Like many students entering the eleventh grade, Briley Alfred didn’t know where life might take him when he graduated from Lakes District Secondary School.
With an interest in the restaurant industry, he stepped out of the classroom and into the kitchen to earn dual credits in CNC’s first Professional Cook level 1 with Indigenous content cohort. The first of its kind in the region, the program infused the professional cook curriculum with 30 per cent traditional Indigenous knowledge, techniques, and ingredients.
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Reflecting on the program eight months later, Briley pauses for a moment before laughing. His mind goes to lettuce, and beans, and the surprising number of variations of each that exist. More than he ever thought could. That, and the value of a good knife.
“A good knife makes all the difference,” he said. “Get yourself a good, high carbon stainless steel knife, take care of it, and it will last you forever.”
Through the art of cooking, Briley formed a deeper connection with his culture. He learned the proper way to fillet and season salmon. He shared his knowledge with his family through the meals he cooked, and, in turn, his family shared their knowledge with him.
His uncle, who harvests salmon for the whole family, taught Briley the Nisga’a way of filleting. His grandmother and aunt, who are Wet’suwet’en, invited him to learn the way to traditionally harvest for canning salmon.
“Because of his experience in the program, his family calls on him to help now,” said his mother, Tara William. “He’s been learning that there are different ways and techniques that you can utilize to harvest food.”
Of the traditional recipes learned, the Three Sisters Soup is the one that still stands out to Briley. Inspired by an Indigenous legend, the soup combines the “Three Sisters” of beans, corn, and squash with salted pork.
“That’s a tasty soup,” he said. “I still love that soup.”
His mother turns to him, wrinkling her nose.
“I thought that was the weirdest dish you made.”
On top of the delicious meals she ate, Tara also watched the maturity of her son grow tremendously. Throughout the program, he picked up more responsibility at home, buying groceries and cooking meals. This, she said, opened him to an understanding of what it would be like when he was on his own.
“It should be mandatory for all teenage boys to take a program like this,” Tara said.
Heading into Grade 12 this fall, Briley still isn’t sure where life might take him. He will spend his final year of high school completing the electives needed to graduate. If, however, the opportunity to take to take Professional Cook level 2 with Indigenous content comes, he wouldn’t hesitate.
“Cooking can be pretty easy when you know what to do,” Briley said. “It’s a good life skill to have. You don’t have to eat out all the time or live on frozen food.”