November - Boffins

t h e
B o f f i n s
n e w s l e t t e r
AMUSE–BOUCHE
November 2015
|
Peruvian Ceviche
amu se - b o u ch e
\ ä - müz-’b ü sh\
n o un
[Fr.,
lit.,
(it)
e nte r t ains
(th e)
m o uth]
International Student Brings
Rustic Dishes and Home Cooking
Ideals to Boffins Public House
THIS IS EVENING LINE COOK JAVIER A CASTELL ANOS
Javiera Castellanos has been part of the evening cooking staff at
Shortly after high school Javiera enrolled in the French Culinary
Boffins Public House for a year now. Originally a part-time cook,
School or, en español, Escuela Culinaria Francesa. Here, Javiera
her transition to full-time has allowed her to show her talents,
refined her skills learned in the family kitchen. She also found
passions and knowledge, making her an integral part of the team.
her particular interest in the kitchen, focusing on becoming a
pastry chef.
Born in Chile, Javiera was raised in a home where the whole
family was involved in cooking. The meals were rustic, fresh and
One of the perks of the Escuela Culinaria Francesa was the
completely cultivated in and around the home. This fresh-made,
school’s close partnership with chef Alain Nonnet, who has been
home-inspired mentality has stuck with her over the years and
running a Michelin Star restaurant in France for over 35 years,
comes through in her passion and philosophy for food and
amongst numerous other accolades. Alain helped found the
cooking.
school in 2002 alongside other chefs and culinary figures in Chile.
So, because of the French connection, part of the coursework
Although born in Chile, Javiera's family relocated to Saskatoon
before graduating was a six month internship in France. For
when she was about one year old while her dad completed his
Javiera, this meant working at Tables des Frères Ibarboure, a
Masters in Science at the University of Saskatchewan. After six
Michelin Star restaurant in the Basque region of France.
years in Canada, Javiera's family moved back to Chile; however
she would come back on occasion to visit her extended family.
Following her Francophone internship, Javiera took time to see
For example, Javiera’s grandmother, who was married to a Saskie
more of Europe. Her journey was one-part sightseeing, two-parts
farmer and lived on a farm near Swift Current – her grandpa
culinary experience. Some of Javiera’s favourite experiences
always wanted her to come back “home”.
while travelling involved getting away from the mainstream,
visiting markets and experiencing a country's authentic, rustic,
Javiera has fond memories of that South Saskatchewan farm
homemade cuisine – how it is cooked in the home, the local
where the idea of home cooking with local ingredients was further
dives, not the chain restaurants.
instilled – much of what was eaten was grown and sourced on the
farm and then prepared from start to finish in the family kitchen.
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@BoffinsYXE
amu se - b o u ch e
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a
sm all,
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Our November
In Vino Veritas
is sold out,
so please act fast
to get in on
In Vino Veritas
in December.
In 2010, Javiera went back to Chile just in time for one of the
But, life isn't cheap for an international student and there are bills
largest earthquakes ever recorded. After making it through this
to pay. So after doing food prep at Alexander's, Javiera was asked
ordeal and some clean up, Javiera returned to Europe for more
to join the evening cooking staff at Boffins Public House – initially
sightseeing and culinary experiences. This time she stayed at a
as a part-time prep cook, covering vacations, sick leave, etc.
friend's family farm in France – enjoying more authentic, rustic,
country cooking.
However, due to one chef's departure, Javiera has seen her
opportunities grow. Working in the Boffins kitchen has brought
After all this, Javiera's European adventure was finally at an end
back some of the love she had lost for the industry. She
and she returned to Chile, working mainly as a pastry chef, in a
chalks some of it up to Todd and his collaborative attitude – he
variety of restaurants and catering businesses. One particularly
listens, asks for input, works with her, he’s passionate about
interesting place was in a multi-floor building housing numerous
food. Another contributing factor is the opportunities to create
restaurants and connected kitchens under the moniker of Opera
– expressing herself, her passion, through food. And her value
Catedral. Javiera's focus was with one of the enterprises, Café del
to the team cannot be overstated as her opportunities at Boffins
Opera, a quaint café selling cakes and other dainties as well as
continue to grow.
lunch items such as salads, sandwiches and soups. Here she put
her pastry skills to work for about a year.
For Javiera, cooking is about passion and love for food. It's
about real food. It's about experiencing culture and cuisine in
Then, just over two years ago, Javiera and her boyfriend moved
an authentic way. That is the mentality Javiera brings to the
to Alberta, Canada where she worked on the other side of the
table and she wouldn't have it any other way. So come down to
counter as a server. There were three months in Jasper and then
Boffins some night for supper or even some after work bites and
nine more in Calgary. Over this time, Javiera had applied to the
experience Javiera’s passion on a plate.
University of Calgary and the University of Saskatchewan as an
International Student. She was accepted to both but decided to
head to Saskatoon as she still had family in and around the area.
Todd and Javiera are having fun being creative in the kitchen
and are serving up some tasty dinner specials. They've
So in the fall of 2014 Javiera started classes at the U of S with
also launched a new evening snack menu featuring tasty
the Edwards School of Business. Admittedly, despite her love
bites such as Peruvian ceviche, lettuce wraps and gyoza as
for food and cooking, Javiera had become a little jaded with the
well as all the classics such as nachos and maple balsamic
industry through her experiences with crotchety cooks, chefs with
chicken wings.
no passion (too many “chefs” and not enough cooks) and other
negative experiences – this is why she sought something else for
So pop in after work for a pint and some snacks or make
herself via schooling.
a dinner reservation Tuesday through Friday by visiting
the online reservation system at boffins.ca or by calling
306.978.2582.
b o f f ins
p ub li c h o u s e
w w w.b o f f ins .c a
10 6 - 111 re se arch drive
s askato o n sk
S7N
amu se - b o u ch e @b o f f ins .c a
3 0 6 . 978 . 2 5 8 2
3 R2
Single, Malt, Neat and Peat
A BACKGROUNDER IN PREPAR ATION FOR NEAT, A FIVE COURSE MEAL PAIRING SCOTCH WHISK Y
WITH TAST Y DISHES HAPPENING WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18 AT BOFFINS PUBLIC HOUSE
Whisky is the Anglophone translation for the Scottish Gaelic
Single Grain Scotch Whisky utilizes water and malted barley but
term uisge beatha meaning "water of life". Uisge beatha is
has additional whole grain cereals added to it (i.e. wheat).
itself a translation of aqua vitae ("water of life"), which is the
Latin term for distilled alcohol.
You then get blends from mixing and
matching Single Malts and Single
Many countries produce whiskey,
Grains. So a Blended Malt Scotch
but only in Scotland is Scotch whisky
Whisky is a blend of Single Malts,
distilled. It's very similar in a sense
a Blended Grain Scotch Whisky
to the rules and regulations around
is a blend of Single Grains and
other spirits such as Champagne or
Blended Scotch Whisky is a blend
Port. In fact, the Scottish Whisky
of Single Malts and Single Grains.
Association provides Scotch Whisky
Regulations, covering all items related
to naming, labelling, packaging,
The regulations also provide
AN EVENING OF DRAMS AND SCRAN
marketing and production.
The regulations state that Scotch
Whisky must be produced in Scotland
– distilled at a Scotland-based
legal grounding for how whiskies
identify themselves by region such
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 18
6 TO 9 PM
$50
REGISTER AT BOFFINS.CA
distillery from water and malted
as Highland, Lowland, Speyside,
Campbeltown and Islay. Only whiskies
wholly distilled in those regions
can use those names. Neat will be
featuring Glenmorangie, a Highland
barley (which can only have whole
GLENMORANGIE NECTAR D’OR
distillery, and Ardbeg, an Islay distillery.
grains of other cereals added to it) that
GINGER ROAST PEAR, STILTON CHEESE TOSSED WITH
SPINACH, TOASTED ALMONDS AND A HONEY FIG
VINAIGRETTE
Highland whiskies truly run the gamut
has been processed, converted and
fermented at said Scottish distillery.
Other regulations include maturation
GLENMORANGIE THE ORIGINAL
due to the large area covered by the
ORANGE SPICED DUCK ON A ROAST GARLIC, CELERIAC
AND LENTIL BROTH
region. The Glenmorangie distillery
years in Scotland. The whisky must
ARDBEG TEN YEARS OLD
area where the whiskies are heavily
also retain the colours, aroma and
BLACK PEPPER CURED SALMON PAIRED WITH CRISP
BACON, HORSERADISH CRÈME FRAICHE AND A FRIED
POTATO SCALLION CAKE
influenced by the local soil and the
in oak casks for a minimum of three
taste derived from the raw materials
used in the production of maturation.
The whisky must also have an
alcoholic strength by volume of 40%.
Scotch whiskies fall into five
categories: Single Malt Scotch
is located in the Northern Highland
distillery's coastal location. Typically
they are light bodied with a spicy
ARDBEG CORRYVRECKAN
STEAK, OAT, PORTOBELLO AND ROOT VEGETABLE PIE
WITH A RUSTIC MARROW AND BUTTER CRUST
character and dry finish.
GLENMORANGIE QUINTA RUBAN
Islay whiskies are often considered
DARK CHOCOLATE MINT PÂTÉ PAIRED WITH A WARM
APPLE WALNUT CRISP AND ORANGE SYRUP
the strongest flavoured of all
Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky,
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky,
Blended Grain Scotch Whisky and Blended Scotch Whisky.
Scotch whiskies. They tend to
be dry and peaty. The strong
peaty smokiness comes from
peat being used as the fuel for malting the barley. Peat is
essentially an accumulation of boggy earth material consisting
Malt refers to the whisky being distilled from a malted grain. A
of partly decomposed vegetation and organic matter.
malted grain is a germinated cereal grain that has been dried.
In Scotch whisky only malted barley is used. Single refers to
For more information about Scotch whiskies, including
the whisky that all the spirits in the bottle come from a single
those present at Neat, check out these links. Shlàinte!
distillery. Bottles containing malt whisky from multiple distilleries
ardbeg.com / glenmorangie.com/us/ / scotch-whisky.org.uk
are called "blended malt".