Lifestyle

7 Delicious Canadian Dishes That You Can Cook for Yourself! | Chef Bobby Rahman

Published

5 years ago

August 26, 2021

As a Chef, Bobby Rahman prides himself on his vast knowledge of the many different cuisines all over the world. However, his trademark, as a resident of Ontario, Canada, has always been Canadian dishes!

Today, we’ve compiled a list of some of Chef Bobby Rahman’s favorite Canadian meals. Complete with insightful tips and background information provided by Bobby himself, who is eager to share the taste of the food of his home country.

Canadian Cuisine 101 | Bobby Rahman

Bobby Rahman: When I talk about Canadian cuisine, I don’t really restrict myself to one region over the other. BUT, it should be said that there are definitely variations within them. Canada, much like the United States, is a melting pot of all sorts of different cultures — and with different cultures come different ways of cooking and different tastes.

The type of cuisine you’ve probably heard about is French-Canadian cuisine, but a lot of traditional Canadian dishes also have English, Scottish, and Indigenous roots. The dishes I’m sharing today will be a mix of all of the above!

1. Poutine

Bobby Rahman: Poutine! This delicious French-Canadian dish is probably one of the most recognized Canadian dishes on social media and the like. And no wonder, really. It’s the kind of dish that you regret the next day but is so sinfully good that you just can’t stop yourself from taking a bite when it’s in front of you.

If you’re not familiar with it. It’s best described as French fries covered with gravy and topped with fresh cheese curds. It’s not the kind of meal that I would recommend if you’re watching your weight. But if you’re looking to fill a craving, then a couple of healthier decisions, like oven-frying rather than deep-frying or just cutting back on the gravy might help soothe your conscious a bit.

2. Peameal Bacon

Bobby Rahman: Not to be confused with ‘Canadian Bacon’, Peameal Bacon is a type of wet-cured, unsmoked back bacon. It’s easy to prepare, and it’s delicious! Literally, it’s just trimmed lean, boneless pork loin that is brined and then coated in cornmeal. A healthier option because it’s leaner and has less fat. So, you can enjoy the wonder of eating ‘back bacon’, as it’s sometimes referred to, with less guilt.

3. Bannock

Bobby Rahman: Bannock is original, indigenous Canadian cooking. It’s often mixed up with the Scottish Bannock (an unleavened type of bread). But it’s been around Canada since before ‘pre-contact’ as you’d say. To describe it quickly, it’s a type of bread. Flat, much like the Scottish Bannock, that is made out of wheat and shaped into rounds that are either fried or baked.

If you’re looking for something quick and easy to start with, then this is a good one to try. It’s simple enough to prepare, after all. You can keep it easy by topping it with some kind of butter or jam, or you can experiment a little bit by rolling some cheese into the dough before cooking.

4. Tourtière

Bobby Rahman: Tourtière is a French-Canadian meat pie dish that’s a must for the holidays (especially if you live in Quebec). There are many different ways of preparing it. But popular ingredients are pork, beef, veal, potatoes, and, even, game meat! A perfectly filling meal if you’re looking for something for parties, as an example, they’re a hit!

5. Nanaimo Bars

Bobby Rahman: Nanaimo Bars are a favorite confectionary treat here in Canada. It got its name from the city, Nanaimo, British Columbia. Perfect if you’re looking for a treat that keeps well since it can be enjoyed even after frozen.

I recommend it all the time for parents who want to cook with their kids. It’s a no-oven recipe, with the main ingredients being chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, custard powder, and icing.

6. Butter Tarts

Bobby Rahman: Another treat that keeps well is Butter Tarts. It’s a quintessential dessert here in Canada. Picture it as a small, bite-sized pastry filled with a syrup (which is made to be semi-solid) that is made up of butter, sugar, and eggs (although you can always spice it up with a few nuts or dried fruit if you want.) They’ve been around for a while, also a great treat to have around for the holidays — since you can make them ahead of time and freeze them before eating.

7. Saskatoon Berry Pie

Bobby Rahman: If you fancy yourself another type of pie (just to complete the trifecta we’ve ended off here), Saskatoon Berry Pie is one that you might want to try out. The Saskatoon berries themselves may be hard to come by depending on where you live (they’re native to Canada and the US — although they are available in some places in Europe as well), but the unique taste is worth the extra effort of looking around for it.

Lifestyle

Why Toba Ogunremi Believes High-Performing Teams Start with Belonging, Not Pressure

Published

12 hours ago

July 23, 2026

Michelle Langton

Most teams don’t fall apart all at once. It happens slowly, missed conversations, quiet disengagement, people doing what’s required but nothing more.

Toba Ogunremi has spent years working inside care environments where that kind of shift is easy to miss until it starts affecting everything. Leading operations at Samorem Care in the UK, he has seen how systems can appear stable on the surface while teams underneath struggle to stay connected to their work.

One experience early in his career changed how he looks at leadership entirely.

He had taken over a team that wasn’t in crisis, but it wasn’t working well either. The people receiving care were safe, but they weren’t thriving. The same was true for the staff. There was no urgency, no energy, just routine.

The usual solution would have been to tighten control by setting new targets, increasing supervision, and creating performance plans. He didn’t do any of that.

“I started with conversations,” he says. “Real ones. Not rushed, not formal.”

One by one, he spoke to each team member. What came out wasn’t frustration with the job itself, but something quieter and harder to spot.

“They weren’t disengaged because they didn’t care,” he explains. “They were disengaged because they felt unseen.”

No one had asked what they thought. No one had taken the time to understand how they were coping. Over time, that absence had turned into distance. That moment stayed with him. It shaped how he leads today.

His approach is simple, but not always easy to apply: people perform better when they feel they belong.

He believes high performance usually comes when people feel like they genuinely belong and know that what they do actually matters.

In healthcare, where pressure is constant and expectations are high, this idea can sound secondary. The focus is often on outcomes, compliance, and efficiency. Toba doesn’t dismiss those things, but he questions what happens when they become the only focus.

Even when all the processes are in place, if the people delivering the care feel disconnected, it eventually reflects in the quality of the work.

At Samorem Care, this thinking shows up in small but consistent ways. Recruitment is not just about experience. It’s about how someone responds to people, how they handle pressure, and how they communicate. Once they are in, the focus shifts to keeping teams stable and supported, rather than constantly rotating staff or reacting only when something goes wrong. He also pays attention to how leaders show up day to day.

According to him, leadership is not just about giving direction; it’s about being present enough to understand what your team actually needs.

That presence matters more in care than in most industries. The work is demanding, often emotional, and not always recognised for what it takes. When teams feel stretched or overlooked, it affects how they interact with the people they support.

For Toba, resilience is less about constant pressure and more about creating a work environment where people can do their jobs well without burning out. In his view, strong teams are not just coping; they are supported enough to stay clear-headed and consistent in their work.

His background outside healthcare still shapes how he leads. Having worked in sales and communications, he understands how important it is to read people and build trust. In healthcare, though, the impact is far more direct, as decisions affect someone’s everyday life, not just an outcome on paper.

That shift makes leadership more personal. Teams need more than instructions; they need stability, clarity, and a sense that they are understood. What defines Toba Ogunremi’s approach is its simplicity. He focuses on being consistent, listening carefully, and addressing issues early rather than reacting late.

In the end, his belief is straightforward: teams perform better not because they are pushed harder, but because they feel valued and part of something that works.