Foodies of the Year 2021: N’Quatqua First Nation

The Northern B.C. community may be isolated from any major population centre, but in the past few years the N€™Quatqua First Nation has delivered its bounty€”in the form of rainbow trout raised in its sustainable hatchery€”to the finest restaurants in the region (like Fairmont Whistler's Grill Room, where chef Derek Bendig was an early fan). But COVID brought the double whammy of declining restaurant orders and a foreboding sense of future food insecurity to a Nation keen to keep the pandemic at bay, so they €œhatched€ the idea of providing three free trout for every household in the community. The plan was a huge success, and many community members began to make the fish part of their ongoing food routine.