Anyone that has experienced Rosie’s presence at the lodge knows that she brings the fun, she brings the laughs and she also brings a healthy approach to delicious lodge food. After a long day hiking through the hills, there is nothing better than coming home to a mouth watering spread of snacks for après, followed by a three course meal to refuel for the next day. Rosie shares one of her favourite healthy snack recipes below – Banana Chia Protein Bars, perfect for shoving in your pocket before setting out on an all day mountain adventure.
Current hometown : Vancouver, BC
Years working as a chef : I started working as personal chef in 2016, so 5 years.
How did you get into cooking/ cheffing and what inspired you to go down this path? :
I have always been inspired by cooking, creating balance in meals, and the incredible nature of eating with others and sharing meals. Food and wellbeing have always been passions of mine, though I originally started out cooking as a personal chef specializing in personalized menus and special diets. A mentor of mine brought me to events and privately catered dinners and from there I joined a personal chef company in Vancouver before starting one of my own. I was initially extremely inspired by how impactful diet is to one’s wellbeing and quality of life. The beauty and importance of food, how it brings people together. I wanted to support people with allergies, sensitivities, or those recovering from illness to have access to ready-made, healthy, and delicious food, while also providing nutrition consultations in my 1-1 work. Later into my career, I had the pleasure of working with more highly trained chefs who introduced me to cooking for production companies, and later, White Cap Alpine. My style of cooking is adaptable to people’s needs, and my aim is to always create well balanced, delicious, and flavourful dishes that leave my clients wanting more.
If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why? :
I’m going to have to say tacos. The beautiful thing about a taco is that its simple, yet it can be made in so many different variations!
If you could make a meal and share it with anyone in the world (that you haven’t yet met), who would it be? :
I never met my paternal grandmother, who was a jazz pianist and a very free spirit born in Ireland in 1914. I would have loved to sit down for a meal with her and ask her about her life and the way she had experienced the world as a woman back then.
Best thing about cooking at a backcountry lodge? :
Meeting and cooking for all the wonderful clients from all walks of life. The lodge experience attracts great people, and I have enjoyed every client I have cooked for so far.
Taking a helicopter ride through the mountains to and from is pretty amazing as well.
Worst thing about cooking at a backcountry lodge? :
Theres not a whole lot that comes to mind, but perhaps that when you’re out of something in the kitchen, there’s no running to the store to quickly get a missing ingredient. It just makes preparing and planning that much more important for working in the backcountry, and adds to the fun of the organization.
Did you pick up any new hobbies or new skills during the spring COVID lock down?:
This won’t come as a surprise, as this was nationwide, but I started to play around with live yeasts, as well as making sourdough breads for the first time. It was incredibly satisfying, and I really enjoyed the learning process of trying something new and working with my hands. I enjoy how baking and sourdough really take precision and focus, exact measurements and discernment. It was so satisfying to see the loaves get better with each try.
