Photos & Words by Diego D.
Our second expedition for the World is Your Oyster: Sustainable Oceans cohort was fascinating. To the contrary of first voyage, this outing was full of indecisive weather favoring hail and rain showers. Despite the weather, the scenery was gorgeous and we were protected by the skyscrapers of the forest which filled the air with the sweet smell of amber. We first journeyed to Sooke by van from which we admired the hail and for some even their first time seeing icy roads.
Long afterward several twisty turns and roads that looked to be nature trails we arrived at a cozy cabin where we met Tom Kral, “Nature Chef”, who greeted us with tea made from hand-picked reishi mushrooms, fresh ginger, and chai spices. Some were hesitant to drink it but soon embraced Chef Kral’s holistic approach towards cooking and enjoyed the tea while it served its purpose for most by soothing the mind and as a hand warmer.
After an introduction of Chef Kral’s culinary experience, we hiked down to the beach holding pots of soup and tea all made by ingredients right outside of the Nature Chef’s doorstep, most of which he showed to us. It was a bit difficult navigating through rocky terrain, but we were motivated to not drop our food under any circumstances, pelleting hail or slippery rainfall.
Following our hike, we set up camp on the beach near a crackling fire which served as a stove top and oven. Chef Kral then informed us about the multiple uses several types of seaweed, kelp, and trees ranging from being beneficial towards our health to shelter tactics. We were also taught how to identify edible sea vegetables some of which are tastier than others and cooking methods preserved from our primal ancestors and indigenous people. Furthermore, we began to prep our meal over the fire. We wrapped handmade sourdough with seaweed flakes as an alternative to salt then propped them over the fire to bake.
While waiting, Chef Kral told us how to make a chowder from fresh local land/sea vegetables, halibut, and shellfish. Meanwhile we rotated our bread and watched as the Nature Chef dropped a scorching hot stone into the pot of chowder slowly followed by his harvested uni butter. Soon after the shellfish opened and our bread was evenly cooked, we were served a hearty bowl of chowder that was topped off with stone-cooked halibut and garnished with cilantro. The meal was phenomenal and mutually agreed upon as the best meal we’ve eaten throughout this entire school year. The meal transcended spoken language during and even after eating. Lastly, we properly disposed the shells of the shellfish into the ocean and thanked mother nature and Chef Kral for the fantastic lunch.
The road trip back to SMUS was the perfect time to reflect and share our new perspective towards our everyday meals. This experience has made all of us more confident in our ability to survive on the remote west coast and inspired us to explore new options instead of store-bought foods, items, and solutions.