I met Jade Berg while dropping baskets of calamari into fryers and plating prime rib dinners at the Ravenous Raven Restaurant on Texada Island.
The restaurant no longer sits in that idyllic spot on the Pacific Ocean’s edge in Gillies Bay, however, even at the time, it was obvious there were much larger places where the chef would share his authentic, altruistically motivated passion for all things culinary. Values and motivations which, I believe, have become less common these days.
When I worked with Berg I still had the “pepper” part of my salt and pepper coloured hair. So, it seems, a few years have quickly skirted by since I chopped and diced to prepare for a dinner service. Berg would preach with passion, to anyone within hearing range, his original ideas on how food must enliven our bodies. He said it must be sustainable environmentally all while having the potential to elate our spirits to a higher place through a complete sensory experience.
It was like having Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid playing in your hockey beer league. He wasn’t in his right place, still, it was fascinating and I watched closely. Although his skills and instincts were awe-inspiring, I knew he was heading to much larger audiences in a not too far off future.
I recall Berg responding to my call for help bucking and chopping firewood. He pointed out potential edible plants and mushrooms between the swings of the axe and buzzing of my chainsaw. I wanted dry firewood and a warm home, however, I also generously received a useful lesson on wildcrafting and the immeasurable value of my immediate environment.
You can see why I was not surprised to hear Berg will be a cast member in the upcoming Hulu-produced television series Chefs vs Wild. The premise of the show, which will be aired on Disney+ starting October 26, has a fine-dining chef paired with a survivalist and dropped somewhere in the coastal woods. Berg and other competitors have four days to wildcraft ingredients for a five-star meal after surviving on their own.
When I bumped into Berg recently on Marine Avenue, small talk grew into the ideas for this article within the time it takes for me to drink one coffee.
Berg is proud of his Texada and qathet region experiences.
“This is the place where I first connected and combined my new awareness around sourcing ingredients locally and environmental sustainability with culinary styles,” he told me.
Berg said he wants to return the favour this place has given him by providing culinary cooking lessons using local wildcrafted ingredients. He also does chef services for hire privately. The details around that venture will be coming soon, I believe.
Berg stumbled upon the love of his life while in our beautiful area and now has two young sons to pass on the knowledge of culinary arts at a high level. More importantly, the values and beliefs of how in the oceans, forests and our backyards, there are plenty of resources for our families and communities to be self-sufficient, especially at a time in which that seems particularly uncertain.
“We just need awareness and knowledge to get a little closer to food security and environmental sustainability in our area,” he said..
I will be clutching my bowl of popcorn and watching Chefs vs Wild on Disney+ on October 26, and loudly cheering for the home team, or home chef, in this case.
Robert Skender is a qathet-based freelance writer and health commentator, and regular contributor to the Peak.
