Manitoba

Indigenous flavours on the menu at pop-up restaurant run by RRC students

Hungry for a new dining option? Students at Red River College’s inaugural Indigenous Culinary Skills program are reopening the college’s Prairie Lights restaurant at the Notre Dame Campus for the next month.

Restaurant will be open on Notre Dame campus until April 17

Students and faculty in Red River College's Indigenous Culinary Skills program have reopened the college's Prairie Lights restaurant for the next month to practise their cooking skills. (Shannah-Lee Vidal/CBC )

Hungry for a new dining option?

Students at Red River College's inaugural Indigenous Culinary Skills program are reopening the college's Prairie Lights restaurant at the Notre Dame Campus for the next month.

Students will be cooking up classic breakfast and lunch fare with a mix of Indigenous dishes. (Shannah-Lee Vidal/CBC )

Tuesday was the first day of the pop-up, short order restaurant that will be serving breakfast and lunch until April 17. The menu features a fresh take on some Indigenous dishes like three sisters soup, a meal made of corn, squash and beans, and bannock tacos.

"We're not necessarily an Indigenous food program, We're a culinary skills program for Indigenous cooks, for Indigenous students, but we do want to be able to make sure that students are able to bring some of those cultural elements forward," said Michael Fitzhenry,  an instructor in the Indigenous Culinary Skills program.

Jodee Bethelette and Roland Sutherland are students in the Indigenous Culinary Skills program. (Shannah-Lee Vidal/CBC )

The pop-up was the first opportunity for Jodee Bethelette, a student in the program, to get a taste of the fast-paced restaurant business.

"I think my favorite part is just letting people enjoy our delicious food and seeing smiles on everyone's face when they leave," she said.

The Prairie Lights restaurant will be open to the public Tuesday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. for breakfast, and 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for lunch.

With files from Shannah-Lee Vidal