Liana Robberecht, the head-chef at Canada Olympics Park’s Winsport, has been invited to cook during Pride week in Orlando.
Chris Bolin/For The Globe and Mail
When American chef Elizabeth Falkner approached Liana Robberecht with an invitation to work at a celebrity-studded gala during Pride festivities in Orlando, she was thrilled, but assumed she'd have a small supporting role.
Aside from Ms. Falkner, who has built a reputation through appearances on a range of television cooking shows and authoring two cookbooks, the Taste of Pride event in Orlando will include notable names such as Iron Chef America's Cat Cora, award-winning restaurateur Anita Lo and Oprah Winfrey's former chef, Art Smith.
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But it soon became clear to Ms. Robberecht, the chef at WinSport, the sports and event complex located in Calgary's Canada Olympic Park, that she'd have a central part.
"She started by saying, 'Canada needs to be here,' and we were excited, of course," explains Ms. Robberecht, who was invited along with WinSport's food and beverage director.
"We were thinking we'd be helping more behind the scenes, than anything, really, but then I found out I'd be preparing my own dish. I remember thinking, 'Oh, this just got real!'"
Chris Bolin/For The Globe and Mail
Ms. Robberecht met Ms. Falkner through the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs Association, and the two have spent a lot of time cooking together in the past couple of years, most notably during Cook It Raw: Alberta – a chef symposium that pairs world-renowned chefs with local ones – and at a fundraiser dinner earlier this summer at WinSport.
"I love [the way she] thinks about food and her creativity," says Ms. Falkner. "This dinner for Orlando Pride is going to be epic."
Always interested in showcasing not only her abilities but also the regional ingredients she works with in Calgary, Ms. Robberecht's mind immediately went into deciding how to embody Alberta on a plate. Steak and potatoes was simply not in the cards.
"As soon as I was invited, I had a vision," says Ms. Robberecht. "Two of my favourite local ingredients to work with are Highwood Crossing's first-press organic canola oil and honey from Chinook Honey Company. I just love everything about the versatility of these ingredients, from savoury to sweet."
The chef has developed a beautiful ode to her home province in the form of an autumn-themed savoury canola cake. The cake will be complemented by an earthy squash curd, toasted canola seeds and lightly dressed nasturtiums. "I love skating on the line of sweet/savoury," she says. "In the past, I have been obsessed with cooking dishes like mushroom crème brûlée or curried-apple crème brûlée. I love those kind of things!"
Liana Robberecht will use her appearance at Taste of Pride in Orlando to present a dish made with locally sourced ingredients.
CHRIS BOLIN/FOR THE GLOBE AND MAIL
This year's Pride week in Orlando, which begins this weekend, takes on a special significance as the city's first such event since the massacre at the Pulse gay nightclub in June, when 49 people were killed and another 53 injured. The horrific mass shooting has become a catalyst to raise money and generate support for the victims and their families, as well as the Florida city's wider gay and lesbian community.
Ticket sales from the Taste of Pride event, which is scheduled for next Saturday, will fund an LGBTQ scholarship and grant program. Ms. Robberecht says she's honoured to be a part of it.
"Love always wins and I am so happy that I can be a small part of an amazing event that supports that mentality," she says.
