For Squamish's Perry Omeasoo, the smell of bannock — a flat quick-bread — brings back fond memories.
"The smell of bannock is beautiful to me," he said.
"I was raised with my grandparents on a reserve in Alberta. The smell of bannock just reminds me of home all the time. And it certainly brings me back to, you know, maybe to a more innocent or maybe a happier place in my life... It is a fond memory."
Omeasoo, who is Cree and originally from Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Alberta, made bannock for his three sons when they lived at home.
He is also an amateur chef who has cooking videos on YouTube and has appeared for his cooking on APTN.
"It reminds me of my home, and my culture and — the strong culture that we have," Omeasoo said.
To make bannock, Omeasoo combines two cups of flour, a teaspoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of salt, and some room temperature water.
"I use soy milk, personally, because I like the sweetness in the bannock," he said.
Once combined, the bannock is fried.
To serve, many people enjoy putting jam or peanut butter on it. Omeasoo uses it as the buns for burgers.
Another of his favourite dishes is salmon.
With a whole fish, he cuts the head and tail off, cleans it and then likes to stuff it with shrimp or scallops. Then he adds mayonnaise, salt and pepper and some sliced lemons on top.
He wraps the whole thing in aluminum foil and cooks it in the oven at 350 F for 45 minutes, or until the salmon is flaky.
He acknowledges that food prices in Squamish can make cooking well a chore and challenge for many.
"I just paid $5 for three apples and $9 for some grapes," he said, adding a small bag of peppers was $7. "It is crazy."
Some accessible meals that he used to feed his growing sons include chili, stews and fried rice.
Find more of his videos here.
