For Anora Lia Collier, cooking often starts with the Three Sisters, the traditional heart of her people’s cuisine. The early Huron-Wendat, the First Nation of which she is part, were farmers whose livelihood depended on growing corn, squash and beans, the three crops that make up the Sisters.
Member of the Huron-Wendat community, Collier is a chef of Wendake, near Quebec City. She was always deeply influenced by those culinary traditions. While not strictly vegetarian, as hunting and fishing are also part of their tradition, much of their cuisine consisted of vegetables, fruits, plants and seeds that grew locally.
“Indigenous cuisine is usually simple, consisting strictly of local goods, often just a few ingredients, but it’s also something that’s meant to bring people together,” Collier said. “Simple, but my goodness, so delicious.”
Collier will be sharing her people’s cuisine during a free workshop — presented by Mordu, at Montréal en Lumière, a winter festival running Feb. 16 to March 5, supported by Scotiabank. The festival, now in its 24th year, takes place in downtown Montreal and features outdoor activities for children and adults, concerts, art installations, and, importantly, gastronomy.
In addition to bringing together more than 40 local restaurants to offer exclusive menus, the gastronomy program, presented by Scotia Wealth Management, will include Quebec food producers showing off everything from specialty salt flakes to wild mushrooms and much more; food tastings of all kinds; and themed workshops, including several highlighting the cuisines of the province’s Indigenous communities. All free activities will take place at the Quartier Goumand, Place des Arts, Espace culturel Georges-Émile Lapalme, on a first come, first served basis.
Our partnership with Montréal en Lumière allows us to support storytellers that greatly contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of Montreal
“Our partnership with Montréal en Lumière allows us to support storytellers that greatly contribute to the cultural and economic vitality of Montreal,” said Geneviève Brouillard, Senior Vice President for Québec and Eastern Ontario, Scotia Wealth Management. “We are also proud to be associated with their gastronomic programming, which features a diverse range of chefs from various cultures."
For Collier’s workshop (February 25, 3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) – which she’ll be presenting along with her mother, artist Line Gros-Louis, as well as chef Amine Laabi (Mordu), and Isabelle Picard, an ethnologist, writer and lecturer who is also from Wendake – she is planning to make two dishes: a sunflower soup, which she calls simple but delicious and not very well known, as well as a salad made from wild rice and dried fruits.
Growing up in a home where her mother was herself a talented cook, Collier’s love of the culinary arts began early. She cooked fancy meals with friends as a teenager, and after high school enrolled in restaurant management at Limoilou College to finally deepen her knowledge in the field at Université de Laval in 2015. From there, she worked in restaurants, at a bed and breakfast, and ran a catering company.
“I was influenced a lot by European cuisine, so that’s reflected in the things that I make. If I’m preparing something more traditional from my culture, something simple, I can incorporate some of those other elements as long they’re not inconsistent with the recipe or the ingredients.
“So I’ll play around with those influences because we know that when it comes to food the bar is pretty high. People want to discover new products, new flavours, new recipes. I can take inspiration from here and there. That only enriches our culture, which is alive, it isn’t stagnant or fixed.”
The Huron-Wendat people originally lived on the shores of the Great Lakes, where fishing and hunting supplemented the staples provided by the Three Sisters. The First Nation is now concentrated at Wendake, but those traditions continue.
“Small game and fish were also important elements of the diet,” Collier said. “Those are still part of the culture, part of our lives. My grandfather still takes us hunting, and I fish with my son.”
Collier is now the chef at a long-term-care home as well as for an intermediate care residence and a meals-on-wheels, where she says she has “the honour of serving the older members of my community.”
She is also deeply involved with maintaining her culture through the Huron-Wendat Museum in Wendake. She sits on the board of directors of the museum, whose mission is to preserve the heritage of its people and share the cultural riches of the First Nation. It boasts a permanent collection of artifacts, temporary exhibits, as well as the Ekionkiestha’ National Longhouse, which adds an immersive dimension to the guest experience.
“It’s a magical, magnificent place,” Collier said. “That’s where my heart is, because the culture is so important to me, it’s something that needs to be shared, needs to be taught, to be demystified.”
The museum and community always had many tourists visiting from Europe, but Collier says Quebecers and Canadians are increasingly interested in discovering Indigenous cultures.
“I find it very touching that people want to know about our culture, to learn about our history. And I want to help share it however I can.”
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Other workshops at Montréal en Lumière on February 25th include:
Daniel Picard, Les épices du guerrier (The Warrior Blends)
February 25, 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
For over 30 years, Daniel Picard has travelled Quebec's Aboriginal territory in search of flavour. He has forged strong ties with many communities, often over a good meal. Himself of Huron origin, he long dreamed of creating a gastronomic link between the different terroirs of the First Nations. From this dream was born Les Épices du Guerrier. Having made a name for itself with the unique packaging of its flagship product — a gift log containing its first spice blend — the young company has since diversified its offering with the Tomahawk blend, Boreal Pepper with Bacon and La Scorbut hot sauce, all of which are inspired by the local native terroir.
Chef Lysanne O’Bomsawin
For more than 10 years, in the Abenaki community of Adanak, Mauricie, Chef Lysanne O’Bomsawin has been sharing the culinary traditions of her people. She comes to Montréal en Lumière3 to give a workshop on Indigenous culinary traditions.
February 25, 5 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
For more than 10 years, in the Abenaki community of Adanak, Mauricie, Chef Lysanne O’Bomsawin has been sharing the culinary traditions of her people. She comes to Montréal en Lumière3 to give a workshop on Indigenous culinary traditions.
Jacques T. Watso
February 25, 6:15 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Elected member of the Abenaki Council of Odanak, community leader, founding member of the Tambour Flying Sturgeons drumming troupe and Aw8ssisak Akik singers, Jacques T. Watso is deeply involved with his nation and culture. He’ll be preparing Watso Sagamité, an ancestral soup recipe belonging to the culinary heritage of the Abenakis of Odanak composed of nine varieties of beans and leached corn and accompanied by certified red deer meat.
Quartier Gourmand presented by Mordu - Place des Arts, Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme
175 Saint-Catherine St West
Metro: Place-des-Arts
