This Food Truck Chef Shares His Culture with Indigenous Cuisine
- 6 years ago
Paul Natrall is the head chef and owner of Mr. Bannock, a food truck serving up an Indigenous fusion menu. He uses traditional Squamish Nation ingredients like juniper berries and smoked wild salmon in his offerings, which ranges from award-winning Indian tacos to waffle bannock with chicken, apple slaw and hot sauce. He is proud to be able to showcase his culture through cuisine.
Natrall grew up on Squamish Nation territory and spent much of his childhood watching his grandmothers cook. He honed his own skills after hours of observing them prep and serve traditional meals to his extended family. “My father passed away when I was really young and my late grandmother Sally, she took in me, my sisters, and my mom. And at that house, we always had huge family meals every night with aunts, uncles, cousins. A lot of time was spent in the kitchen.”
In 2012, Paul was part of Canada's Aboriginal Culinary Team that travelled to Erfurt, Germany to compete in the World Culinary Olympics, where he recognized a huge interest and appreciation for Indigenous cooking. This experience was his aha! moment, where he realized that he wanted to start his own business one day, showcasing Indigenous cuisine and sharing his love for his culture.
A busy father of seven, Paul is excited about the future of Mr. Bannock. “As the kids are getting older … there's a spark in them about cooking and they love the idea of a Mr. Bannock and the food truck. So cross my fingers it sticks with them and they can be a big part of this company when they're older. I hope to spark interest into another generation and passing the torch so they can showcase our culture and just keep it moving forward through food.”
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True Calling is a media company that produces short, inspiring documentaries about people who love what they do. Cinematic and inspiring, their feel-good videos are built for the web, with a reach of 44M+ worldwide. True Calling compels viewers with both branded and non-branded episodes on human ambition, with built-in distribution across a variety of digital platforms, including Amazon and Discovery.
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Natrall grew up on Squamish Nation territory and spent much of his childhood watching his grandmothers cook. He honed his own skills after hours of observing them prep and serve traditional meals to his extended family. “My father passed away when I was really young and my late grandmother Sally, she took in me, my sisters, and my mom. And at that house, we always had huge family meals every night with aunts, uncles, cousins. A lot of time was spent in the kitchen.”
In 2012, Paul was part of Canada's Aboriginal Culinary Team that travelled to Erfurt, Germany to compete in the World Culinary Olympics, where he recognized a huge interest and appreciation for Indigenous cooking. This experience was his aha! moment, where he realized that he wanted to start his own business one day, showcasing Indigenous cuisine and sharing his love for his culture.
A busy father of seven, Paul is excited about the future of Mr. Bannock. “As the kids are getting older … there's a spark in them about cooking and they love the idea of a Mr. Bannock and the food truck. So cross my fingers it sticks with them and they can be a big part of this company when they're older. I hope to spark interest into another generation and passing the torch so they can showcase our culture and just keep it moving forward through food.”
ABOUT TRUE CALLING:
Our philosophy is simple: love what you do.
Whatever you’re passionate about and decide to pursue in life, get after it. Embrace that gut instinct that knows when you are being true to yourself and do something, however big or small, to make a difference to the world in your own unique way.
True Calling is a media company that produces short, inspiring documentaries about people who love what they do. Cinematic and inspiring, their feel-good videos are built for the web, with a reach of 44M+ worldwide. True Calling compels viewers with both branded and non-branded episodes on human ambition, with built-in distribution across a variety of digital platforms, including Amazon and Discovery.
Website: http://www.truecallingmedia.com/