High Plains I have been a food writer and journalist in Calgary for a very long time. And for a very long time I have wanted to collect the stories of Alberta's food producers and purveyors in a cookbook about this part of the world. This is that book. After years of telling the stories of Alberta's best farmers and food producers, chefs and creative cooks in newspaper and magazine articles, I have become an advocate of Alberta cuisine. By writing and collecting recipes for the four seasons in this most western extreme of the Canadian prairies, I too have discovered our unspoken reliance on the foods produced in this very particular place. Alberta is like any other region of the world. We gravitate to our own - the freshest corn in August, the best beef, the call of the wild fish and game - for a modern style of eating that is both traditional and influenced by changing trends. Grains are the backbone of our diet which is centered on our own meat and potatoes, animals that we have long raised or hunted, and fruits and vegetables that we could gather and grow in short seasons and store through long winters. In today's world, in which professional chefs and savvy diners search for the tastiest, healthiest and best quality food they can find, it's natural to look in their own back yards. Everyone knows that the food that comes directly from the land and into the kitchen is superior to something that has traveled halfway around the globe. And while we must still import many foods, from coffee and citrus fruit to seafood – we can also make a commitment to using that which is grown close to home. So we return to our roots. We seek out those other souls who put pride before profits and strive to create something special with what is at hand. We celebrate the farmers who challenge the harsh prairie environment to produce the best and the healthiest food that they can, with hands-on production methods, based on environmental and ethical principals. And we are succeeding. Our own milk is now the basis for wonderful cheeses, from aged Gouda and Parmesan-like grana to creamy chevre and sheep feta, that rival any in the world. We are raising tender bison and wild boar, growing flavourful heirloom tomatoes and gourmet greens, and seeing the top restaurants offer their own versions of cutting edge prairie food for the first time. You may still wonder what we mean when we say regional Canadian cuisine. It is a concept that is evolving and we learn to meld the concepts of local and global to our best advantage. top of page But it's safe to say that it is a style of cooking that is connected to the land. Here that landscape wavers from brilliantly stark wheat fields and big skies, to mountains that were made for the word majestic. There are wide rivers that wend their way across the prairies like satiny blue ribbons, rivers born in those snowy mountain peaks and collected from tiny streams that sparkle and crash through rocky canyons. The steep foothills are carpeted in hardy wild grasses that can feed free-ranging livestock and survive years of drought, prairie fire and long stretches of sub-zero temperatures. Throughout the north and central parts of the province there are mixed forests of larch, pine, spruce, aspen and poplar. The mountains thrust their rocky peaks about their heavily forested shoulders, where confirous trees create the environment that supports wild mushrooms and a variety of small animals, birds and big game like elk, moose and caribou. Above the tree line, we enjoy some of the country's most spectacular scenery. And the sun almost always shines in this fertile and sunniest province in Canada. This book is a celebration of that unique place, a contemporary collection of recipes inspired by both local history and landscape, and current trends in dining. There were many people who helped to make this happen, from the producers, farmers and chefs who graciously shared their time and expertise with me, to the publisher who believed that this was a project worth pursuing. I want to thank all of those supportive and inspirational people, and especially Fifth House publisher Fraser Seely, editor Charlene Dobmeier and Mike Sturk, the fine photographer who traveled with me to artistically tell the story of Alberta's food business with his evocative images. I feel very lucky to have the chance to share these stories, insights and recipes with Albertans and others who are devoted to showing the world what the best regional Canadian cuisine is all about. We have some fine examples of it here on the high plains. Join us and share in the joy of it. top of page