English chef considers Saskatoon Berry as permanent menu item

A Saskatoon group promoting local business and products overseas is hoping the Saskatoon Berry will one day be part of the culinary creations of a top English chef.

Alex Fallon, president & CEO of the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Agency (SREDA) is in London, England this week for a trade mission.

Fallon recently approached the head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s Union Street Cafe about serving the Prairie fruit in his restaurant. Fallon said it was a creative approach to help raise the profile of the berry. After some initial tasting, chef Davide Degiovanni agreed, and on Wednesday night prepared a special dish for Fallon and his party.

“The main course dish I had was some beef and vegetables with Saskatoon Berries used as a sauce for the meat. For desert we had a lemon tart pudding with Saskatoon Berries on the side.”

“It was the first time he had tasted Saskatoon berries, first time he was aware of them, and first time he had used them,” said Fallon.

Fallon said chef Degiovanni was impressed with the taste of the berries and so they stocked his kitchen with Saskatoon Berry jam should he choose to cook with it again.

Ultimately, Fallon said they would like to see the fruit become a permanent fixture on the menu at the restaurant.

 “Our intent at this stage was to market and promote Saskatoon Berries. Get the chefs to know about it and use it. We’ll see where it goes from here,” he said.

“To have it on one of the dishes in the restaurant, is a huge win for us.”

Fallon said marketing the Saskatoon Berry is part of their wider trip to the U.K. where he is meeting with different sectors to promote the Saskatoon region.