RRC Polytech student partners with Prairie Research Kitchen to create a new sauce honouring Indigenous heritage

For student Rayne Ryle-Cote, who is Anishinaabe (mother from Lake St. Martin, father from Cote First Nation), taking a chance on new path has led to a tasty new venture with RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen.

Following the challenges that came along with the pandemic, Rayne was looking for a new direction in her life when she discovered the Compass Skills program at RRC Polytech, which was all about career exploration, goal-setting, and self-refection – an environment she says was a safe and inspiring space. Compass Skills is a holistic Indigenous-led 10-week program focused on creating a foundation of skills to enter employment and/or further education.

“I lost everything. I was in a dark spot and I was lost. My friend told me about this program, and when I learned how it can help me find employment and also provided cultural teachings, I instantly signed up.”

Along with seeking a new path of employment, Rayne also yearned to access Indigenous teachings, something her family did not pass down out of fear.

“My family went through a lot with Residential Schools, and it affected them largely where they were so afraid for me and my sisters. But I was always interested in learning about my culture. I always wanted to learn how to bead or how to make a drum and sing in Ojibwe. It was always in me, but I didn’t have access to it.”

During the program, Rayne expressed her interests in cooking. First inspired by her mother, she grew to love cooking, hosting and how food brought people together. Her and her sisters even took over preparing the large family Christmas meal which brings her so much joy and pride. She didn’t realize that her skills and interests could be transferrable towards a career. 

“I shared my dream with my teachers of becoming a chef, and to create or modernize Indigenous recipes, and that I wanted to travel. I really do love the Compass Skills program. It provided an environment where I could create my goals and feel comfortable learning about my culture. I realized my full potential.”

With no prior formal culinary training, her instructors in Compass Skills helped her create a road map to achieve her goals. After being connected with the Prairie Research Kitchen, she was hired as a co-op student for the summer.

The Prairie Research Kitchen operates out of RRC Polytech’s Paterson GlobalFoods Institute in Winnipeg’s Exchange District and offers creative solutions to support food processors and food service providers through research and development, technical services and training. The Prairie Research Kitchen brings together a unique blend of food science and culinary arts to develop solutions for our clients

“I didn’t realize what kind of journey it would take me on and how much my life would change. I would have never thought of working at the Prairie Research Kitchen. It’s been a dream job, and I’m so grateful to be working here.”

Following some initial training, for her co-op, Rayne was invited to create a new sauce with the support and mentorship of the PRK team. With her product creation, she says it was vital to integrate her culture, family, and part of herself.

She was inspired by her grandparents love for cranberry sauce – which was always a meal-side staple for meats, fish and Bannock. But she also wanted the sauce to include notes of sweet and sour, a personal favourite.

“I wanted to incorporate more berries that were accessible to the Prairies where my ancestors had lived so I have cranberries, raspberries and dried juniper berries in the sauce.”

It took some time to experiment to get the right balance and texture. For example, the dried juniper berries didn’t blend in as well so the team suggested cooking the ingredient in vinegar first which remedied the texture.

Rayne says the sauce can be used as a dipping or coating sauce and would work best with meatballs, fried fish, chicken nuggets, and fried Bannock.

It was also very important for her to have an Anishinaabemowin name for the sauce to honour her heritage have the project immediately representative of Indigenous culture. She worked with RRC Polytech Indigenous Language Instructor Corey Whitford to name the sauce Wiishkobi dago zhiiwizipogwad mawinzwaanwinan baashkiminasigan (sweet and sour berry sauce).

She is working through the next steps with the PRK to upscale the production and create packaging. Of the whole process, working with the PRK team has been her favourite part. Walking in with the stigma that the food industry might be isolating and difficult, she has felt embraced, supported and welcomed.

“The PRK works in a team environment and they are so friendly. It feels so good to know that like the PRK I’m always going have a team with me wherever I go and whatever kitchen I go into. I know I’m going be OK because I’m going have a team. So I’m really excited for that.”

In the fall, she will continue her studies with the Culinary Skills Indigenous program at the Notre Dame Campus. She dreams of culinary career that will take her coast to coast working with Indigenous people – learning and sharing her teachings along the way.

Name in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe)
Wiishkobi dago zhiiwizipogwad mawinzwaanwinan baashkiminasigan

English translation:
Sweet and sour berry sauce

Ingredients:
Water, honey, cranberries, raspberry puree, vinegar, juniper berry, cornstarch

Ingredient translation into Anishinaabemowin

Ingredients:                                    Dagonigaadewinan
Water                                              Nibi
Honey                                              Aamoo-ziinzibaakwad
Cranberries                                     Mashkiigiminag
Raspberries                                    Miskominag
Juniper berries infused vinegar Gaagaagiwaandagominag dago zhiiwaaboo
Food starch modified                    Ashkaawangi-bakwezhigan

RRC Polytech is proud to be a member of Community-Based Research Canada (CBRCanada), a national champion and facilitator of community-based research excellence (a research approach addressing challenging societal problems). CBRCanada is a membership-based organization of community organizations, colleges, universities, research institutes, and community-based researchers.

Membership grants us access to valuable courses and professional development activities. Here are some upcoming events available to all RRC Polytech staff and students:

• Community of Practice (August 12)
  • Community of practice meetings actively bring together CBRCanada members to engage in meaningful discussions.
  • All involved in community-based research are welcome, whether you are a researcher, peer-researcher, student, project coordinator, administrator, director, or community leader.
  • The purpose of the community of practice is to network with others, learn from each other, and exchange best practices.
  • For more information/to register, please click here.

• The Fall 2022 Community-Based Research Certificate Course (begins October 12)
  • The Community-Based Research Certificate Course: Fundamentals and Excellence will enhance your research capacity in theory, methods, and tools for conducting research with communities.
  • Facilitated by leading experts in community-based research, this interactive course will take a deep dive into community-based research and emphasize practical applications of learning at each stage.
  • Participants will have an opportunity to workshop their own community-based research projects at the end of the course.
  • Please click here for more information and to register.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2022 issue of Western Food Processor magazine.

Where Food and Culture Meet: Prairie Research Kitchen at RRC Polytech

Canada celebrates cultural diversity in a number of ways — especially through food. Manitoba is one of the leading provinces for cultural and food diversity, an apt location for the Prairie Research Kitchen (PRK) at RRC Polytech’s downtown campus at the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute.

From 2018 to 2020, immigration to Manitoba has primarily been made up of people from Africa, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific regions, accounting for between 80‐85 per cent of immigrants each year, according to data from the Province of Manitoba.

“Our diverse population is reflected in the new products and restaurants available here,” says Mavis McRae, director of PRK. “We are lucky to be a resource for bringing those ideas to market.”

Food processing businesses contribute to the diversity of food options available to Manitobans. Often, members of visible minorities seek foods from their own culture for ‘new’ product ideas and many such foods are either not available or only at a price premium.

“Our team works well with new product ideas and ingredients,” says McRae. “We’ve worked with over 70 companies from Manitoba to B.C. and have generated over 120 product ideas. Many of these have roots in global cuisine.”

PRK infuses their myriad of services with a foodservice perspective, serving clients seeking to adapt a recipe for many needs — like reaching a broader population or for larger scale production. One of three Technology Access Centres at RRC Polytech, they are funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

“We work with many new companies who look to their own cultures for food product ideas,” says Jeff Fidyk, business development specialist, Manitoba Agriculture. “PRK’s services offer timely, practical solutions to help these companies bring their products to grocery and foodservice markets.”

Their modern facility offers a bevy of research services from rapid prototyping and ingredient applications to consumer research trials and customized training with flexibility to meet any companies’ innovation needs. They also work with companies to identify research focused funding resources for eligible organizations.

The diversity of companies is not where equity, diversification and inclusion ends for PRK. The college is committed to building strong relationships with various communities in Manitoba and fostering reconciliation between Indigenous and non‐Indigenous Peoples.

“Since inception we have recognized the connection between culture and food,” says McRae. “We have built a diverse team through staff, instructors and students. We are fortunate to be in an environment that recognizes the benefits of providing diversity education. We are committed to our responsibilities toward Truth and Reconciliation actions.”

Staff at PRK have completed the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation course, developed by Reconciliation Education, offered in partnership with RRC Polytech and First Nations University of Canada, as well as several courses related to respectful workplace, anti-racism and gender diversity. The result is a talented group of food specialists backed by a plethora of expertise committed to bringing the best of all cultures to market.

A new high-protein, plant-based food product will soon be available to Canadians, thanks in large part to RRC Polytech’s Prairie Research Kitchen and Protein Industries Canada (PIC).

On April 21, PIC announced a major investment that will enable Big Mountain Foods, a Vancouver-based innovator of plant-based consumer packaged goods, and Prairie Fava, the leading Canadian grower and ingredient supplier of fava beans, based in Glenboro, Manitoba, to bring more fava-based consumer products, including fava tofu, to market. The Prairie Research Kitchen has worked with both companies as a product development partner.

“We are thrilled to have played a part in the development of this exciting new project. This is a perfect example of how the Prairie Research Kitchen team can lend our expertise in food sciences and culinary arts, as well as our experience in pulse products, to work with companies to develop new products for consumers,” says Mavis McRae, Director, Prairie Research Kitchen.

The Prairie Research Kitchen has partnered with Prairie Fava since 2016, starting with research on fava flour, a protein rich gluten-free flour that can be used in baking and conventional recipes. In 2019, the Prairie Research Kitchen began collaboration with several research and industry partners to develop value-added platform technologies using Manitoba-grown plant proteins. This led to the base knowledge of how various protein sources function in a tofu platform, as well as showcased value-added applications for the co-products of tofu production. Prairie Fava was an industrial partner in this project, as well as an ingredient supplier.

“The Prairie Research Kitchen has been instrumental in our product development since day one,” says Hailey Jefferies, President and Co-Founder of Prairie Fava. “The Prairie Research Kitchen team brings a unique blend of skills and creativity to applied research. Their input has expedited our product development in the early days when we were investigating the use of fava flour and provided us with valuable information as we grew the company. We appreciate the team’s support, responsiveness and advice over the years.”

The Prairie Research Kitchen started working with Big Mountain Foods in 2020, initially conducting product and process validation work on a new process the company was trying to replicate. This grew into an ongoing partnership, and the Prairie Research Kitchen team became Big Mountain Foods’s product development partner. This work established the groundwork for a new product development project for Big Mountain to coincide with the investment the company was making into tofu manufacturing capabilities.

“The technical knowledge provided by the Prairie Research Kitchen team was crucial to our product development,” says Jasmine Byrne, President of Big Mountain Foods. “From many refinement trials to on-site troubleshooting, their expertise helped guide us to achieve the results we’d been looking for.”

Big Mountain Foods will produce the fava bean tofu at the world’s first allergen-free tofu factory. The company aims to produce 15 million units a year.

The product is anticipated to hit grocery shelves in Manitoba next month.

Today, Protein Industries Canada announced a major project that enables Big Mountain Foods, a Vancouver-based innovator of plant-based consumer packaged goods, and Prairie Fava, the leading Canadian grower and ingredient supplier of fava beans, based in Glenboro, Manitoba, to bring more fava-based consumer products, including fava tofu, to market. The Prairie Research Kitchen has worked with both companies as a product development partner.

Prairie Fava and Big Mountain Foods are joining forces to create a new line of fava-based food products, such as non-allergen tofu. This partnership will result in more healthy food options for Canadians produced in a next-generation manufacturing facility purposely designed to meet and exceed sustainability requirements.

Read more on Protein Industries Canada’s website.

Our eyes are the primary way we see the world and navigate daily life. They also are an important means to diagnosing unseen neurological changes, due to injury (concussion), stroke, or other neurological disorders.

Students from RRC Polytech’s ACE Project Space are at the cutting-edge of innovative technology development with researchers at Neuroptek, a new start-up headed by Drs. Neda Anssari and Behzad Mansouri.

“The Neuroptek project has been the backbone of my entire program,” said Navdeep Kaur Sran, student team lead. “It has given me firsthand experience at how to integrate and apply all the skills I’ve learned throughout my courses.”

The researchers’ vision was sparked by their experiences delivering eye exams to children in rural areas of Ontario several years ago. Anssari is a neurologist and concussion subspecialist, Mansouri is a neuro-ophthalmologist and neuroscientist.

“The team had to pack up equipment and travel for hours in order for us to get to the remote area,” said Anssari. “It’s very difficult to reach some remote areas with all the equipment. Add to that the Canadian winter weather challenges, we saw the need for a more sustainable solution.”

Anssari expanded on the importance of access for children. Refractive errors are very common in children and play a significant role in their literacy, especially in preschool ages, kindergarten and elementary levels.

Their new technology is called EyeMirage. It realizes their vision to put eye care in the hands of the public, making it available virtually via an easily downloadable app. Additional versions of the app are available for use in clinical settings and by elite athletes and training programs.

“I’ve been working in the field of concussion for a few years now. The major challenge that I see happening in our day-to-day practice is that we do not have a readily available objective measure to diagnose concussion and early diagnosis is important,” said Anssari.

RRC Polytech students were on the ground floor over the course of two terms, working with the two researchers and Samantha Phrakonkham, Project Manager for Neuroptek.

“Working with the RRC Polytech students has been very exciting and rewarding,” said Phrakonkham.

Initially, in spring and summer 2021, the first team of five students were tasked with developing an app to perform eye examinations.

“This wasn’t an easy task, given that none of the students had any mobile application development experience, which means they had to build this app from scratch. An experience that the majority of students that graduate from a postsecondary program would not have.”

For the fall 2021 term, a new four-student team have focussed on refining those eye examination tests to ensure that they meet the criteria for Clinical Standards.

“Currently, the students are making headway, but they do have a long road ahead of them, since most of the work is to improve the functionality of the app,” added Phrakonkham. “The most noticeable difference between this term and the last is our focus on quality control and engineering practices, in order to better prepare the students for the workforce.”

This synergistic partnership with RRC Polytech brings Neuroptek closer to their mission, while providing valuable industry experience for the students.

Phrakonkham noted, “Students have hands-on experiences with processes and tools they are likely to encounter in industry. They have had to move out of their comfort zone, adapt to the changes that might arise and take on duties that are not part of their existing skill set.”

Their days are structured to reflect the standard workflow of industry, like daily stand ups, road mapping, sprints, one-on-ones and brainstorming sessions.

“They gain practical experience using common tools, adopting common practices in the use of those tools, while providing them an agile work environment similar to agile software development processes in the industries they will seek employment with, post-graduation.”

RRC Polytech’s Vehicle Technology & Energy Centre (VTEC) will continue to lead the charge on the shift to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV), thanks to support from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

The federal government, through NRCan recently announced a $225,000 grant for Enhancing Workplace Charging across Canada’s Prairie Region through Emphasizing Strategies for Cost-Effective Adaptation of Charging Infrastructure (Enhancing Workplace Charging), an initiative RRC Polytech will lead alongside partners Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and Saskatchewan Polytechnic (Sask Polytech). This grant was provided along with funding for 22 organizations across Canada to undertake ZEV awareness projects.

Through this partnership, the College is extending its reach from Manitoba to throughout the Prairies to build public awareness of charging options for electric vehicles (EVs).

“Our VTEC team at the College is excited to build on the momentum of EV projects we’ve completed over the last decade. This initiative is particularly important because it addresses a major challenge of making the shift to EVs on the individual level, and how organizations can support charging infrastructure for the general public,” says Jojo Delos Reyes, Research Program Manager, VTEC.

The overall aim of the collaborative initiative is to address one of the most significant barriers to EV adoption, “range anxiety” due to lack of access to charging infrastructure. RRC Polytech and project partners have identified that the Prairie region presents a major opportunity to implement charging stations to meet workplace charging needs. Throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, there are numerous existing plug-in-points (nearly 500,000 in Manitoba alone) due to the cold climate, which can be adapted in a cost-effective manner for Level 1 charging.

To support EV adoption, RRC Polytech’s VTEC team, NAIT and Sask Polytech will leverage collective expertise to research and distribute informational material to build awareness of charging options and how to adapt current infrastructure for Level 1 workplace charging.

RRC Polytech is a founding member of Accelerate and member of Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2), and the Enhancing Workplace Charging project goals directly align with the mandates of these alliances to support a greener future, highlighting the College’s commitment to sustainability.

In addition, the project will help build a future workforce trained for clean-tech jobs, through student participation in applied learning. RRC Polytech researchers, technicians, and students will also help build the College’s capabilities for new zero-emission technology initiatives.

RRC Polytech remains on the leading-edge of the drive to zero-emission vehicles, growing the province as a hub for EV innovation and adoption. To learn more about the College’s past vehicle technology projects, visit rrc.ca/vtec

RRC Polytech is pleased to participate in virtual meetings being led by the Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2) with federal parliamentarians on February 10, 14 and 15, 2022.

C2R2 members will be meeting with federal parliamentarians to ensure they understand that Canada’s colleges, cégeps, institutions, and polytechnics play a critical role in preparing workers for a changing economy. C2R2 committed to working with the government and parliamentarians of all political stripes to ensure workers are prepared for the employment opportunities that are emerging in every region of the country, and that they fully benefit from the transition to a low-carbon economy.

C2R2 members are working to ensure that its members are at the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon future by:

• Rapidly implementing and scaling curriculum initiatives focused on training workers for a resilient recovery to meet federal targets

• Demonstrating new and existing research expertise and facilities to innovate technology, techniques and products to drive the low-carbon transition and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

• Utilizing the C2R2 pan-Canadian network to collaborate and expand the reach of training and research abilities to better support women, underrepresented populations, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples

C2R2 is a coalition of highly aligned institutions from across Canada with an established commitment to sustainability, that have come together as a driving force, providing the skills required to transition to a clean economy in Canada.

RRC Polytech is committed to C2R2 and has embedded its priorities into a number of ongoing projects, including:

• Energy Advisor micro-credential – developed in partnership between RRC Polytech (BETAC) and the Manitoba Environmental Industries Association (MEIA) to meet the need for Energy Advisors (EAs) to help deliver the one million EnerGuide rating services for eligible homes in Canada, as per the federal government’s Greener Homes initiative.

• Diagnostic Support Worker (DSW) program works in partnership with Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin Inc. to deliver a suite of micro-credentials to enhance the accessibility to health care services for remote communities. Focused in community, students are provided with the opportunity to learn and practice clinical skills close to home. The program works with Indigenous Link to find candidates that wish to pursue careers in nursing stations within their own communities. The program allows students to add the skills their nursing station and its equipment requires.  

• EV Tundra Buggy prototype – RRC Polytech’s Vehicle Technology and Energy Centre helped support the validation of converting diesel-powered Buggies to battery electric. Frontiers North Adventures launched the first EV Tundra Buggy in November 2021, with the goal of converting its fleet of 12 Buggies by 20230. It’s estimated that converting the entire fleet to battery electric will reduce GHGs by 3600 tonnes over the course of 25 years. The conversion will also open up opportunities for new clean tech jobs.

For more information about the virtual meetings visit: https://resilientcolleges.ca/

RRC Polytech’s Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM), is offering a new industry training opportunity. This course is designed for individuals working as CNC machinists. It will provide participants with the knowledge and skills required to setup and operate 5-axis milling machines as well as 3+2 and simultaneous programming. Participants will learn to use tool centre control point, dynamic work offset and cutting angles, and be able to independently set up and run a 5-axis CNC machining project.

Training Details

Available Dates*:

• May 3 – May 21, 2022
• Sept 6 – Sept 24, 2022

*Classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays (4:00 – 8:00 p.m.) and Saturdays (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 pm)

Venue: RRC Polytech’s Smart Factory – 2055 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg

Class Size: 4 – 6 participants

Total Hours: 40

Price: $2,500 CAD + GST per participant

Registration: Please contact Allan Pomanski – apomanski@rrc.ca

Cancellation policy: Notice of withdrawal from the course must be given at least seven days before the course start date to get a refund.

TACAM supports the aerospace and manufacturing sectors by providing access to RRC Polytech’s technological assets, specialized facilities and equipment and subject-matter expertise.

Industry benefits through applied research, support for product development, technology evaluation and demonstration, technical support, knowledge and technology transfer and specialized training.

To learn more about starting a project with TACAM, visit https://www.rrc.ca/tacam/how-to-get-involved/

Project Management for Technology Innovation is a course that is primarily designed to introduce managers, engineers, technical leads, skilled personnel, professionals, and other industry participants to project management best practices within organizations implementing technologies as part of their improvement strategies. The course adapts the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) as part of the best practices, making it useful for participants who may want to further build on their knowledge to pursue PMI certification.

This course runs through the tools and techniques required for project planning, executive and client engagements, cost and schedule control, risk management, and more. The course will introduce participants to common organizational structures, the project players, and the nature of various technology projects. The course ends with an introduction to the skills required for managing projects within an Industry 4.0 system and other areas of emerging technologies.

Training Details

Available Dates*:

• May 24 – June 9, 2022
• Sept 6 – Sept 22, 2022

*Classes will be held on Microsoft Teams on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays (4:00 – 8:00 p.m.)

Class Size: 10 – 15 participants

Total Hours: 36

Price: $675 CAD + GST per participant

Registration: Please contact Allan Pomanski – apomanski@rrc.ca

Cancellation policy: Notice of withdrawal from the course must be given at least seven days before the course start date to get a refund.

TACAM supports the aerospace and manufacturing sectors by providing access to RRC Polytech’s technological assets, specialized facilities and equipment and subject-matter expertise.

Industry benefits through applied research, support for product development, technology evaluation and demonstration, technical support, knowledge and technology transfer and specialized training.

To learn more about starting a project with TACAM, visit https://www.rrc.ca/tacam/how-to-get-involved/