Innovative ideas and fresh new products are always on the menu at RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen (PRK), Western Canada’s only Technology Access Centre that blends culinary arts and food science. But in addition to contributing to applied research projects for industry partners and clients, this summer’s co-op students at PRK also whipped up a little something special for themselves.

As part of their work-integrated learning experience, a trio of ambitious culinary students jumped at the challenge to create their own unique food product and take it from concept to market.

“It was a fun process that really tested everything we’ve learned and boosted my confidence,” said Culinary Arts student, Yesenia Portillo. “It’s a nice sendoff or grand finale to a chapter of my educational journey that I’ll never forget.”

Portillo named their sweet pepperoncini relish ‘Prairie Glow’ as a tribute to their positive experience working at PRK. They actually stumbled upon the key ingredient by accident but say the combination of its acidic brightness and sweet subtle heat made their tastebuds dance. They recommend their relish to other pickle-lovers as a perfect complement to charcuterie boards or pizza.   

Originally from Winnipegosis and a member of Minegoziibe Anishinabe, Tia Fleming chose to highlight her Indigenous culture with a barbecue sauce that works well with the wild game commonly served in the area. She combined locally grown saskatoon berries with jalapeño and after consulting with community, Fleming harvested and torched her own sweetgrass then infused it into vinegar to add smoky flavour and a spiritual element.

Indigenous Language Instructor, Corey Whitford provided the Anishinaabemowin translation for the label of the sauce that lists the main ingredients. Gaa Gi-zhi-deg Mis-kwaa-ko-a-too-mi-na Wiin-gash-ki Baash-ki mi-na-si-gan will be gifted and not sold due to its medicinal properties.

“I wanted my product to demonstrate that food can be delicious, healing and tell a story all at the same time,” said Fleming, a student in RRC Polytech’s Indigenous Culinary Skills program. “I feel proud that I’m learning new skills that I can share with family and my community and eventually give back by teaching others. It would be awesome if this was the first in a line of sauces that someday I could bring to Pow Wows and ceremonies.”

Intrigued by food chemistry with a focus on sustainability, Hui-Yun Sim, a Professional Baking student experimented with using a red lentil component before settling on a high protein chickpea pulse flour as the base for an instant brownie mix. Showcased at EDC’s Culinary Exchange, her Chocolate Chickpea Pleasers Brownie Mix lived up to its name as stock didn’t last long.    

“It’s so cool to see other students actually buying your product that’s made from weird or unfamiliar ingredients to them, and to know it tastes great,” said Sim. “PRK was an empowering place to work, I’m much stronger for it.”        

That’s because coming up with a clever or meaningful product idea was just the beginning. Determining the ingredients and recipe required more than just dozens of trials and taste tests – it took careful analysis of food costs and availability, allergens, nutritional values and scalability. They also needed working knowledge of procurement, health and safety measures, and marketing to navigate their ideas from potential to reality.

Despite the individual nature of the assignment, collaboration is a foundational objective at PRK, so the students worked together to perfect their creations and were supported by the professional research staff and even partners as Bee-Maid generously donated honey for the students to use.

“This is the first time we’ve attempted three separate student-led creations in one summer, but they each had their own vision and were very determined to showcase their culinary and critical thinking skills by seeing it through,” said Anna Borys, Research Technician at Prairie Research Kitchen.

“They ultimately came up with really tasty and thoughtful products while gaining a much better understanding of the amount of work it takes to put a single food item on a grocery store shelf.”

While their backgrounds, approaches, dreams and products are vastly different, all three of PRK’s most recent co-op students are moving forward in their careers with the same thought – it’s a healthy serving of thinking, learning, adapting, and planning that leads to culinary excellence and innovation.  

“Our team at PRK approaches our work with an entrepreneurial mindset. We encourage each member, including our co-op students, to expand their creative boundaries to best support our clients, each other and their own personal development,” said Mavis McRae, Director, Prairie Research Kitchen.

“Incorporating concepts like cultural significance, practicality and sustainability into great tasting food demonstrates the ability of these students to blend their expertise with their passions – something I’m proud to say our team does every day and that will serve them well in all of their future endeavours.”

Innovative hydroponic growing system now in use at the Paterson Globalfoods Institute (PGI) promotes sustainability and offers solutions to offset rising grocery costs

Les Verts Living originally partnered with RRC Polytech to help develop a prototype of its innovative soil-free and pesticide-free hydroponic growing system called the Terrace Pro – taking advantage of the resources and expertise available at the College’s Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM), Prairie Research Kitchen (PRK), and Building Efficiency Technology Access Centre (BETAC).  

Now with its final product on the market, Les Verts Living is extending the partnership by sharing one of its Terrace Pro units with RRC Polytech to support Culinary Arts students with access to fresh, gourmet produce while they pursue their education. Housing the unit at the Paterson Globalfoods Institute (PGI) will also allow the PRK team to continue researching how to optimize its performance in a commercial setting while developing recipes that highlight the delicious living lettuce, fragrant herbs and hyper-nutritious microgreens and baby greens produced in the Terrace Pro.

“Through our technology, facilities and expertise, the College is uniquely positioned to bring these types of project ideas to life for our industry partners while training the workforce of tomorrow,” said Fred Meier, President and CEO of RRC Polytech. “This project demonstrates the power of partnership and the value of applied research in propelling our province’s economy forward.”

Learn more about the project

Completed applied research projects at the College have increased by one third over the previous year 

Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) has earned the 14th place position in Re$earch Infosource’s annual ranking of the country’s top 50 research colleges.

“RRC Polytech makes innovation possible for our partners in industry and community – and every successful project builds trust in our technology, facilities and expertise,” said Jamie Wilson, Vice President, Indigenous Strategy, Research and Business Development at RRC Polytech.

“Today’s rankings reflect the College’s growing reputation for consistency and productivity that is driven by the work of our Research, Partnerships and Innovation enterprise and at our three Technology Access Centres. They also reinforce that our approach of strengthening relationships with partners and funders across all sectors, driving alignment between stakeholders, and valuing sustainability is accelerating applied research innovation here in Manitoba.”

RRC Polytech completed 170 applied research projects in the 2022 fiscal year – almost 60 more than the previous year – ranking it third in the Medium Tier category and fourth nationwide while posting a total of 117 research partnerships. By maintaining its average of 7.4 million dollars for a second consecutive year, Manitoba’s polytechnic also remains on par with the per-college provincial average of sponsored research income in Alberta and only slightly behind Ontario.

As an added feature to its annual publication, Canada’s Innovation Leaders 2023, Re$earch Infosource also shines a spotlight on college-industry research income as measured by grants, contracts or contributions received from industry sources over the past five years, where RRC Polytech again showed a remarkably consistent annual average of just over 7-million dollars from 2018-2022.

Applied research examples at RRC Polytech include a current partnership between the Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM) and StandardAero, who are collaborating to test and validate that cold spray technology could be effectively implemented for repairing aircraft components.

The College’s Vehicle Technology & Energy Centre (VTEC) continues to facilitate the shift to electrification and zero-emission fuel sources with projects aimed at expanding workplace charging capabilities; partnering with Seven Oaks School Division, Noble Northern and the Canadian Shield Foundation to develop a diesel-to-electric conversion kit for school buses; and even building on the success of completed projects by repurposing batteries from Winnipeg Transit electric bus trials in storage systems on fast chargers also created on campus.

The most comprehensive example is From Lab to Table, a Culinary Research Review in the form of a cookbook that shares the delicious outcomes of the applied research conducted at the Prairie Research Kitchen (PRK) since 2014, while documenting the history of Manitoba’s only Technology Access Centre that blends food science and culinary arts.  From discovering and developing novel uses for pulse and soybean products to upcycling food industry by-products and even embracing insects for protein, this unique cookbook is available at researchrecipes.ca.

“Celebrating the variety of products, techniques and technology that our researchers, staff and students have worked together with our partners to develop is as important as the volume of projects completed,” said Wilson. “Because regardless of the size or scope of the project, from entrepreneurs in search of support to launch and grow their business idea to established enterprises seeking advancements to propel them into the future, we want everyone to know that in addition to training the workforce of tomorrow, RRC Polytech is also here to provide innovative solutions that elevate all Manitobans.”

This is not your average cookbook – in fact, RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen’s (PRK) From Lab to Table is one of the first of its kind in Manitoba and features over 60 different applied research recipes developed in collaboration with various industry partners over the last eight years.

“This Culinary Research Review, in the form of a cookbook takes an engaging approach to sharing the outcomes of applied research conducted since PRK began collaborating with partners in 2014,” said Mavis McRae, Director of PRK.

“Recipe development is one of the best ways we can test out research results from food – eating and tasting it, and over the last eight years we have amassed a lot of recipes using innovative new foods. By compiling and sharing what we have accomplished, we celebrate the achievements of PRK and the partnerships with clients who have supported us to share these recipes. We hope this work inspire readers with ideas for new advances in food product development and culinary research.”

What makes this tasty and innovative work that takes place on the 11^th floor of RRC Polytech’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute unique is the interplay between PRK’s two mandates: to help industry produce new food products, and to train students to become tomorrow’s culinary industry and research professionals.

The research and recipe cookbook begins with a detailed retrospective history of Culinary Research and funding partnerships at RRC Polytech written by PRK Director, Mavis McRae. It showcases investments made by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Research Manitoba in providing valuable infrastructure and research grants to companies that have helped PRK become what it is today. 

The next pages are broken down into four recipe sections: Capacity Building Projects, Client Projects, Indigenous Engagement and Staff Picks. Each page that follows explains the history of various industry partnerships and features a comprehensive overview of the projects, objectives and the mouthwatering results in the form of recipes readers can try themselves!

“Each section of this book focuses on the specific ways our culinary research team and students have helped industry partners, and highlights the results our collaborations have achieved, while underscoring the opportunities these collaborations have created for students to gain hands-on skills in culinary arts and research.” said McRae.

Capacity Building Projects focuses on projects and recipes that served as the building blocks of the culinary research program. The capacity building projects helped generate awareness with internal and external partners of the PRK capabilities as research and culinary chefs. Partnerships include Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers, Pea Tempeh – a student project to teach research methodology, Pulse Canada and Manitoba Agriculture and recipes range from a chicken pot pie with pinto bean crust, to tempeh nachos with a roasted corn salsa and lime crema, or for something sweet, a candy cane miso caramel popcorn or pistachio coconut crème pâtissière.

In the next section, Client Projects, explores the way PRK engages students and instructors on industry-initiated applied research projects that enhance their knowledge and expertise within an ever-changing industry landscape. It outlines the variety of ways PRK’s Culinary Research engaged with small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using technology and knowledge to meet a client’s vision – from developing new projects and commercialization, to seeking new applications for ingredients to enhance consumer experience and meet new market demands.

Partnerships include Prairie Fava, Juno Food Labs, Big Mountain Foods and Richardson International and in this section there are recipes for any meal of the day – cinnamon toast pancakes with cereal milk whipping cream for breakfast, summer rolls with tamarind sauce or lentil perogies for lunch, and finally a dan dan noodle bowl or fried chicken for the finale.

In the third recipe section, Prairie Research Kitchen focuses on incorporating Indigenous knowledge and engagement in food development opportunities and training – a key strategic priority for the College. This chapter brings together projects PRK has worked on featuring Indigenous foods, businesses and projects involving the chef instructors and student chefs from the School of Indigenous, Education’s Culinary Skills program. It includes recipes for a wild blueberry sauce, three sisters soup with smoked duck and wild rice buttermilk pancakes and wild rice Bannock.

The final section of the book features the people and recipes that make up culinary research and RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen multidisciplinary team, complete with fun facts and quotes about the work and partnerships they care so deeply for that helped inspire the completion of this book.

“This innovative and tasty research recipe cookbook, From Lab to Table, is an important outcome of the Technology Access Centre Prairie Research Kitchen’s dissemination of knowledge gained through research to ensure economic prosperity for Canada and the future generations,” said McRae.

“The world of research is ever-changing – and for that reason, Prairie Research Kitchen will continue to adapt and grow in the years ahead. A lot of great ideas have started here, and we look forward to seeing the products of our creativity and collaboration hit grocery store shelves and reach dinner tables in the years ahead.”

The physical printed book isn’t for sale, however interested aspiring chefs can view the online version of From Lab to Table here. Copies of the book will also be used for special gifts, door prizes, and provided to partners who continue to support RRC Polytech.

Liam Martin and Erika Gibson, PRK Co-op Students

This summer, RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen (PRK) challenged a group of Culinary Research co-op students to create delicious meals for some of our community’s most vulnerable, using only very limited ingredients – most of which may have been waste if solutions for repurposing weren’t discovered.

Their ability to repurpose perfectly good food generated through research projects and transform it into easy to serve dishes helped PRK eclipse a major milestone of 500 kg of food redirected to Main Street Project in an ongoing collaborative effort that helps feed the community while providing students with a valuable introduction to research. 

“In a world that still wastes 40 per cent of the food produced, it’s imperative that Prairie Research Kitchen leads by example to demonstrate strategies that everyone in the food value chain can use to impact that number,” says Mavis McRae, Director, PRK. “As researchers, we understand that several trials and scale-ups are part of the research process. However, by working together with our clients to repurpose food that is left over from our work but still good to eat and redirect it to people in need, we are proving that multiple objectives can be reached simultaneously.”

Taste, texture and visual appeal are constant considerations in food development projects, so an extensive trial and error process is often required by the researchers at PRK to develop new products, techniques and recipes. With the consent from industry partners, Pulse Canada, engaging PRK to undertake product development, the research team has committed to recovering edible, high quality ingredients from their projects and testing their creativity by converting them into pre-packaged menu items that Main Street Project can distribute to those in need.

Pushing PRK past the 500 kg mark in donations was a product integration-based project with Pulse Canada designed to maximize the use of pea fibre generated from the pea protein process and deliver functional benefits to new formulations such as water holding and texture.

The latest delivery to Main Street Project featured remaining pea fiber bread and pea fiber chicken deli meat being converted into tasty breakfast themed items including a sweet, French toast-style strata (a type of layered breakfast casserole), a savory strata, and a chicken sausage.

All donated food is not only safe and healthy but often transformed into elevated new items by student chefs through PRK’s Culinary Research co-op program. The project creates a fertile learning environment for the second year Culinary Arts students who are hired to take part, as it exposes them to a food science career path that many future chefs may not have known about or considered. Roxanne Kent jumped at the opportunity a few years back and is now working full time as a Research Assistant at PRK.

“This initiative challenges staff and students’ creativity and ability to create amazing menu items using limited resources – and it’s that innovative spirit that drives us as both chefs and scientists,” she says. “You learn the importance of documentation to ensure reproducibility; experience the rush of perfecting a formula, technique or recipe; and it’s personally rewarding when your hard work satisfies the client’s needs while helping the community at the same time.”

As the national association representing growers, traders and processors of dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas, Pulse Canada prioritizes sustainability in its vision to develop the future of food and partners with PRK to create marketable menu items that taste great and promote the nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses. Given their strong relationship and aligned values, Pulse Canada and PRK have worked together to redirect unused or left over food to Main Street Project for the last year and half, while still protecting all proprietary data. Previous donations included:

• Mini meatloaves: ground beef mixture with black beans
• Lentil breaded chicken: lentil flour, fully cooked breaded deep fried chicken thighs
• Red lentil flour pumpkin muffins
• Red lentil flour focaccia pizza
• Pork soup with pork/okara meatballs
• Red lentil pastry cups
• Lemon blueberry ice cream
• Plant-based coffee ice cream

“Our mission is to provide essential services to those experiencing homelessness and mental health issues in our community, so we are always searching for new partnerships, donors and volunteers,” says Jamil Mahmood, Executive Director at Main Street Project. “While elevating items for donation isn’t necessary, even small expressions of caring go a long way to positively impact the community we support, so we’re grateful for the continued support from Prairie Research Kitchen and its partners who are helping not only to feed but to change the perception of those who struggle.”   

Partnerships are the core of College success as they enable RRC Polytech to extend resources, leverage strengths, accelerate progress in innovation and research, and reach the community. Located on the 11^th floor of the Paterson Globalfoods Institute in the heart of the downtown, the Prairie Research Kitchen is proud to continue its unique work as a Technology Access Centre while building relationships that help the College play a revitalizing role in the evolution of the city.

The commitment that RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen (PRK) makes to support Manitoba’s vibrant food production industry, provide unique learning experiences to students and give back to the community was recognized last week with a prestigious award. On Thursday evening, Food & Beverage Manitoba hosted its first Harvest Dinner and Awards Ceremony since the pandemic and named PRK its Associate of the Year, proudly sharing the honour with Sobey’s.

The winner of the Associate of the Year award consistently provides exceptional value to Food & Beverage Manitoba members. Using a unique blend of food science and culinary arts, PRK’s team of chefs, researchers and students work together tirelessly to develop creative solutions that support food processors and food service providers. As a Technology Access Centre (TAC) PRK supports businesses through:

• Applied research, including food prototyping, ingredient applications, food process modifications and consumer research trials.
• Technical services such as student recipe development, food photography, trade show support and clinical trial prototypes and products.
• Training on new ingredients as well as cooking or preservation methods emerging in the food and food service industries.

Since its inception in 2014, PRK has worked on over 120 projects with Manitoba and Western Canadian companies developing or refining their products for market and ensuring companies stretch their research dollars by accessing the eligible funding available for product development. PRK encourages companies to consider sustainability in all outputs of their operation – and by working with their clients to upcycle leftover ingredients, PRK has redirected over 500 kg of food to Winnipeg’s most vulnerable through Main Street Project over the past two years.

In addition to training the province’s future food product developers, operators, scientists, chefs, and bakers; developing an Introduction to Research program for students studying Culinary Skills through the School of Indigenous Education; and participating in numerous events, tours and outreach events; PRK team members also made time to sit on various student and industry panels, committees and advisory boards to help shape the future of the sector. 

Congratulations to the multi-disciplinary team at Prairie Research Kitchen for building strong relationships with industry, helping great food products and ideas reach the tables of consumers, and playing a role in creating jobs and economic benefit for all Manitobans.

About Food & Beverage Manitoba

Food & Beverage Manitoba (formerly the Manitoba Food Processors Association) is an industry-led, not-for-profit association launched in 1993 to help the province’s food and beverage industry achieve its full creative and competitive potential. Its mission is to provide members with services and resources that help them navigate opportunities and challenges so they can elevate and strengthen their businesses.

RRC Polytech student partners with Prairie Research Kitchen to create a new sauce honouring Indigenous heritage

For student Rayne Ryle-Cote, who is Anishinaabe (mother from Lake St. Martin, father from Cote First Nation), taking a chance on new path has led to a tasty new venture with RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen.

Following the challenges that came along with the pandemic, Rayne was looking for a new direction in her life when she discovered the Compass Skills program at RRC Polytech, which was all about career exploration, goal-setting, and self-refection – an environment she says was a safe and inspiring space. Compass Skills is a holistic Indigenous-led 10-week program focused on creating a foundation of skills to enter employment and/or further education.

“I lost everything. I was in a dark spot and I was lost. My friend told me about this program, and when I learned how it can help me find employment and also provided cultural teachings, I instantly signed up.”

Along with seeking a new path of employment, Rayne also yearned to access Indigenous teachings, something her family did not pass down out of fear.

“My family went through a lot with Residential Schools, and it affected them largely where they were so afraid for me and my sisters. But I was always interested in learning about my culture. I always wanted to learn how to bead or how to make a drum and sing in Ojibwe. It was always in me, but I didn’t have access to it.”

During the program, Rayne expressed her interests in cooking. First inspired by her mother, she grew to love cooking, hosting and how food brought people together. Her and her sisters even took over preparing the large family Christmas meal which brings her so much joy and pride. She didn’t realize that her skills and interests could be transferrable towards a career. 

“I shared my dream with my teachers of becoming a chef, and to create or modernize Indigenous recipes, and that I wanted to travel. I really do love the Compass Skills program. It provided an environment where I could create my goals and feel comfortable learning about my culture. I realized my full potential.”

With no prior formal culinary training, her instructors in Compass Skills helped her create a road map to achieve her goals. After being connected with the Prairie Research Kitchen, she was hired as a co-op student for the summer.

The Prairie Research Kitchen operates out of RRC Polytech’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute in Winnipeg’s Exchange District and offers creative solutions to support food processors and food service providers through research and development, technical services and training. The Prairie Research Kitchen brings together a unique blend of food science and culinary arts to develop solutions for our clients

“I didn’t realize what kind of journey it would take me on and how much my life would change. I would have never thought of working at the Prairie Research Kitchen. It’s been a dream job, and I’m so grateful to be working here.”

Following some initial training, for her co-op, Rayne was invited to create a new sauce with the support and mentorship of the PRK team. With her product creation, she says it was vital to integrate her culture, family, and part of herself.

She was inspired by her grandparents love for cranberry sauce – which was always a meal-side staple for meats, fish and Bannock. But she also wanted the sauce to include notes of sweet and sour, a personal favourite.

“I wanted to incorporate more berries that were accessible to the Prairies where my ancestors had lived so I have cranberries, raspberries and dried juniper berries in the sauce.”

It took some time to experiment to get the right balance and texture. For example, the dried juniper berries didn’t blend in as well so the team suggested cooking the ingredient in vinegar first which remedied the texture.

Rayne says the sauce can be used as a dipping or coating sauce and would work best with meatballs, fried fish, chicken nuggets, and fried Bannock.

It was also very important for her to have an Anishinaabemowin name for the sauce to honour her heritage have the project immediately representative of Indigenous culture. She worked with RRC Polytech Indigenous Language Instructor Corey Whitford to name the sauce Wiishkobi dago zhiiwizipogwad mawinzwaanwinan baashkiminasigan (sweet and sour berry sauce).

She is working through the next steps with the PRK to upscale the production and create packaging. Of the whole process, working with the PRK team has been her favourite part. Walking in with the stigma that the food industry might be isolating and difficult, she has felt embraced, supported and welcomed.

“The PRK works in a team environment and they are so friendly. It feels so good to know that like the PRK I’m always going have a team with me wherever I go and whatever kitchen I go into. I know I’m going be OK because I’m going have a team. So I’m really excited for that.”

In the fall, she will continue her studies with the Culinary Skills Indigenous program at the Notre Dame Campus. She dreams of culinary career that will take her coast to coast working with Indigenous people – learning and sharing her teachings along the way.

Name in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe)
Wiishkobi dago zhiiwizipogwad mawinzwaanwinan baashkiminasigan

English translation:
Sweet and sour berry sauce

Ingredients:
Water, honey, cranberries, raspberry puree, vinegar, juniper berry, cornstarch

Ingredient translation into Anishinaabemowin

Ingredients:                                    Dagonigaadewinan
Water                                              Nibi
Honey                                              Aamoo-ziinzibaakwad
Cranberries                                     Mashkiigiminag
Raspberries                                    Miskominag
Juniper berries infused vinegar Gaagaagiwaandagominag dago zhiiwaaboo
Food starch modified                    Ashkaawangi-bakwezhigan

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2022 issue of Western Food Processor magazine.

Where Food and Culture Meet: Prairie Research Kitchen at RRC Polytech

Canada celebrates cultural diversity in a number of ways — especially through food. Manitoba is one of the leading provinces for cultural and food diversity, an apt location for the Prairie Research Kitchen (PRK) at RRC Polytech’s downtown campus at the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute.

From 2018 to 2020, immigration to Manitoba has primarily been made up of people from Africa, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific regions, accounting for between 80‐85 per cent of immigrants each year, according to data from the Province of Manitoba.

“Our diverse population is reflected in the new products and restaurants available here,” says Mavis McRae, director of PRK. “We are lucky to be a resource for bringing those ideas to market.”

Food processing businesses contribute to the diversity of food options available to Manitobans. Often, members of visible minorities seek foods from their own culture for ‘new’ product ideas and many such foods are either not available or only at a price premium.

“Our team works well with new product ideas and ingredients,” says McRae. “We’ve worked with over 70 companies from Manitoba to B.C. and have generated over 120 product ideas. Many of these have roots in global cuisine.”

PRK infuses their myriad of services with a foodservice perspective, serving clients seeking to adapt a recipe for many needs — like reaching a broader population or for larger scale production. One of three Technology Access Centres at RRC Polytech, they are funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

“We work with many new companies who look to their own cultures for food product ideas,” says Jeff Fidyk, business development specialist, Manitoba Agriculture. “PRK’s services offer timely, practical solutions to help these companies bring their products to grocery and foodservice markets.”

Their modern facility offers a bevy of research services from rapid prototyping and ingredient applications to consumer research trials and customized training with flexibility to meet any companies’ innovation needs. They also work with companies to identify research focused funding resources for eligible organizations.

The diversity of companies is not where equity, diversification and inclusion ends for PRK. The college is committed to building strong relationships with various communities in Manitoba and fostering reconciliation between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Peoples.

“Since inception we have recognized the connection between culture and food,” says McRae. “We have built a diverse team through staff, instructors and students. We are fortunate to be in an environment that recognizes the benefits of providing diversity education. We are committed to our responsibilities toward Truth and Reconciliation actions.”

Staff at PRK have completed the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation course, developed by Reconciliation Education, offered in partnership with RRC Polytech and First Nations University of Canada, as well as several courses related to respectful workplace, anti-racism and gender diversity. The result is a talented group of food specialists backed by a plethora of expertise committed to bringing the best of all cultures to market.

A new high-protein, plant-based food product will soon be available to Canadians, thanks in large part to RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen and Protein Industries Canada (PIC).

On April 21, PIC announced a major investment that will enable Big Mountain Foods, a Vancouver-based innovator of plant-based consumer packaged goods, and Prairie Fava, the leading Canadian grower and ingredient supplier of fava beans, based in Glenboro, Manitoba, to bring more fava-based consumer products, including fava tofu, to market. The Prairie Research Kitchen has worked with both companies as a product development partner.

“We are thrilled to have played a part in the development of this exciting new project. This is a perfect example of how the Prairie Research Kitchen team can lend our expertise in food sciences and culinary arts, as well as our experience in pulse products, to work with companies to develop new products for consumers,” says Mavis McRae, Director, Prairie Research Kitchen.

The Prairie Research Kitchen has partnered with Prairie Fava since 2016, starting with research on fava flour, a protein rich gluten-free flour that can be used in baking and conventional recipes. In 2019, the Prairie Research Kitchen began collaboration with several research and industry partners to develop value-added platform technologies using Manitoba-grown plant proteins. This led to the base knowledge of how various protein sources function in a tofu platform, as well as showcased value-added applications for the co-products of tofu production. Prairie Fava was an industrial partner in this project, as well as an ingredient supplier.

“The Prairie Research Kitchen has been instrumental in our product development since day one,” says Hailey Jefferies, President and Co-Founder of Prairie Fava. “The Prairie Research Kitchen team brings a unique blend of skills and creativity to applied research. Their input has expedited our product development in the early days when we were investigating the use of fava flour and provided us with valuable information as we grew the company. We appreciate the team’s support, responsiveness and advice over the years.”

The Prairie Research Kitchen started working with Big Mountain Foods in 2020, initially conducting product and process validation work on a new process the company was trying to replicate. This grew into an ongoing partnership, and the Prairie Research Kitchen team became Big Mountain Foods’s product development partner. This work established the groundwork for a new product development project for Big Mountain to coincide with the investment the company was making into tofu manufacturing capabilities.

“The technical knowledge provided by the Prairie Research Kitchen team was crucial to our product development,” says Jasmine Byrne, President of Big Mountain Foods. “From many refinement trials to on-site troubleshooting, their expertise helped guide us to achieve the results we’d been looking for.”

Big Mountain Foods will produce the fava bean tofu at the world’s first allergen-free tofu factory. The company aims to produce 15 million units a year.

The product is anticipated to hit grocery shelves in Manitoba next month.

This past November, Roxanne Kent joined the Prairie Research Kitchen team as the Indigenous Research Assistant, where she uses her acquired culinary skills to support product development projects. Roxanne graduated Culinary Arts in February 2021 with honours and won various awards, including one for a recipe she developed for Manitoba Pork Producers. She is currently working on an individual research project highlighting indigenous and local ingredients. 

“I was asked to create a recipe for something to share with guests at the Prairie Research Kitchen. I knew I could come up with pretty much anything, so it was hard to narrow it down. I finally decided on creating a blueberry sauce,” said Roxanne.

Initially, she was thinking about potentially creating crackers or chips as whatever she made had to be shelf stable. Roxanne decided to build off the mustard she had previously created, to develop a rich, flavourful blueberry sauce. 

While developing the recipe, Roxanne wanted something that would pair well with gamey meats such as bison, duck, and venison, or could be used to top toast and pancakes. The recipe features wild blueberries, a blend of birch and maple syrup for sweetness, and an infusion of sweetgrass.

“Sweetgrass is used as traditional medicine but has also been used as tea or in a marinade. I worked with Research Chef, Kyle Andreasen, to get his perspective on how to incorporate this ingredient. We first toasted the sweetgrass, then steeped it in vinegar.”

After developing and finalizing the recipe, it came time to give the blueberry sauce a name. The name is connected to Roxanne’s lineage – she is Ojibway from the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in northwestern, Ontario. In Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) the name of Roxanne’s blueberry sauce, Wenoodizii Magan Miinan Apagajiganan, means: ”The rich flavour of blueberry that you can put on top of something.” 

This name was selected by Corey Ralph Whitford, instructor, Indigenous Language, School of Indigenous Education at RRC. 

Roxanne prepared an initial sampling of her sauce with meatballs for Corey. After finalizing the recipe, she served the sauce with a duck dish to help him experience the flavour.

“Jamie Chahine, Indigenous Research Liaison at the Research Kitchen, brought me tobacco and asked if I would help select the name for Roxanne’s blueberry sauce. Experiencing the flavour helped inform how it would be best described in the Anishinaabemowin language,” said Corey. “Forty-five years of language and memories of dipping bannock in jam and sauce with my grandmother came together in naming this sauce.”

Food is often part of a larger experience, helping connect people and foster community. 

Connecting with community is especially important to Roxanne. In addition to a Culinary Arts diploma, she obtained a social work degree in 2015. One of her long-term goals is to work with low-income families and teach them how to cook nutritious meals. She enjoys the challenges of creating and developing new recipes, and finds it rewarding to be able to apply what she has learned in her craft.

Wenoodizii Magan Miinan Apagajiganan Food Pairings

Roxanne’s wild blueberry sauce makes for a versatile topping with many savoury and sweet applications. She recommends pairing with gamey meats such as bison, duck, and venison, or pork chops. For sweet pairings, she suggests topping bannock or ice cream.

More Information

Ingredients

Wild blueberries, sugars (cane sugar, Canadian birch syrup, maple syrup, maltodextrin), vinegar, pectin, sweetgrass, salt, sage.

Nutrition Facts

Per 2 tablespoons (24 g)