Black to Business
More than fishcakes and chowder, these east coast chefs tantalize taste buds with freshpicked ingredients, African inspired recipes and new twists on classic maritime dishes. Gregory Adolphe-Nazaire
Peter Marsman
Chefs
Summer 2010
11
Michelle Gorman
C
hef Michelle Gorman says the theme at The Wooden Monkey restaurant is “local.”
“I have about 40 different suppliers and farmers that I deal with – all local,” says Gorman. “[The] artwork on the wall is [by] a local artist, Brooks Kind. [And] our bar is made of wood from [trees that fell during] Hurricane Juan.” The Whitney Pier-native graduated from the Nova Scotia Community College’s culinary program in 2007. Since coming to The Wooden Monkey in downtown Halifax as a line cook in 2009 she’s worked her way up to a Head Chef position, not long after earning her Red Seal Certification earlier this year. “I can honestly say we’re probably one of the [few] restaurants with a conscience,” says Gorman of The Wooden Monkey, which offers several vegan and gluten-free options on its menu. “The Sysco truck doesn’t show up here, so we know where our food is coming from. We know our farmers … we see how our chickens are
Senator Donald Oliver
fed, where they’re kept, how they’re grown, where they sleep…” “There’s no spraying, no pesticides, none of that stuff,” she adds. “We want you to leave happy and full, but we also want you to feel good and be healthy.” Gorman says working at The Wooden Monkey has changed her approach to cooking overall. “Before I started working here, like anybody else I’d go to Sobeys and Superstore and purchase my stuff. Now I get my vegetables from the local Vegetorium. And I also purchase my meat and my fish at the market on Saturday mornings.” Apart from working to keep her customers healthy, Gorman says her attitude towards food extends home to her family. “We gotta take care of our children, right? They’re gonna be here a long time. So if I can instill these guidelines in [my daughter], maybe it’ll make her life a little bit longer.”
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Y
ou must choose fresh food; you must not overcook it; you must garnish it attractively; you must balance the meal; you must serve an appropriate wine.” (From Men Can Cook Too, 1981) Since publishing his first cookbook Men Can Cook Too nearly three decades ago, Senator Donald Oliver says he still lives – and cooks – by those early “culinary commandments.” “Cooking is easy, if you just follow a few simple things,” says Senator Oliver, who has his own Queens County farm full of fresh berries, herbs and vegetables. “I‘ve got beet greens and spinach and asparagus… all of those things are fresh. And when you walk out to the garden