After two seasons as the star of Moosemeat and Marmalade, getting recognized has become a regular occurrence for Art Napoleon.
ItB次元官网网址檚 even gone so far that the moose meat, wild game and wild berries heB次元官网网址檇 hunted and gathered in the summer were stolen from the freezer in his Saanich carport. It was just before Christmas, and it was a disappointment ahead of the holidays.
B次元官网网址淪omeone must have got wind that it was my freezer,B次元官网网址� Napoleon said. B次元官网网址淪omewhere out there, someone has about 15 gallons of frozen wild huckleberries picked from the alpine of Black Mountain near the Peace River.B次元官网网址�
Napoleon showed up to Victoria about 15 years ago as a musician. He got married, and though he isnB次元官网网址檛 married anymore, he is based out of the Swan Lake neighbourhood where he helps raise two girls in the Greater Victoria school system.
He still spends a lot of time in the Peace River region, where he can always grab B次元官网网址渁nother cooler full of game and berries,B次元官网网址� when he needs it, he said.
Post-production for his popular show is just about complete. The fourth season will include a stop at Denman Island, and six episodes in Spain, as Napoleon once again pits himself, and the traditional Indigenous styles of eating, against the European cuisine of English chef Dan Hayes.
ItB次元官网网址檚 commissioned for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in Canada and is now in nine countries, but has always been based in Victoria. Hayes, of course, runs his London Chef business on Fort Street. Former Saanich resident Hilary Prior of May Street productions has been with the show since the start and so has James Bay resident Daryl Whetung, who is currently in post-production with Calvin Stimson.
Napoleon actually had the original concept, which was to host an Indigenous cooking show himself, then came the idea to split it off with Dan Hayes.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 much better this way, the dynamic is far better with the two of us,B次元官网网址� Napoleon said. B次元官网网址淲e bicker and argue on air, but we really do get along great.B次元官网网址�
Raised near Moberly Lake (a little ways from Chetwynd and the Peace River) with grandparents who didnB次元官网网址檛 speak English, Napoleon said about half the familyB次元官网网址檚 food came from the land and the garden. The other half came from the store.
HeB次元官网网址檚 touted for his sustainable practices and the show does its best to model zero-waste cooking. ThatB次元官网网址檚 where you end up with B次元官网网址榮hock-factorB次元官网网址� delicacies such as bull testicles, racoon and moose nose.
B次元官网网址淲hen we travel, and we try to hunt, we donB次元官网网址檛 always catch what we seek,B次元官网网址� Napoleon said. B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檒l see that in the show. But it doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter. We reach out to the community. We visit them. And theyB次元官网网址檒l share food with us. So we donB次元官网网址檛 always know what the menu is.B次元官网网址�
Whether itB次元官网网址檚 in the show, or in life, Napoleon will find ways to use what others donB次元官网网址檛.
B次元官网网址淟ambB次元官网网址檚 quarters, it grows wild like a weed and is loaded with nutrition,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t has to be blanched. But people pull it out like a weed and toss it in the compost. ItB次元官网网址檚 a shame to throw it away.B次元官网网址�
Among his beliefs, locals should organize a First Nations cull of the urban deer in Greater Victoria before a tragic disaster happens and before they suffer the effects of overpopulation in a non-traditional environment.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檒l use everything, the whole animal, just get out of their way and let them do what they did for thousands of years,B次元官网网址� Napoleon said.
ItB次元官网网址檚 just like the blackberries that grow rampant on Vancouver Island.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know why people wait for it to be on sale in the store. Spend an hour on the Galloping Goose. Fill a bag with blackberries, stick it in your freezer for the winter.B次元官网网址�
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