Cabin Radio to broadcast Great Bannock Bake-Off

Cabin Radio will broadcast the grand finale of a Yellowknife Catholic Schools competition to find the most inventive, easy and tasty bannock recipe.

The contest – titled Do You Dǫ Łèt’è? – will be run across the district’s schools, with entries accepted until February 3. The final will be filmed in the week beginning February 13.

Students of any age can enter.

The recipe can involve ingredients baked into the bannock or added afterward. It needs to be your own recipe or a recipe shared with permission by a family member or friend. (Published recipes that are under copyright can’t be submitted.)

Full contest details are on Yellowknife Catholic Schools’ website. You can also view an example recipe from Verna Crapeau, who will help to administer the contest. Students don’t need to include a full bannock recipe of their own – Verna’s will be used if they don’t – but do need to list the extra ingredients, the quantities required, and any other directions.

Recipes will be “judged by a panel of bannock experts and enthusiasts,” a webpage for the contest states, rewarding bannock that boasts exceptional ingredient pairings, creativity, and ease of preparation.

“I really wanted a fun activity that would get all of our students engaged in some kind of cultural connection,” said Sonja Hunt, Yellowknife Catholic Schools’ Indigenous languages education coordinator.

“We all love bannock, so that was a great place to start. And it’s about giving credit to who may have helped you. We’d like there to be some kind of personal connection, like grandma or grandpa teaching you a recipe.

“I’m eager to hopefully hear those stories and have families involved with making these recipes.”

Hunt hopes the next month’s bannock contest can inspire more events in future. She said a clothing design contest, for example, could be held using similar rules.

“We’re excited to have Verna come and share her knowledge and some of her recipes. We’re hoping everybody can learn from each other,” said Hunt.

“We could have a winner in JK and we could have a Grade 12 winner, so it’ll be quite interesting. I’m excited for all of us to work together.”