Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Aug 27/01) - Sundays mean many things to many people. For some, it's the day to attend church services and bond with a higher power. For others, it's a day to relax and spend quality moments with family.

And then, there's the sector of the population in Iqaluit that heads to the Discovery Lodge Hotel for Sunday brunch.

Enter Serge Poirier, the man who cooks for those people.

A self-taught kitchen whiz -- he learned his trade from his mother and siblings -- Poirier is the guy responsible for combining eggs with meat and vegetables every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Yes, Poirier is the omelette-maker at the Discovery Lodge Hotel. He wants you to know he likes cooking your eggs.

"I like the contact with the people," said Poirier. Even when he whips up more than 50 omelettes in the three-hour period -- that's a new omelette every 3.6 minutes -- he still loves what he does.

"All the time, I just stay in the kitchen and I don't see people and I don't talk to people. It's the one day a week when I get the contact with people," he said.

His passion for eggs and people comes through loud and clear.

"Most people are satisfied," said Poirier, of the reaction to his fluffy eggs.

For the record, Poirier said people's omelette preferences are as diverse as the customers ordering them. There is no one kind of omelette that's more popular than the others.

"Mushrooms, green peppers, onions, ham, cheese -- some people take everything and other people say not that and not that," he said.

As for the trade secrets that make his eggs such a hit, Poirier said milk must never be added to omelettes.

"Just the eggs, otherwise there is too much liquid," he said.

He also makes sure to maintain the correct medium temperature and sticks to a low-fat cooking spray as opposed to the more fattening anti-stick method of buttering an omelette pan.

Furthermore, once the 100 or so weekly customers get their fill of eggs, they can head to the dessert table for Poirier's sugar pie.