Lifestyle

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

Published

4 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

Derik Fay: The Quiet Architect of Impact-First Entrepreneurship

Published

1 week ago

May 8, 2025

Michelle Langton

In an era where noise often overshadows results, Derik Fay is quietly shaping a different kind of legacy — one built not on showmanship, but on undeniable substance. For more than two decades, Fay has engineered the rise of over 30 companies across industries as diverse as real estate, technology, healthcare, and entertainment. Yet his name rarely leads headlines — not because he hasn’t earned it, but because he never needed it to validate his success.

Growing up in Rhode Island, Fay learned early that the world rarely hands out opportunity; it must be seized, created, and multiplied. While many of his peers pursued traditional paths, he took a risk that would define the rest of his life: at just 22, he founded 3F Management, a venture firm with an entirely different mission — to build companies that would outlast trends, outperform markets, and, most importantly, out-impact their competition.

Instead of obsessing over short-term wins, Fay approached entrepreneurship like a craftsman. Much like Henry Ford, who famously said, “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business,” Fay built companies that weren’t just profitable — they were purposeful. Every venture was designed to create real, sustainable value, both for shareholders and for the communities they served.

Through his relentless focus on structure and leadership, Fay’s ecosystem of businesses now touches thousands of lives daily — from employees finding new opportunities to entrepreneurs gaining the mentorship they never had before. But unlike typical moguls who boast about headcounts, Fay views every job created as a ripple in a larger mission: empowering individuals to write better futures for themselves.

Where others have scaled fast and crashed harder, Fay’s model thrives on foundations few are patient enough to build anymore. His method is slower, smarter, and almost surgical: find what others overlook, fix what others fear, and grow what others abandoned too early. It’s this principle that led him to not just build companies — but to resurrect them, reimagine them, and sometimes even walk away if the mission no longer aligned with the impact he envisioned.

Fay’s philosophy extends far beyond boardrooms. Philanthropy isn’t a checkbox at the end of his success story — it’s embedded into the way he scales. His ventures are built with giving back written into their DNA, from local community initiatives to broader mentorship platforms that help emerging entrepreneurs get their first real shot at success. His life’s work is proof that wealth and generosity are not mutually exclusive — they are, in fact, essential partners.

Today, while newer generations of entrepreneurs hustle for likes and magazine covers, Fay’s name is whispered in rooms where real power moves. His reputation — built quietly but relentlessly — is that of a man who delivers, builds, and elevates without the need for public validation.

In a business world increasingly built on spectacle, Derik Fay reminds us that the most lasting legacies are forged not in the glare of the spotlight, but in the thousands of lives changed quietly along the way.

For more insights into Derik Fay’s ventures and philanthropic efforts, visit www.derikfay.com and follow him on Instagram @derikfay