Chef as Composer
Eco-friendly Philosophy at the New Ground Café
by Donald Sutherland, PAg

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to meet Jennifer Willems, owner and chef of the New Ground Cafe located in Birch Hills, Saskatchewan. Jennifer was dancing with joy and excitement as she cooked, baked, and served to a full house of 36 hungry patrons at noon on Monday, Nov 1st.

The menu was hand-written on a black chalkboard. The tastes, textures, aromas, and 1940s ambiance in the room were truly all “out of this world.” No wonder the New Ground Cafe has been featured as one of the top 100 places to eat in Canada.

Jennifer buys ingredients locally. Her remarkable creations magically flow from her mind. I was reminded of a composer who, in the mind’s eye “hears” the sopranos, the altos, and the bass singers and is able to commit those sounds to paper for singers and conductors to honour and enjoy. Patrons at the New Ground Cafe become a choir as they taste and savour, and call upon all of their senses, including the subconscious, the spiritual, reaching to the soul.

Jennifer grew up ten miles north of La Ronge, SK. As a very young girl her mother encouraged her to join her in harvesting fruits and herbs in season, growing close by in the natural world. Her mother encouraged her to exercise full creativity in the kitchen. Jennifer was a natural—she connected soil, climate, natural fertility, and pristine water with taste and nutrition. Five years ago she decided, along with her husband, Dale, to settle in Birch Hills and ply her skills. She said two years were required to develop a full cadre of local suppliers. At every opportunity she publicly hands out accolades: “Without them I could not succeed.”

About 1:30 pm, as the noon rush subsided, Jennifer found time to tell me about her methods, her philosophy. “I buy local, use compostable cups and utensils, and garden at the back of the restaurant. This place is much more than local food and baking prepared on site. Everything we do here is overlain with determination to reduce our footprint on the earth. Our spoons dissolve in water. I couldn’t do what I do without a very strong faith in a higher power.”

Jennifer is very well organized. Her business philosophy is crystal clear and she lives it every step of each busy day. Twice per month on Saturday nights she offers a three-course meal built around a theme. An extra touch is a band. The restaurant has evolved into one third catering, one third special events, and one third in-house meals. Three noon lunches are offered per week. Thursday is a full meal opening at 6:00 pm with reservations required.

I decided to close the interview with this question, “Where from here?” Jennifer thought for a moment and then replied, “My next growth target is not outward, but upward. By upward I mean reaching new heights in terms of ambiance, quality, colour, taste, aroma, and reverence for the earth.”

Reprinted courtesy of Earthcare Connections, PO Box 1790, Wynyard, SK S0A 4T0. Phone (306) 554-LAND, email: info@earthcare.ca, www.earthcare.ca. Donald Sutherland is a career counsellor, personal coach, and mediator with special training in restorative justice. He is also a professional agrologist who divides his time between Saskatoon and Winnipeg, and he is also an active farmer in west central Saskatchewan, email: donaldsutherland@sasktel.net.