home with their family and friends. Cooking is the international language of friendship—it can bring people together across borders, cultures and even oceans.”

In addition to breading the veal cutlets and cooking them in oil until they are crispy and golden brown, today’s menu includes Viennese-style potato salad. “We know it can be a bit strange for our guests who do not come from Austria or Germany that we eat schnitzel with potato salad,” he says. “The potato salad has a simple dressing—it’s red onion, vinegar, sunflower oil, salt and pepper, and more sugar than you might expect. The more sugar you put in the salad, the more traditional it tastes.”

As Wrenkh also specializes in vegetarian offerings, participants prepare mushroom schnitzel made from oyster mushrooms, which crackle and crisp in the hot pan much like veal. “I think that’s what makes travel nice—to experience things that are really unique to a place, and the mushroom schnitzel here is one of those unique things—the Wrenkh brothers’ mushroom schnitzel,” he adds. “Then we get rid of all the knives and I’ll be more relaxed.”

In between preparing dishes, participants help themselves to the beverage bar, which features sparkling, white and red wine, fresh juices and water. “We want to prove to you that cooking together can be fun and relaxing,” Leo says. “Our invitation to everyone is to spend more time in the kitchen, less in the office. Fewer stressful meetings, more steaming casseroles.”

Although Wrenkh now has an identity of its own, Austrian cuisine, Leo notes, is shaped by many cultures. “Austrian cuisine is, in many ways, a misconception itself. It’s actually a great example of traditional fusion food—a result of Vienna being the melting pot of the former Habsburg Empire,” he says. “Just look at Wiener schnitzel from Italy, dumplings from Bohemia, goulash from Hungary, and strudel and coffee from the Ottomans.”

But while there are misconceptions, some things ring true. “We all kind of sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger,” Leo says with a smile. “I’m told that’s kind of charming.”

Recipe: Wiener Schnitzel (Breaded Veal Cutlets)

Ingredients

600g veal escalope, pounded until about 0.5 cm thick, edges trimmed
2 eggs
2 tbsp. milk
Salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
Oil or lard for frying
Lemon slices
Parsley for garnish

Instructions
Lightly season the veal with salt. Cut into thin slices with a sharp knife. Place flour, beaten eggs with milk and breadcrumbs in three shallow bowls. Dip the veal in flour first, then in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs, ensuring it is completely covered.

Fry in hot oil deep enough so the schnitzel floats while cooking. Swish gently with a fork to prevent sticking. Turn once and fry until both sides are golden brown. Drain and serve hot with fresh lemon and Viennese-style potato salad.

Protein swap: Pork cutlets can be prepared the same way, using pumpkin seeds mixed with breadcrumbs in a 3:1 ratio.

Recipe: Viennese-Style Potato Salad

Ingredients

600g potatoes
60g onion or spring onion, finely chopped
1 cup broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)
3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
6 tbsp. olive oil or pumpkin seed oil
Tarragon or Dijon mustard (optional)
Honey or sugar, to taste (optional)
Salt and pepper

Instructions
Cook the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain, cool slightly, peel and slice finely. Place in a large bowl while still warm, add the onion and pour over the warm broth. Toss with vinegar and oil and season to taste. Stir until creamy. Adjust flavour with mustard or sugar if desired. Garnish with chives and field salad.

Chef spotlight: Catching up with Alexandra Launay, executive chef, Ladurée, Canada

4 August 2025

Alexandra Launay has fond childhood memories of baking cakes with her mother.

“I started very early,” she recalls, noting that French labour laws admit employment by those as young as 15.

With several family members working in bakeries, Launay grew up in the pastry industry, and later left her hometown to train as a pastry apprentice in Paris, France.

Working diligently along a husband and wife duo, she honed her practical skills in a small bakery, while balancing her studies in recipe development and traditional French pastry techniques. Then, in 2010, she joined one of the most iconic French pastry brands in the world, Ladurée.

“It was brand new and quite amazing for me,” Launay recalls, noting that going from a small scale operation to a global pastry empire meant mastering challenging creative techniques and familiarizing herself with unique ingredients and new equipment, all while gaining her footing in a massive commercial lab.

“I remember the first time I walked into the pastry lab, I fell in love with it,” she says. “I knew this would really help me to enhance my pastry knowledge.”

Loyal to the brand, Launay spent six years working for Ladurée in France, before locating to London, England for an additional six years as the store’s head pastry chef. In June 2022, she moved once more, this time to Toronto, Canada, where she currently works as Ladurée’s executive head chef.

With a charming history that dates back to 1862, Ladurée is a world-renowned luxury French pâtisserie that originated in Paris, France, when Louis-Ernest Ladurée opened the original Maison, a small bakery that sold traditional breads and sweets. After a fire destroyed the bakery in 1871, the building resurfaced as a pastry shop. Jules Chéret, a painter and artist, was hired to decorate the interior, which included the debut of the brand’s signature celadon green stripes.

In later years, a tea room was added to the shop, a feature that remains to this day. Best known for its colourful macarons giftwrapped in exquisite boxes, the dessert company also offers an assortment of delicate French desserts, like cakes, croissants, millefeuille, and other signature creations. As of 2024, Ladurée has 129 global locations, with three in Vancouver and two in Toronto, Canada.

This story first appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Culinary Travels Magazine. To read the full version, and to subscribe to the digital magazine, click here.

Recipes with roots: Chef Stephanie Baryluk on sharing Teetl’it Gwich’in teachings in cuisine

25 February 2025

What is Indigenous food?

It’s a question Stephanie Baryluk has been asking herself a lot these days.

Growing up in the Teetl’it Gwich’in community of Fort McPherson in the Inuvik region of the Northwest Territories, the Red Seal chef has early memories of harvesting berries, moose and caribou alongside her mother and grandmother in their tight knit hamlet of just under 700 residents.

“As hard as it was growing up in a remote community, it wasn’t until I left that I really appreciated that sense of community and having family close by,” said Baryluk, who left Fort McPherson after finishing highschool to study culinary arts at the Vancouver Community College. “After leaving everything I knew, there was a really big disconnect to who I am, because I grew up with such a strong Indigenous culture, and how I found it again was through cooking and sharing meals.”

The bulk of Baryluk’s culinary training emphasized French cooking techniques, which largely contradicted her own culinary upbringing. “Indigenous cooking teaches us to never waste anything, and all of a sudden, I was learning about the best cuts and the best products,” Baryluk said.

Now living and working in Vancouver, BC, Baryluk says that it was that strong sense of community and culture that ultimately drove her to pass on her knowledge of Indigenous recipes.

“There are a lot of people who lost their culture, their history, and who they were as people,” Baryluk said. “Even me, I’m still learning things about who we are as Gwich’in people. When I’m creating recipes and dishes, it’s definitely a fusion because I’m relearning and trying to figure out a way to tell that story.”

In March 2023, Baryluk created and founded the Rooted program at Simon Fraser University, which aims to showcase Indigenous recipes, flavours and ingredients. In collaboration with the university, Baryluk introduced a roster of recipes which are rotated twice weekly and offered on campus at SFU’s Dining Common area.

Each recipe includes a QR code which allows students to learn more about traditional Indigenous ingredients. Duck tacos with charred corn salsa and a blueberry BBQ salmon bowl, for example, are just a few of the popular dishes. Since its launch, the program has expanded to include a catering component.

And while the feedback from students and faculty has been overwhelmingly positive, Baryluk notes that serving Indigenous cuisine comes with its own set of unique challenges.

“I can’t serve moose or caribou in Vancouver, because I don’t have a reputable supplier,” she explained. Finding items that are available year round on the island in large quantities is another factor she must be mindful of. Salmon, for example, is a hearty staple in BC, much like whitefish sustained the community in Baryluk’s hometown in the Northwest Territories.

Beyond her efforts with SFU, Baryluk continues to give back to the Indigenous community by offering private cooking lessons in the Northwest Territories.

“Even though I live away now, this work is for our people. And when I get to go back to the community, cooking is something I’ll always make the time for,” said Baryluk, noting that she’s held workshops for persons aged four through 70. “It’s nice to see other Indigenous people who are excited that our food and our stories are being shared,” she said.

Recently, Baryluk’s niece finished her first year of culinary school—further validation that the work she’s doing is making a difference.

“At the beginning of my culinary career, I didn’t see a future in Indigenous cuisine, because it was just something that wasn’t done,” Baryluk said. “I think there’s a lot of reconciliation that’s trying to happen within Canada right now, so having this as a career option isn’t just important work; it’s so fulfilling as an Indigenous woman. It started as a way to build a connection back to my home, but now it’s just something I do everyday, and I love it.”

Three Michelin-Starred Chef Nacho Manzano to run Porto Gaia Hotel’s culinary program

14 January 2025

Tivoli Hotels & Resort’s Tivoli Kopke Porto Gaia Hotel has announced an exclusive partnership with three-Michelin-starred Spanish chef, Nacho Manzano, who will oversee the luxury hotel’s dining establishments—1638 Restaurant & Wine Bar and Boa Vista Terrace. Chef Manzano brings his tried-and-true family traditions, revered legacy and rich culinary heritage of Northern Spain’s Asturias region to the hotel, which is scheduled to open next month in Portugal’s Douro Valley wine country.

Born in La Salgar, a small village in Asturias, Nacho Manzano began working in his family’s restaurant where he formed a deep connection with the flavors and traditions of his homeland while cooking his grandmother’s passed-down recipes. Years later, he transformed Casa Marcial, a simple local restaurant and family home, into one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Spain, which was awarded its third Michelin star in 2024.

Chef Manzano brings his unique culinary acumen to Tivoli Kopke Porto Gaia’s 1638 Restaurant & Wine Bar by Nacho Manzano, where his tasting menu will showcase haute cuisine paired with award-winning Kopke wines. He will also oversee Boa Vista Terrace by Nacho Manzano, a casual sharing concept with panoramic views over the Douro River and the city of Porto, as well as banqueting menus for special occasions, weddings and corporate events.

1638 Restaurant & Wine Bar by Nacho Manzano

Offering a timeless atmosphere with stunning views of Porto, 1638 Restaurant & Wine Bar by Nacho Manzano will take guests on an incredible culinary adventure showcasing the purity of each ingredient, and a philosophy of minimal intervention and techniques, like steaming and low-temperature cooking, that honor and enhance the ingredients’ finest qualities. The signature tasting menu will change every two months and will be paired with exquisite wines from the Douro region, including renowned Kopke Port wines and Douro DOC still wines from Quinta de São Luiz and Quinta da Boavista. The restaurant proudly features the widest range of Kopke Ports, including some very rare and unique selections, such as the Kopke Harvest 1934.

Boa Vista Terrace by Nacho Manzano

The relaxed Boa Vista Terrace combines all-day dining with attractive interior design and warm ambience, making it an ideal spot for a quick bite, a business lunch or dinner, or a casual meal with friends and family. The international menu draws its roots from the Atlantic and is destined to become one of the best places to dine in Porto.

Set to open in February, Tivoli Kopke Porto Gaia will set a new standard for luxury hospitality in the northern region of Portugal, combining Tivoli Hotels & Resorts’ heritage of timeless travel with the storied history and legacy of Kopke, the oldest Port Wine House in the world, established in 1638. Older than Douro’s demarcated region and a leader in the production of tawny and white port, the Kopke Port wine cellar, adjoining the hotel, will be one of the most exclusive attractions where guests will enjoy an immersive experience in the world of the most recognized fortified wine. In addition to its restaurants, the hotel will also feature a pool bar and the Sky Bar Kopke, a rooftop that specializes in signature Port cocktails and captivating views of Porto.

Unico 20°87° has picked its next celebrity chef for its in-house restaurant residency

1 January 2025

UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya, a five-star, all-inclusive beachfront resort in the heart of the Yucatan peninsula, today announced illustrious Chef Gerardo Vázquez Lugo as its next celebrity chef-in-residence to helm the hotel’s flagship restaurant, Cueva Siete.

Since opening, Cueva Siete has become a vibrant hub of rotating celebrity chefs who interpret the region’s cuisine with signature techniques, locally sourced ingredients, and unique flavors. Under Chef Gerardo, Cueva Siete will undergo a culinary renaissance, bringing distinctive new dishes and a fresh perspective to every table.

Since its inception, the Chef-in-Residence program at UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya has hosted numerous master chefs to oversee the entire restaurant for two full years, transforming the experience and ensuring a refreshed experience for returning visitors. The resident chef is granted full creative control of Cueva Siete’s menu and kitchen in order to showcase their expertise and signature specialties.

“I am thrilled to officially be part of the Chef-in-Residence program at UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya. My predecessors, Chef Lula Martin Del Campo, Chef Xavier Perez Stone, and Chef Christian Bravo have truly laid a remarkable foundation and exceptionally high standard for the program,” said Chef Gerardo. “I’m most looking forward to seeing hotel guests experience my menu with unique flavors and hopefully, have them coming back for seconds.”

About Chef Lugo

Chef Lugo brings more than 25 years of experience to Cueva Siete, with a focus on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients and responsible sourcing from regional farmers and growers.

He is currently Executive Chef at the renowned Nicos, named among Latin’s America’s 50 Best Restaurants for 10 consecutive years, and a recipient of the prestigious Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award. Chef Gerardo has helmed exceptional kitchens across the globe, including Le Bristol in Paris, Las Rosas Restaurant in Turin, Imperial Hotel Tokyo, and numerous others. He serves as a mentor to Young Chefs S.Pellegrino, and also appeared as a judge on the first edition of Netflix series Iron Chef Mexico.

Chef Gerardo’s menu at Cueva Siete will feature traditional Yucatan dishes, including Xe’ek, a fresh citrus salad and Salbut Dzik, a modern take on a pulled protein salbute. The menu will dive into local flavors and ingredients like jicama, plantain, purslane and achiote.

With the launch of this latest culinary initiative, UNICO 20°87° Hotel Riviera Maya further solidifies its reputation as a top culinary destination for thoughtfully prepared, authentic cuisine defined by the unique tastes, textures, and aromas of Mexico’s rich culinary heritage.

For more information, visit http://www.unicohotelrivieramaya.com.