SOMBA K’E/YELLOWKNIFE
Downtown Yellowknife has lost what had quickly become a popular lunchtime summer fixture.

Mark Briant Kotchea, left, Mark Plouffe, Harrison Baile, Mitchell Rankin, and Rutendo Shatai inside the MARKco food truck Friday, Plouffe's last day of business in Yellowknife with the truck. This was Plouffe's second summer downtown. - Walter Strong/NNSL photo

Last Friday was Mark Plouffe’s last day operating the MARKco food truck. This was Plouffe’s second season running the 20-foot kitchen out of a 1997 Chevy Freightliner truck.

The truck and business is now for sale, as Plouffe plans on moving back to Ontario next year.

"I’ve lived here almost 23 years and it’s time to get back to my family in Ontario," Plouffe said.

"It’s difficult to even think about leaving. Yellowknife has been a great place to live and there are so many terrific people here."

Plouffe met many of those terrific people over the past nine years teaching at St. Patrick High School, where he said he found the combination of cooking and teaching perfect for him.

“St. Pat’s is the best of both worlds,” said Plouffe. “I teach three classes a day. The second period class is a commercial food prep class. I teach the students how to prepare a lunch for a large crowd.”

Two of his recent students are well on their way to professional careers in the culinary arts. Samantha Butt is apprenticing at the Explorer Inn and former student Sebastien Remillard, now residing in Quebec, was a silver medal winner at this year’s national Skills Competition.

“He works for a really good restaurant in Quebec City,” said Plouffe. “He’s going to World Skills in Brazil next August.”

Plouffe moved to Yellowknife 23 years ago to take up a position as sous chef at the Explorer Hotel. When he left the Explorer after five years, he did so as executive chef.

“Aurora College started a cooking program in Yellowknife,” said Plouffe. “I did that for two years and then moved to Fort Smith (and taught there) for one year.”

After a year in Fort Smith, Plouffe missed Yellowknife. He came back to a position with the GNWT as program development for territorial apprenticeship programs.

After about five years with the GNWT, Plouffe knew had to get out of an office environment and started looking for a more hands-on job. Teaching cooking at St. Pat’s was that fit.

The MARKco food truck was a way for Plouffe to run a restaurant without the full-time commitment.

“I couldn’t open a restaurant in Yellowknife because I have a full-time job,” said Plouffe. “The food truck was perfect. The attraction for me was that it allowed me to explore food, be creative and think outside the box.”

Plouffe’s final day of business in Yellowknife was marred when an anonymous Twitter account was opened falsely claiming to represent Plouffe’s food truck business. The bogus account was deleted before the end of the day, but by then some unfriendly pot shots were taken against another downtown eatery.

“That was terrible,” said Plouffe. “I have now idea who that was. I certainly hope everybody knows it wasn’t me posting that stuff.”

Anyone interested in picking up downtown where Plouffe has left off should take note that the truck and business is for sale.

As for Plouffe, he’ll be starting his 10 th year at St. Pat’s this September. After that, it’s off to Kitchener, Ont., to be closer to family. If the truck hasn’t sold by then, he’ll take it with him.