The Bannock House opened its doors just a few months ago, but the restaurant is already helping to support the All RISE Project, an organization that delivers community support services centred around traditional Indigenous values.
Employees at the restaurant are mainly youth looking to boost their resumes.
For David Blondeau, working as a prep cook makes him feel proud. It’s the 17-year-old’s first job after looking for work for months.
“I got one interview before, and they never called me back after the interview. This [job at Bannock House] just changed my life, because I am able to support myself,” Blondeau said.
Blondeau was hired through the project’s “Rise ‘n’ Shine” employment initiative.
“Our clients are mainly youth who want to find work placements — we wanted to be able to offer work placements in a supportive environment,” All RISE Executive Director Pam Raymond said.
“For those individuals who decided they really wanted a career in service, this is a great opportunity to get some experience.”
The Bannock House focuses on different dishes made with bannock, a traditional flatbread.
“We do bannock everything,” Raymond said. “We have ‘Indian tacos,’ we do bannock pizza, we have bannock dogs… We also have lots of dessert bannock, which is amazing and very addictive.”
Blondeau he plans to work hard at perfecting his culinary expertise, hoping to stretch out to different restaurant kitchens in the future.
“I want to see where I can take my cooking skills, because I have been interested in cooking from a young age,” he said. “I want to see what I can — or can’t — cook.”
The Bannock House is open 11 a.m to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday.
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