ᓯᔾᔭᒃᑯᑦ - ᐃᓄᓕᖅᑕᑦ ᓂᖀᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓂᕿᒃᓴᔭᖏᑦ
ᓂᖅᑎᐅᕐᓂᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᖏᒻᒪᑦ ᓂᕆᔭᑦᓴᓂᑦ - ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᐅᓯᑦᑎᓐᓂᓗ ᐊᑐᕐᓂᐅᖕᒪᑦ
ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᓰᓚ ᕙᓚᐅᕋᑎᐅᑉ ᐱᔪᒫᕇᓐᓇᖅᓯᒪᖕᒪᒍ ᑕᐃᒫᓪᓗ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᑦᑎᐊᕈᒪᓗᓂ - ᐱᑦᓴᐅᑎᒋᔭᑦᓴᐅᖏᒻᒪᑦ ᑲᒪᒌᓐᓇᕐᓗᒍ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ
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Sijjakkut - Authentic Inuit Foods
Cooking is about more than just sharing a meal – it’s about sharing culture.
It’s a dream of Chef Sheila Flaherty that like any good dish - takes time.
Meet Chef Sheila Flaherty
ᓂᖅᑎᐅᖅᑎ ᓰᓚ ᕙᓚᐅᕋᑎᒧᑦ, ᓂᖅᑎᐅᕐᓂᖅ ᓂᕆᖃᑎᒌᖕᓂᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᖏᒻᒪᑦ - ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᕐᒥᖔᕐᒪᓪᓕ. ᐃᖃᓗᒻᒥᐅᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ, ᓄᓇᕗᒥ ᓴᖅᑭᑦᑎᓂᑯ ᓯᔾᔭᒃᑯᑦ-ᒥᒃ ᐱᒃᑯᒋᔭᖓ ᓴᐳᒻᒥᖃᓯᐅᑎᖕᒪᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᑎᑦᑎᓂᐅᖕᒪᓪᓗ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᖔᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᐊᓯᕙᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᑦᑕᐅᓂᑯᓂ ᓂᕿᒃᓴᐅᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ. ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖁᑎᒃᓴᖓᓄᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᐸᓪᓕᐊᒻᒪᑦ ᓯᔾᔭᒃᑯᑦ - ᐊᑕᖏᕐᓗᒍ 100% ᐃᓄᖕᒧᑦ ᐱᒋᔭᐅᓗᓂ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᖅᑎ ᐳᓚᕋᑎᓄᑦ ᑐᕌᖓᓗᓂ ᐊᓪᓛᑦ ᑐᔪᕐᒥᕕᖃᕐᓗᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᖅᑎᒻᒪᕇᑦ ᑰᑲᕐᕕᖓᓂ ᓈᒪᓗᓂ.
ᓂᖅᑎᐅᖅᓯᒪᔭᖏᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᔮᖅᓯᒪᕗᑦ ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂ, ᐋᑐᕚ, ᑐᕌᓐᑐ, ᓅᒃ ᒍᕇᓐᓛᓐᒥ, ᓂᐅ ᔪᐊᒃ, ᕚᓐᑰᕙ ᒫᓐᓇᕋᑖᕐᓗ ᕋᐃᑲᕕᒃ, ᐊᐃᔅᓛᓐᒥ
ᓰᓚ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᐅᓯᒪᔪᖅ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᒃᑯᑦ ᒍᓘᑉ ᐊᓐ ᒪᐃᔪᓪ (Globe and Mail) ᖁᕝᕙᐸᓪᓕᐊᓂᖅᐹᖑᓂᖓᓄᑦ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᖅᑎᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᐊᐱᖅᓱᖅᑕᐅᓂᑰᓪᓗᓂᓗ ᓴᖅᑭᑦᑐᒃᓴᓄᑦ ᐅᑯᓄᖓ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓄᑦ ᐱᕙᓪᓕᐊᔪᑎᒍᓪᓗ: Chatelaine, Montecristo Magazine, enRoute Magazine, Serviette Magazine, Nunatsiaq News, CBC, Ottawa Citizen, and the National Post ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᕈᑎᑦ ᐊᑐᒐᒃᓴᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᑕᐅᔪᒃᓴᓂ ᑐᒃᓯᕋᕐᕕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᒐᒃᓴᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᖏᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᑕᑦ ᐃᑲᔫᑎᖁᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓂᐅᕐᕈᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᕐᒥᐅᖃᑎᒌᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᖏᓐᓂ: ᐃᓄᖕᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᕐᔪᐊᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᓴᖅᑭᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᓄᕕᐱᕆ 2022 ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓪᓗᓂᓗ ᑎᑭᓵᕆᔭᒃᓴᖅ ᐋᒪᔮᓐᑯᑦ. ᓯᕗᒧᐊᒍᒻᒥᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᒋᕗᖅ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᒐᒃᓴᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᖏᑦ ᓄᐃᑎᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᐊᑎᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᓂᕐᔪᑎᑦ ᐃᒫᓂ: ᐃᒪᕐᒥᐅᑕᓂᖔᖅᑐᑦ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᒐᒃᓴᑦ, 2022 ᐊᕐᕌᒍᖓᓂ ᓵᓚᖃᕈᑕᐅᓂᑯ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒨᖓᔪᒧᑦ.
For Inuk Chef Sheila Flaherty, cooking is about more than just sharing a meal – it’s about sharing Inuit culture. She lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut and is the founder of sijjakkut that prides itself in the preservation and promotion of Inuit culture through relying on hunted and harvested foods for its menus. Business planning is currently underway to realize sijjakkut’s full vision – a 100 percent Inuit owned culinary tourism venture complete with a bed and breakfast and commercial kitchen.
She has shared Inuit food and cuisine through menus in Iqaluit, Ottawa, Toronto, Nuuk, Greenland, New York, New York, Vancouver and most recently, Reykjavik, Iceland.
Flaherty has been featured in the Globe and Mail as a top emerging chef in Canada, has been interviewed for Chatelaine, Montecristo Magazine, enRoute Magazine, Serviette Magazine, Nunatsiaq News, CBC, Ottawa Citizen, and the National Post and has provided recipes to Chatelaine, The Kit and The Cookbook in Support of the United Nations: For People and Planet released in early November 2022 and available on Amazon. She is also proud to have written the foreword to Nirjutit Imaani: Edible Animals of the Sea cookbook, a 2022 Gourmand Award winner in the Arctic category.
ᓂᕿᐅᑉ ᐊᓯᐊᒍᑦ, ᓰᓚ ᐱᔭᕇᖅᓯᖃᑕᐅᓂᑯ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖃᕆᐅᖅᓴᔪᓄᑦ entrepreNorth ᓄᓇᕗᒥᖔᖅᑐᓂ ᑲᑎᒪᔨ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐳᓚᕋᑦᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᑲᑎᒪᔨᐅᓪᓗᓂᓗ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᖅᑏᑦ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᒃᑐᓄᑦ.
“ᒥᑭᓪᓕᓯᒪᔪᖓ ᐱᕕᖃᕈᑕᐅᓂᕋᖅᑕᐅᒐᒪ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᖔᖅᑐᓂ ᐆᒃᓯᒋᐅᖃᑦᑕᕐᓂᕋᖅᑐᓄᑦ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᖅᓯᒪᔭᒃᑯᑦ,” ᐅᖃᖅᐳᖅ. “ᓂᕆᑦᑎᐊᖁᒥᓇᕐᒪᑕ ᓂᖅᑎᐅᕈᑎᔭᒃᑲ, ᓂᕆᔭᒥᒍᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᕚᓪᓕᕈᓐᓇᕐᒪᑕ ᓂᕆᔭᖓᑕ ᐃᓚᖓ ᓂᕿᓪᓚᕆᐅᓂᕋᓲᕗᑦ ᓇᑭᖔᖅᓯᒪᖕᒪᖔᑦ ᑕᒪᐅᓇᓗ ᑕᐱᖅᑖᕆᔪᓐᓇᖅᓯᓗᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᔾᔪᑎᒋᕙᑦᑕᑎᓐᓄᑦ.”
ᐊᔾᔨᙳᐊᖅ ᐱᓐᓇ: ᓂᖅᑎᐅᖅᓯᒪᔭᖓ ᐃᖃᓗᓕᒃ ᐱᕈᖅᑐᕕᓂᕐᓂᓗ ᐊᑯᓯᒪᔪᖅ, ᑯᕝᕕᕆᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᖄᖓᒍᑦ ᑯᕕᔭᒐᓕᐊᕆᓯᒪᔪᒥᒃ, ᐅᒃᑯᓯᒃᓴᐅᑉ ᖄᖓᓂ.
Pictured Above: Chef Flaherty’s Arctic Char Ceviche & Avocado Salad, garnished with daikon & chives and served on a chilled soapstone.
Beyond food, Flaherty is an alumnus of entrepreNorth, serves as the Nunavut Director for Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada as well as a Director of the Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations.
“I’m so humbled to have the opportunity to have people experience Inuit culture through my food,” she says. “My hope is that as people enjoy the meals I make, they’ll in turn learn a bit about where our food comes from, the history behind it and become a better ally to our Inuit way of life.”