DRAMATIC DISHES
From braising beautifully to plating creatively, being a chef takes a certain artistic knack— but few Vancouver chefs have as much art cred as Juniper’s Sarah Stewart.
his former OCAD student and Art Gallery of Ontario chef uses art theory to support her cooking craft every day. Like many artists, her work also carries political implications. And what’s big in food politics right now? “The pulse.” For the uninitiated, a “pulse” is the type of legume that’s dried for storage and then rehydrated as it cooks (for example, the lentil or split pea). And this year, the politics of the pulse are pressing: citing dietary benefits and the crops’ soilsustaining properties, the U.N. backed an initiative that deemed these vegetables a preferred source of protein and other essential nutrients for the world’s swelling population. What’s more, they’ve formally declared 2016 the “International Year of Pulses.”
Chef Sarah Stewart
The Year of the Pul se
On A Roll Juniper chef Sarah Stewart brings a succulent staple—the cabbage roll—up to date. BY CHARLOTTE PRIEST & A.L. ADAMS PHOTOS BY ROB TRENDIAK
Sarah’s lentil-centric cabbage rolls at Juniper are just as savoury and succulent as your grandmother’s classic beef-stuffed recipe. Featuring Saskatchewan-grown black lentils and onion jus—both vegan and gluten-free—they’ve become a menu favourite. By encouraging the “support of local agriculture, as well as protein that isn’t sourced from animals,” Juniper’s cabbage roll gives us a taste of a sustainable future. Sarah brings the same open approach to her kitchen staff as she does to her ingredients. Waiving a strict hierarchy, she encourages souschefs and others to invent menu ideas. Juniper’s atmosphere, already playfully decorated with copper filigree and beech wood tables, is abuzz with the youthful energy of a cooperative, creative staff—as Sarah puts it, “a weird rag-tag bunch of geeky hooligans in my kitchen.” Is that what makes Juniper the perfect pre-theatre stop? Hard to say. Either way, big thanks to Sarah Stewart and Juniper for showing us a delicious new way to “take our pulse.” . JUNIPER KITCHEN & BAR, 185 Keefer St., Vancouver, BC junipervancouver.com
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Artslandia Vancouver 2016–2017