Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (May 07/01) - Richard Blackburn loves lasagna. But the chef manager at Nunavut Arctic College's cafeteria knows more than pasta.
Six days a week, the Canada Catering employee rubs sleep from his eyes at 5 a.m., heats the griddle and prepares breakfast for 30 hungry students at the Nunatta residence in Iqaluit. Four hours later, he's whipping up lunch for the afternoon crowd.
"I love cooking, It's creative. It makes people happy and smile," said Blackburn, a third-generation cook.
As a child in Ontario, he rolled pie crusts with his grandfather.
As a teen, he cooked beside his dad at a corrections facility. He landed in Iqaluit last fall after several Canada Catering contracts.
He ensures one Northern dinner of caribou or Arctic char appears on the menu each week. Stir-frys, roasts, chicken and fish dishes fill the other evening meal menues. At $5 per plate, the meals are the cheapest fare in town.
Besides cooking, he plans menues, schedules a staff of six and oversees $100,000 sealift orders.
"You have to be organized," he said.
Earlier this year, Blackburn cooked for Panama's ambassador to Canada Marianela Diaz during her brief visit. Fame, however, has not jaded him.
"I like the people. This is a very close knit community and it's a cheery environment."
The smorgasbord of fish, muktaaq, salad, sandwiches, cheese plates, fruit arrangements and cakes at the college's April 27 graduation ceremony was his handiwork.
His workdays are slowing down, though. With the school year concluding and students heading home, the cafeteria will shut down for part of the summer.
He'll be back though. After cooking for mining and military camps, Blackburn prefers serving bleary-eyed students.
"Students are much better behaved," Blackburn said.
While students go home for the summer, Blackburn will spend June with his family in Brockville, Ontario.
He's considered working in upscale restaurants. It's the basics that keep him coming back.
"With fine dining you're stuck behind the scenes. I like being up front with the people," he said.
