Inuk chef's country-food catering keeps her connected to culture

Some of Trudy Metcalfe-Coe's strongest childhood memories are her eating country food with her family.

Metcalfe-Coe, who is Inuk from Nain, Nunatsiavut, remembers her grandfather giving her smoked Arctic char. 

"I remember the oils from the fish all over my hands, and just loving it," she said. 

Metcalfe-Coe first moved to Ottawa 22 years ago, far away from home and the country foods she loved growing up. But a trip to the local Inuit community centre changed things for her.

She went in for some help applying for funding to go to school. Staff at the community centre asked Metcalfe-Coe if she'd like some frozen caribou, something she hadn't had in 15 years.

"I still remember the way I felt, and it was like, 'my God, I'd been missing this all my life but I didn't know I was missing it,'" she said. 

In the 22 years since, she's cooked for thousands of people at a time, always implementing at least one country food element. 

But Metcalfe-Coe always mixes in a modern twist — whether it's a seal pâté, or curried caribou — a few of which have become her signature dish. 

"Food is a big part of our culture," she said. "[It's] a chance for us to share our culture and share our food with our community members who might not have access to it."

Metcalfe-Coe has always been about stepping out of her comfort zone a little bit. Just last summer, she butchered her first seal while she was in Iqaluit, which is typically not a woman's job in her community. 

But to her, it felt right.

"It was just like I was doing this all my life," she said. And as she continues to cater for her community, she continues to feel right at home. 

"It's part of who I am somewhere deep inside," she said.