Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Jun 22/01) - Pleasing the palate with French cuisine is what cook Sheila Gunderson learned through her formal education.
She doesn't exactly spend hours preparing duck a l'orange and cherries jubilee at the Fort Simpson health centre, but she said she found her classes at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Edmonton were helpful just the same.
Prior to taking the cooking course, her knowledge in the kitchen was limited, she admitted. "I knew how to boil eggs and open up a can of beans," she said.
She began the four-year apprenticeship cooking program at NAIT in 1988. The cycle was a demanding two months in Edmonton followed by 10 months of practical experience at a student residence in Fort Simpson, where she used to be employed.
During her time in school, the metric system was replacing the imperial measurement system, complicating recipes.
"I just couldn't get it, and then the day of our exams I finally got it after four years," Gunderson said of her struggle to convert measurements.
A cook at the health centre for the past 10 years, she currently prepares meals and snacks for 14 people every day. With many elderly clients, some of whom suffer from various ailments, Gunderson and her two fellow cooks have to make diabetic and low-sodium meals, puree foods and, generally, use fewer spices. In some cases, the food is cut into bite-size pieces for the clients before it is served.
Despite the necessity of catering to specific diets, the cooks try to offer clients a choice of meals. For example, one day last week the option was either hamburger patties and gravy or moose stir-fry. Wild meat, or "country food," is very popular with the elders, who grew up eating it, she added.
Desserts, it turns out, are at the bottom of the priority list.
"If you have time you bake something, but usually you're busy cleaning or ordering groceries," said Gunderson, who works seven days on, two days off and then a three-on, two-off schedule. Her shifts have her in the kitchen from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
At the end of the day she takes off her apron and goes home to cook for herself.
"And I hate that," she laughed.
