CLASSIFIEDSADVERTISINGSPECIAL ISSUESONLINE SPORTSOBITUARIESNORTHERN JOBSTENDERS

NNSL Photo/Graphic


Canadian North

Home page text size buttonsbigger textsmall textText size Email this articleE-mail this page

Where to find quinoa chocolate cake
New Zealand food blogger opens healthy hockey cafe

Lyndsay Herman
Northern News Services
Published Saturday, July 6, 2013

LLI GOLINE/NORMAN WELLS
Soma Cafe may be Christina Bartlett's second foray in a professional kitchen, but having full creative control of the food she serves makes this venture much more rewarding than the first.

NNSL photo/graphic

Charly the Char points to the sky in front of a group of dancers during a flash mob near the Alianait big top tent after the Canada Day parade in Iqaluit on July 1. - Danielle Sachs/NNSL photo

"It was the creative side and the healthy side that I was passionate about," she explains. "I'm not passionate about cooking for money. I'm passionate about teaching people about and sharing with people real food."

Bartlett is Soma Cafe's operator and works under a contract with the Norman Wells Minor Hockey charity.

Bartlett, a healthy food advocate and self-made chef, saw a perfect opportunity.

The menu she's created for Soma includes savoury lunches, dinner ideas, and sweet desserts all made with healthy, and sometimes unexpected, ingredients.

"I try to (serve healthy food) in a way that appeals to people who aren't used to it," she said. "So I'll create food that looks like something they recognize, but is healthy."

One of her most popular items is a decadent chocolate cake made with pureed quinoa, making the cake a high-protein dessert.

Her 'marathon cookies' are made with kidney beans and hikers have started placing private orders for them due to their high nutritional value.

Bartlett said she's attended local information meetings on diabetes and tries to incorporate diabetes-friendly food into her menu as much as possible.

New passion

This passion for food wasn't always something Bartlett, who studied human resource management in New Zealand, knew she had.

"I was never much of a cook growing up or anything," she said. "When I got married, I decided to pursue as much healthy food as I could, create things from scratch. Then, out of interest on top of that, I started a food blog."

Through the blog, Bartlett connected with a vibrant community of food bloggers, began researching healthy cooking, and experimenting with recipes.

A lack of a reliable source for fresh food, like fruit and vegetables, in Norman Wells has restricted what she can serve and put a focus on ingredients that store well, such as dried beans and grains.

"It's frustrating, but the reason I'm creative is because I live here," said Bartlett. It's forced me to ... explore things that I wouldn't normally tend to."

Additionally, the fact that the cafe's profits support Norman Wells Minor Hockey and Youth Sports means she can focus on creating great dishes and not chasing dollars.

"To take the focus off the money does wonders for your passion," Bartlett said. "I have passion for this already, but when the focus is off profit-making for myself, it's a really cool feeling."

E-mailWe welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.