World Shore Lunch Championship expands event roster in third year
Northern Frontier Vistors Centre adds Battle of the Breweries to weekend schedule
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, June 3, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife doesn't boast many, if any, official world championships but there is one on Saturday.
Lovers of fresh fish are in for a real treat as the third-annual World Shore Lunch Championship will be held at the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre.
For the uninitiated, a shore lunch is a meal that comes during or after a day of fishing - made by and for anglers with the day's catch, often over a fire. This competition will see the public sampling shore lunches from at least eight culinary teams, who will show off their best fish recipes.
Tracy Therrien, executive director of the visitors centre, said as far as she knows this is the only event of its kind anywhere in the world.
"A shore lunch - the fish is prepared outside on an open fire or on a propane stove. The strongest similarity to our event is that they are using propane stoves," Therrien said.
"How they prepare the shore lunch fish in a surprise to all of us. There is always more detail in our competition then there is necessarily out on an island. There are fancy shore lunch cookers that bring out all their ingredients and prepare pretty spectacular meals."
She added there will be fish dinners for sale throughout the evening even well after the shore lunch competition finishes.
The meals will be judged by food and nutrition expert and cookbook author Julie Van Rosendaal as well as food critic Elizabeth Booth. Both judges are based in Calgary.
The teams this year are from Bullock's Bistro, Great Slave Helicopters, Luluz Market, the Quality Inn, Namushka Lodge, RYLO Express Hovercraft Services and Sapsucker Birch Syrup. The name of the eighth team had not been provided as of press time.
A $1,000 prize goes to the team judged to have the best shore lunch while the $500 people's choice award goes to the team that actually sells the most fish to the public.
On top of the shore lunch competition, organizers have added a Battle of the Breweries with Yellowknife's NWT Brewing Company up against Whitehorse-based Yukon Brewing.
"We're sticking with draft beer - a light and a dark - and basically it's whoever sells the most beer will be named the winner," Therrien said. "We will raise the winner's flag and it will fly over our yard - probably until the next competition."
There will also be a live auction, including a diamond pendant from the NWT Diamond Centre valued at $6,188.
Other auction items include a fishing trip for six people on Great Slave Lake, a trip for two to Nahanni National Park, a hovercraft ride and a gourmet dinner for eight on a private island on Great Slave Lake.
The event will also boast a kid's corner with games between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and live music featuring several Yellowknife acts including Pat Braden and Rebels Without Applause.
The event serves as a fundraiser for the centre.
Therrien said she is optimistic that with the added attractions this year, attendance will surpass last year's estimated 600 people.
