Learn to make Festival du Voyageur dishes at home
By Emmalee Blackadar
Finding a way to bring the signature joie de vivre to Manitobans in a creative way was important for the Festival du Voyageur planning team.
“A large part of the festival is food and drink, and we didn’t want festivalgoers to miss out on that this year,” said Lor Brand, Festival du Voyageur’s marketing and communications coordinator.
Like many other events, western Canada’s largest winter festival has moved online. While nothing can replace the community spirit of Festival du Voyageur, they are bringing the nourishment and feeling of togetherness home.
For many Francophone and Metis Manitobans, Festival du Voyageur is an enjoyable and meaningful way to celebrate their culture.
“I have been a Festival volunteer for the past eight years. This is one of the first festivals that I have missed in my life,” said Kyra De la Ronde, a first-year Indigenous Community Development and Social Innovation student.
“I think it is very important that as an organization, Festival du Voyageur was able to provide services online to engage the community,” said De la Ronde.
Three popular Francophone meals—Pea Soup, Tourtiere, and Pouding Chomeur—have been posted to the Festival website’s blog for people to make and enjoy at home.
“Those three recipes were developed by chef Luc Jean who was our guest for the cooking segment of our Festival á la Maison video series.” said Brand. “He developed classic French-Canadian recipes that you would likely see at Festival du Voyageur.”
Along with making meals at home, Festival partnered with Promenade Cafe and Wine to create popular dishes such as Smoked Watersong Trout, Bothwell Grilled Cheese, and Dessert Sugar Pie in a take-out and T.V. dinner format.
Another local business, Patent 5 Distillery, partnered with Festival to provide the “Festi-Bar” experience from home. They made the iconic ice glasses available for purchase, along with two new signature cocktails. These cocktails are inspired by Festival, one featuring Caribou and the other maple syrup.
“Since the hospitality industry has also been seriously impacted by the festival, we sought out partners to make it happen and help support them. They are two great local companies that we are super proud to work with,” said Brand.
For more recipes or to continue celebrating and learning more about Francophone culture in Manitoba and Festival, be sure to visit heho.ca
