Screaming Avocado

Nunavut Once, Nunavut Twice

2011-11-18T19:13:00.000-08:00

Our incredible journey to Nunavut last year was captured by non other than the Screaming Avocado's good friend Steve Stacey on his The Local Come Lately blog site. This account of the experience was followed up in Canadian Living's November 2011 Issue written by Steve. Check out some of the images and story at Canadian Living Photos

We loved the experience in Nunavut so much, we had to make the journey one more time. With some special luck our application to YMCA Youth Exchanges Canada for another exchange was accepted and in April we'll be heading to Cape Dorset, Nunavut with a new group of students. Very exciting stuff! On the flip side our new friends will head south in May to experience life in and around Stratford. Of course the focus of the trip will be on culture, food and nutrition.

Cuba - Culture and Food

2011-11-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

A long absence from our first post of the year. We've been busy with the operation of the Screaming Avocado, which to our surprise is in it's eighth year. How many incredible meals have the the students prepared and served to their peers.

The end of October the Screaming Gang headed to Cuba for a week of Cuban culture. Of course we brought along Stratford's official blogger and our good friend Steve Stacey to chronicle the experience.

Check out Steve's blog on our trip to Cuba

We're Back!

2011-09-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

School has begun, the gardens are being harvested and weeded, the kitchen in buzzing with the preparation of incredible meals and new adventures are already in the works. This weekend will see the return of the incredible culinary festival Savour Stratford. The Screaming Gang of students will be involved in many aspects including the opening ceremonies, tasting tent, BBQ and helping Food Network Host Chuck Hughes.

At the end of October we make the trek to Cuba to explore the culture and cuisine. From farm, to schools, to markets and homes we'll make the best of our seven days in the land of incredible people and geography. The Screaming Gang has worked hard over the past few months to make this trip a reality and have become a real family in the process.

We have many more plans for the coming year to hopefully meet if not top last year. It'll be tough though as last year saw us visit Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, NYC and James Beard House, Toronto and having David Suzuki and the Governor General David Johnston come to our school as our guests. Of course there was the small group that got to go to Rideau Hall in Ottawa and cook for and meet Prince William and Kate Cooking for the Royals - a real experience of a lifetime.

The Screaming Avocados

Cooking for the Royals!

2011-07-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Sceaming Avocados from Stratford Northwestern and the Twisted Carrots from Mitchell District High School have retruned from a once in a lifetime culinary adventure to Ottawa. Joining other youth from across the country the students were mentored by the Governor General David Johnston's chef, Louis Charest and the other incredible chefs at Rideau Hall. Using products sourced by master forgager Steve Cooper from across the great Canadian North and other ingredients from across Canada the kids were afforded a kitchen experience they'll carry for a lifetime.

The audience of course couldn't be topped. William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had just arrived in Canada and began their journey with a celebration of youth hosted by Governor General David Johnston and Her Excellency Sharon Johnston.

The students were incredible in the kitchen and represented their schools, communities and Canada with maturity and professionalism. To top off the experience they all had a chance to have an official portrait taken with the dignitaries and were able to chat with them about the ingredients, recipes and life. William wanted some tips on how to cook a steak for Kate!

Incredible students and experience! Please check out the links below.

Screaming Avocados, Rideau Hall and the Royal Tour

2011-06-28T04:16:00.000-07:00

"Six students from two Avon Maitland Schools have been selected to be part of a very special group of young Canadians. They will be heading to Ottawa next week for the historic Royal Visit by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Canada at Rideau Hall. On Thursday, June 30, 2011 four students from Stratford Northwestern Secondary School and two from Mitchell District High School will be among just 22 young culinary professionals and students from across the country. This special group of students will be mentored by Rideau Hall chefs and will assist the Governor General's culinary team with preparations and service for an evening celebration with their Royal Highnesses. The visit by the newlywed Prince William and Kate Middleton to Canada is their first official tour abroad."

Check out the links below for more information on the experience.

The Star - Cooking for Will and Kate: Just add teens and stir

Jamieoliver.com - Screaming Avocado Has Been Making Headlines

Avon Maitland Students to be Part of Historic Royal Visit

Governor General visits the Screaming Avocado

2011-06-04T04:51:00.000-07:00

Their Excellencies Governor General David Johnston and Mrs. Sharon Johnston visited the Screaming Avocado on May 30th for an afternoon of conversation, food and cooking instruction with the culinary students of Stratford Northwestern Secondary School. The day couldn't have been anymore perfect.

Please check out the details to their visit to the Screaming Avocado on the following links:

Lunching wih the GG and Students Cook with Viceroy

The Screaming Avocados

North South Canadian Forage - James Beard House, NYC

2011-05-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

May 14th, 2011

What an amazing experience! Everyone came together to prepare a meal on May 14th, the likes of which has never been prepared at James Beard House. We'll leave Twyla's blog to tell the story of the event - Arctic Forage Dinner at James Beard House, NYC Below is a comment from one of the guests at the dinner as a tantalizer to the full story.

"My wife and I were one of the incredibly fortunate people to have dined at The Beard House for the Arctic Dinner and if I may say it was so stupendously amazing. We were very lucky to have been able to sample all of the extremely rare foods that were brought to us as a gift. And the food itself tasted and was presented in a 4 star fashion. Each plate was a mini-masterpiece of numerous different bites. It could have easily been presented like a 30 course meal but that would have been a too arrogant approach for these folks. Simply put I was blown away and quite honestly still am."

Jock Ellery Grundy
International Culinary Center/The French Culinary Institute/The Italian Culinary Academy.

Thank-you to all who participated in, shared and supported our opportunity to showcase Arctic and Ontario products at the culinary shrine also known as James Beard House.

Come Skype with Me

2011-05-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

The first Come Skype with me session occurred between Chef Michael Smith and the students from South Perth Centennial Elementary School. The kids threw Michael tough questions, which he answered in the enthusiastic way we would expect from Michael. Check out the article in the Stratford Beacon Herald - Come Skype with Me

Slow Food Canadian Youth Terra Madre

2011-05-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

The Slow Food Youth Terra Madre on Tuesday May 24th was a huge success and a wonderful experience for all that attended. Check out Steve's blog "Go For It, Have a Good Time" and the Stratford Beacon Herald article You Are What You Eat . Youth participant Aleksandar Djermanovic summarized his experience at the end of this article posted on Slowfood.com Terra Madre Youth on the Farm

The Screaming Avocados

Japan Earthquake Relief Dinner Update

2011-04-09T04:20:00.000-07:00

The Japan Earthquake Relief Dinner was a Screaming Success. Again we will allow Steve Stacey and his Local Come Lately blog site to give the full story .

Screaming Our Support: Japan Relief Dinner at the Screaming Avocado Café

Thank-you to those who came together from across the community to participate in the evening.

From the preparation and service of the food, to those who filled the seats

and enjoyed the excellent cuisine this was a true example of food as a tool for change.

"I Love New York" Raffle Winners

2011-04-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Raffle Winners

First Prize

Marie Huitema

Second Prize

Katharine Holtforster

Third Prize

Melanie Maar

Fourth Prize

Jo-Dei Burback Tuling

Congratulations to the winners and kudos to everyone who purchased a ticket.

Thank-you to all our the businesses and friends of the Screaming Avocado who donated prizes and their time to make the raffle a reality.

Blyth Education – http://www.blytheducation.com
Green Hair Spa - http://www.thegreenhairspa.com/
Best Health Magazine - http://www.besthealthmag.ca
Newhaven Bed and Breakfast - http://on.fb.me/i86vKu
Steve Stacey - http://local-come-lately.blogspot.com/

Stratford Shakespeare Festival - www.stratfordfestival.ca/
Pazzo Ristorante - www.pazzo.ca/
Bijou Restaurant - www.bijourestaurant.com/
Simple - www.simplefishandchips.ca/

Boomers Gourmet Fries - http://www.boomersgourmetfries.com/

Green Hair Spa - http://www.thegreenhairspa.com/

Pixi Stratford - http://www.pixistratford.com/
Stratford Slow Food Market - http://bit.ly/fWH18P
Carman’s Foto Source - http://www.carmans.com
Beast Restaurant - http://thebeastrestaurant.com/

Milagro Restaurante Mexicano - http://www.milagrorestaurant.com/

Centro Restaurant - http://www.centro.ca/
Bentley’s – http://www.bentleys-annex.com/

Auberge du Pommier - http://www.oliverbonacini.com/Auberge-du-Pommier.aspx

Stratford Shakespeare Festival - www.stratfordfestival.ca/ Plovers - http://www.plovers.ca/

Stratford Flight School - http://stratfordairservicesltd.ca/Home.html
Foster’s Inn, Restaurant and Lounge - http://www.fostersinn.com/

Japan Earthquake Relief Dinner

2011-03-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday March 31st, 2011

Screaming Avocado Cafe

Stratford Northwestern Secondary School

428 Forman Avenue, Stratford ON

SIT DOWN FOUR COURSE MENU

Cured Salmon Roll

with micro greens served with Japanese Tea

Simple Fish & Chips
Tea Leaves

Fresh Ramen Noodle Soup

Pazzo Restaurant

Grilled Beef Yakitori

roasted miso potatoes and baby bok choy

Down the Street Bar and Restaurant

Fromage Blanc Dumpling

with elderberry compote

Bryan Steele

Old Prune Restaurant / Stratford Chef School

Mint Smoothie
Rheo Thompson Candies

Wine generously donated by

$40

with a glass of wine

Seating available between 5:00 and 7:30

Reservations: 519-271-9740 e. 307

avocado@fc.amdsb.ca

No credit cards - cash or cheque only

100% of proceeds to Canadian Red Cross

James Beard House and NYC!

2011-03-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

The Screaming Avocado Gang and friends from Mitchell District High School and a couple of lucky Chef School students from George Brown College will head to New York City on May 10th. While there the first couple of days they'll be touring the city in search of great food - shouldn't be difficult. Then the real work begins. The Canadian gang of young foodies will hook up with high school students from the Food and Finance High School in Manhattan in the preparation of the Canadian Arctic Menu that will be served at James Beard House on May 14th. It's so exciting we need to mention it again - James Beard House on May 14th!

To make this incredible culinary trip a reality, we'll be holding an incredible raffle beginning this week. Check back to "I Love New York" Raffle on the Screaming Avocado Site. We'll keep you updated throughout the trip with many words and photos.

The Screaming Gang

Blyth International Summers Programs

2011-02-25T11:39:00.000-08:00

Each summer, hundreds of students travel to countless countries around the world. From studying French in France, philosophy in Greece, Biology in the Galapagos, Culinary in France and Italy (to name a few) the programs combine education, culture, and fun to produce transformative educational experiences that last a lifetime.

Check out the what's available at Blyth International Summer Programs

If you're in the Stratford area, there will be an information session on Monday March 7th at 7:00 pm in the Screaming Avocado Cafe - see address below.

Stratford Northwestern Secondary School

(follow the signs to the Screaming Avocado)

428 Forman Avenue

Stratford, ON

519-271-9740 e. 307

Slow Food Canadian Youth Terra Madre

2011-02-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

Greetings Canada’s Slow Food Convivia!

The Screaming Avocado Café and Slow Food Perth County are reaching out to encourage Canadian Slow Food convivia to recruit groups of youth participants from their communities to bring to the Slow Food Canadian Youth Terra Madre. This inaugural meeting of young food enthusiasts will be taking place on May 3rd and 4th, 2011. The event will take place at McCully’s Hill Farm (located between St. Mary’s and Stratford, Ontario), and will entail one evening of camping and two days of programming. Groups can attend on individual days. The age range for participation is 14 to 17 years old.

Event programming includes cooking and gardening demonstrations, discussion forums, and taste education workshops. Participants can include school groups and/or community-based youth groups. Total youth participants will be capped at 200.

For more details, printable info & application form please visit Slow Food Canadian Youth Terra Madre Page

David Suzuki to the Screaming Avocado

2011-02-21T06:41:00.000-08:00

On April 12th The Screaming Avocado's along with the the rest of Stratford Northwestern Secondary school will be hosting the incredible David Suzuki as he visits our school for the day. This experience will include students from all schools in our board as David's message should be shared with as many as possible. The itinerary is below. Exciting stuff!

April 11th - courtesy of the National Film Board, elementary students will view David's movie, Force of Nature to ready them for his arrival.

April 12th - selected secondary students from across the Avon Maitland District School Board will meet at Stratford Northwestern to view Force of Nature. David will arrive at 10:15 to field questions post the movie. Barbara Budd (former CBC As it Happens) will introduce David and moderate the question period. Once that chat finishes we'll shift the secondary students out and bring the elementary ones in for another question and answer period targeted to their age group. David will then join a small group of students for a chat session on the environment, personal health and food. We'll of course be feeding him yummy local, seasonal and fair food. Check out the School Board details on the day: David Suzuki visit

The excitement is obviously building in the school as the day approaches! Check out David's energy saving tips in the video below.

The Screaming Avocados

What's New 2 ...........

2011-01-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

The second semester has begun and a new crew of students have made the Screaming Avocado their home for the morning for the next ninety odd days of school. Energy, enthusiasm and a spirit to learn beams from this collective. Can't wait to see what incredible dishes they'll come up with

Come Skype with me

Following on the success of our daily Skype connections to elementary school classes during our trip to Nunavut, we've begun a new initiative called Come Skype with Me. These 'chats' will involve professionals in different fields connecting to classes for a question and answer session using Skype. One minute will be for the host to introduce themselves the other to field questions from the students.
Savvy community members with techno wizard skills have volunteered to help bring this from an idea to a working model.

We've being using the 'six degrees of separation' approach to line up our speakers if you know anyone you think would be of interest to any classroom elementary to secondary and is keen to participate, please let us know and we'll search out a class to host. Our guest speakers to date include:

Chef Michael Smith - Chef at Large, Chef at Home
Evan Solomon - CBC News
Al Rae - Comic, Writer/ Little Mosque on the Prairies, Director CBC Winnipeg Comedy Festival

March 2011

The Screaming Gang is off to Toronto to spend the morning at George Brown College exploring the new kitchen classrooms and checking out the school as a possible home for post secondary studies. Post the tour we'll all be dining at the GB's incredible The Chefs House

April 12, 2011

The Screaming Avocado's will be hosting the incredible David Suzuki as he visits Stratford Northwestern for the day. Not everything is planned as of yet, but thanks to the National Film Board the students will begin the day with a viewing of David's film, Force of Nature. The rest of the day will be fantastic, we know that.

May 14th, 2011

The Screaming Avocado are to to New York City to cook at James Beard House. We'll bringing the incredible Arctic menu that followed our trip to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. While there we'll be connecting with students from the Food and Finance High School in Manhattan. Great food, incredible experience for all students involved. Of course the experience wouldn't be possible without our incredible friends Twyla Campbell http://weirdwildandwonderful.blogspot.com/ ..... Steve Cooper and of course Louis.

May 3-4, 2011

The Screaming Avocado's will host the inaugural Slow Food Canadian Youth Terra Madre. Check out the page for monthly updates. http://screamingavocado.blogspot.com/p/youth-terra-madre.html

June 2011

The Screaming Avocado's will be returning to Ottawa to learn from Chef Louis Charet and his incredible team at Rideau Hall. It was so great last year, we have no choice but to go back.

That's what we have for now, but don't worry we have more to come.

The Screaming Avocados

Slow Food Canadian Youth Terra Madre

2011-01-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

The Screaming Avocado is hosting the inaugural

Slow Food Canadian Youth Terra Madre

May 3-4 / 2011

Check out the

Slow Food Canadian Youth Terra Madre

page on this site for details and the link to the application.

Greenhouse - wee yummy sprouts

2010-12-27T19:04:00.000-08:00

The holiday break from school doesn't slow the growth of the seedlings planted in our Seeds of Change greenhouse. Students Devon, Barry and Lizzie worked hard with Steve Stacey (The Local Come Lately) to clean and organize the greenhouse and plant sixty-four trays prior to the winter break. On one of the days Shawn Hartwell (Simple Fish and Chips ) dropped by to lend a hand. This brought a great connection for the students as Shawn will be using some of the greens in his restaurant. Of the remainder, some will be used in the Screaming Avocado Canteen and others will be sold to those interested in delicious organic greens that support a great cause. Check out the photos Shawn snapped today in the greenhouse - they're growing! This project is made possible through the generous contribution from Libro Financial's Community Builders Grant.

The Screaming Avocados

Devon, Barry and Lizzie

Half the trays

Wee yummy sprouts

Charlie’s Burgers: Arctic Diplomatic Incident Dinner

2010-12-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 19th the Charlies Burgers dinner went down. So much to digest - both literally and figuratively. Three days of prep and an outstanding evening that rocked the house and left the guests wanting more. Chef Louis the Great designed a menu that showcased northern fare and married it with the finest ingredients we could find in the south.

Why would we try to put into words the events of the evening when our friends Twyla Campbell and Steve Stacey have done it so eloquently on their blog sites. Check it out and be amazed at the transformation of the raw ingredients to finished product. Please find below some images on the ingredients in the raw.... then go to Twyla and Steve's blogs.

Twyla's Blog on the Arctic Dinner

Steve's Blog on the Artic Dinner

Check out the article it the Stratford Beacon Herald:

Stratford Beacon Herald - Dinner Comes From the North

The Screaming Avocados

Walrus

Muskox

Foie Gras

Seal

Arctic Char

Whale

Screaming Avocados and Charlies Burgers

2010-12-10T03:18:00.000-08:00

On December 19th the Screaming Avocados will team up with the uber-talented Chef Louis Charest to helping in the preparation of a challenging menu for the guests of Charlies Burgers in Toronto http://www.charliesburgers.ca/. 'Charlie' describes the menu as The Arctic Culinary Diplomatic Incident. We see it as an opportunity for the fledgling avocados to learn from Louis and to connect to incredible ingredients that have fed the Inuit peoples for a thousand years. Since an experience like this needs to be shared, we invited some Stratford Chef School students to help in the prep.

For the foraging of the northern fare we turned to our foodie friends Steve Cooper and Twyla Campbell ( weirdwildandwonderful.blogspot.com/ ). Steve grew up in the north and spends much time up there with work. His connections are far reaching, which allows him to have access to ingredients we've only read about. Thank-you Steve and Twyla.

Everything is in motion for a truly memorable night. We'll be back with details and more photos on December 20th. Check out the menu below and be amazed. For more on Charlies Burgers visit http://www.thestar.com/living/article/610726

The Screaming Avocados

Menu & Wine Pairing
Prosecco Asolo Montello DOCG - Veneto, Italy

Clams and Muskox
Qikitartuaq clams, Mipkuzola fennel fire roasted muskox, narwhal bannock
2008 Chardonnay, Baglio del Sole, Feudi Del Pisciotto, Sicily, Italy

Blubber Pie
Sanikiluak sea urchin, star fish, whipped beluga
2004 Muskat, Josmeyer, Alsace France

Davis Strait Shrimp Bisque
Matsutake mushroom, shrimp ceviche
lemon grass sabayon
2009 Bergerie du Capucin, Pic Saint Loup, Dame Geannie, Languedoc, France

Seal and Walrus Crackling
Sumac grilled rack of seal, star anise walrus crackling, foie gras
candied candy cane beet, mango sambal
1999 Vinsobres, Domaine Chaume Arnaud, Cotes Du Rhone Villages, France

Cape Dorset Kelp Sorbet
ponzu gastric, fresh kelp, kelp chips

Wild Ginger BBQ Duck Flavoured Sea Cucumber and Veal Marrow Pot au Feu
Cambridge Bay Arctic Char Tataki, Batawana Bay Herring Roe
Bok Choy, Root Vegetables, Buckwheat Tempura
2007 Barbera Asti DOC, Scagliola, Piemonte, Italy

Inuksuk
ice wine Akutak profiteroles
blue berry, spun sugar
2000 Ice Wine, Vidal, Pilliteri Canada

Screaming Avocado's on Jamie Oliver Website

2010-12-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

The local food bag fundraiser is on the Jamie Oliver website. Check out the link below:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/news/screaming-avacado-fundraiser

If you're curious check out a past post on the site as well.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/news/screaming-avacado-a-recipe-for-success

The Screaming Avocados

SKYPE Gardens

2010-12-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

The trip to Nunavut offered many great experiences for the students that participated - check out the photos on the Flickr Photostream on the right. We knew this would be the case before we departed, so we were determined to find a way to share it with elementary students who couldn't join us on the trip. To bring them along (without sneaking them into our luggage of course) we proposed a SKYPE broadcast where our students would share their experiences with classes down south. This proved to be an easy sell and soon enough we had eight schools signed up.

Every morning our students rose early, rubbed the sleep from their eyes and readied for an onslaught of questions from excited elementary kids. Many were curious on the food we ate (lots of caribou), what the weather was like (snowy and cold), what the people were like (fantastic and friendly), what the trip was like getting there (long and full of delays) and what sports they play in the north (hockey, soccer, basketball and everything we play in the south plus Arctic Games - more on that later). SKYPE worked incredibly well. The picture and sound was clear and made the elementary kids feel they were in Cambridge Bay.

The added bonus to the broadcasts was when the students from Cambridge Bay joined Stratford Northwestern kids. The students from north brought to the SKYPE experience real knowledge from the north. They spoke of their lives and demonstrated their Arctic Games skills. Thank-you to all the elementary classes, Nunavut and Stratford students who participated in the broadcasts.

After such a successful SKYPE experience, we didn’t want to leave Nunavut without setting up further. Since we’re all about food, we decided to marry the two. Beginning in the New Year we’ll have SKYPE Gardens running. Two classes, one south and one north will have windowsill vegetable gardens that will be their link. They will share the experience, stories and recipes all the while developing friendships from afar. The northern schools will have some help from a grow light.

We have a couple of schools ready to go. If anyone else is interested please let us know. We’ll help fund the project and organize twins.

The Screaming Avocados

Local Food Bags

2010-12-04T04:31:00.000-08:00

We hate the idea of elementary students being sent through neighbourhoods selling chocolates door to door to fund school projects. It really isn't modeling good eating habits. To counter this, the Screaming Avocados teamed up with local farmers, producers and Slow Food Perth County to provide a healthy alternative that would benefit our community as a whole.

The local bags contained fresh produce, cheese, eggs and yogurt. Our farmer friend Laurie Neubrand went to auction and bought all the produce needed at market value. Greg Hanlon from Saputo helped with the cheese and Merrick Burr of Festival City Dairy with the eggs and cream. Without these incredible people the idea wouldn't have got off the ground.

The Bedford Public School students eagerly sold them and with the help of Brian Shypula of the Beacon Herald and Eddie Matthews at CJCS Radio the word got out to the community at large. In one short week 318 bags were sold to the Stratford community - fantastic for a first run! For every ten bags sold, one was donated to the House of Blessing Food Bank which resulted in hundreds of pound of fresh food to accompany the successful city wide food drive the night before. All proceeds from the sale of the local bags are being used to feed hungry kids at Bedford Public School.

The idea worked and plans are in place to open it to more schools early next fall. Thank-you to everyone who made it a great success. Please see the links to the articles below. If you live in a different community and want support on how you can run of these in your school community please contact us.

The Screaming Avocados

Stratford Beacon Herald - Local produce a winning idea
http://stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2872917

Stratford Beacon Herald - Food baskets sold by school
http://stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2858342

Our Nunavut friends have gone home

2010-12-04T04:02:00.000-08:00

The trip to the north is over and I can't believe it's been so long since we've posted. The Nunuavut students visited, shared and experienced. Their days were full of southern adventure and things they wanted to do and visit. From seeing a cow milking operation, the smell of a pork producer, Niagara Falls, Toronto and hanging with students at Stratford Northwestern they actively participated with enthusiasm.

Their trip home made our missed flights silly to complain about. While they were able to get out of Stratford, Toronto an Edmonton on time, they were left waiting in Yellowknife for three extra nights due to a blizzard in Cambridge Bay. The finally did get home on three different flights and without their luggage! It arrived later in the week.

We miss our friends from the north and all plan on seeing them again. Another trip to Cambridge Bay you ask? Already planning it for future students. Please click on article links below.

The Screaming Avocados

Stratford Beacon Herald - Trip to Far North opens eyes
http://stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2834966

Stratford Beacon Herald - Northwestern exposure
http://stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2806849

Stratford Beacon Herald - Nunavut students head south
http://stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2856784

Stratford Beacon Herald - Cultural exchange provides unique learning experience
http://stratfordbeaconherald.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2812622

It's a Weird, Wild and Wonderful Life Blog - Twyla Campbell
http://weirdwildandwonderful.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-11-02T10%3A19%3A00-06%3A00&max-results=7

The Local-Come-Lately Blog - Steve Stacey
http://local-come-lately.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-11-24T14%3A37%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=1

Screaming Avocado Offical Website

2010-12-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome

The screaming avocado has an offical website http://screamingavocado.webs.com/ .
It has:

Upcoming dinners
Pictures
An understanding on what we do
Contact information for Caterings
Speaking Inquiries
Farm and Garden Project

If there is anything you are wondering about feel free to use the contact form to get in touch with us directly.

We're Home!

2010-11-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

We're finally home! It was a long journey over many days and an exhausting end to a fantastic experience. Our first attempt at departing resulted in our transport flying over the airport and turning south due to heavy fog. Our new friends and community elders made their way to the see us off. Love this parka made with wolverine on the collar.

We headed back to the school for another night on the floor, but on the plus side an extra night with our great hosts.

With the tickets rescheduled and an ideal plan in place to get us home the same day, we awoke and headed to the airport with high hopes. Everything was looking good when the plane arrived early and the ground crew started to unload the cargo. Large containers called 'igloos' with a new load of groceries for the Northern Store were the first to come off and were easily removed. Next up was a Dodge Dakota pick-up that didn't make it on the last barge in before the ice formed. This process took three hours and left us late for our connector to Toronto and having to spend a night in Edmonton. But, how many times will we see a truck being removed from a plane? While others were probably annoyed, some of us thought it was worth the wait.... a truck on a plane, pretty darn cool!

An early morning wake in Edmonton and a quick flight home found us in Toronto for the last leg of our journey back to Stratford. Thumbs up Jamie. Fitting with our travel mishaps the bus wasn't scheduled to pick us up, leaving us to 'enjoy' a couple of hours in Pearson Terminal One.

We're now back from our journey to the great Canadian North and readying for the arrival of our new friends from Cambridge Bay. We've given the students the weekend to take in the magnitude of what they've experienced. Next week they'll share these thoughts on the blog.

Thanks for following. The Screaming Gang.

One Last Feast!

2010-10-31T00:54:00.000-07:00

Today was our last full day in our Northern home. We started things out with a big breakfast at the only restaurant in Cambridge Bay. Then we returned to the school where a local craftsman taught everyone how to carve their own miniature "inukshuks" (Inuit stone people statues) out of caribou antlers.

Our lessons in Nunavut culture continued as we went over to the school's awesome Heritage Centre, where one of the Elders demonstrated a traditional igloo stove that used seal blubber as fuel for heat, cooking and light.

The Elder also let a couple of members of our crew model some authentic caribou fur clothing and accessories!

After spending the morning learning about the heritage of this amazing place, it was time to prepare the community feast!

The Elders brought over all of the caribou meat we harvested yesterday, and we also pulled out all of the Arctic char 'piffy' that we'd put out to dry two days ago.

The Screaming Avocado gang did what they do best and cooked up an unbelievable feast with the Cambridge Bay students and the Elders.

Everyone in the community was invited, and the turn-out was incredible!

Elders, lots of cute kids, and everyone else in town came to the gym and shared all the food that we'd prepared for them.

In the evening, we were treated with a demonstration of the amazing Inuit music called "Throat Singing". Three talented young women put on a great show just for us:

Jenna and Siobhan tried some throat singing of their own after a little coaching from the experts!

Everyone will be sad to leave this magical place tomorrow and say good bye to our all our new friends....

Catching Caribou

2010-10-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

In Nunavut, when you go "out on the land" and successfully harvest a caribou, it is known as "catching" a caribou. Today, we once again joined our friends the Elders of Cambridge Bay and the students of Kiilinik High School and caught three caribou with them!

The waters of the Northwest Passage are finally starting to freeze up (it was a bitterly cold day today with a wicked wind), so the caribou herds are gathering and anxiously awaiting their opportunity to leave the island. We came across a herd of twenty and the hunt was on! While the Elders were taking aim with their rifles, Gerry was taking aim with his camera (he shot the pics above and below).

The Elders selected several females to harvest, and we all watched in awe as they shot them, tracked them, then cleaned and dressed them on the snow. Then we loaded everything into the qamutiks and brought the meat and skins back to town, where it will be used in the traditional feast that we will be helping the Elders prepare tomorrow!

But tonight it was the Screaming Avocado gang's turn to make a special dinner for the community in cooperation with their new-found friends on the exchange. The people of Cambridge Bay were invited to attend a dinner we all made together using some local Arctic Char and some beautiful Ontario pork!

The fundraiser for the Stratford end of the exchange was a massive success! After dinner, there was a huge Halloween party at the school that was attended by all sorts of costumed local kids, as well as the Screaming Gang and their exchange buddies. What a great night for everyone!

Kickin' It With Some Arctic Sports

2010-10-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

Our third day in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut began with another amazing learning experience with the community Elders. Piffy (pronounced more like "Biffy") is dried arctic char. We all gathered in the school gym where there were some beautiful bright pink char waiting for us.

The Elder women showed all the students how to use a traditional crescent-shaped knife called an 'Ulu' to scale and fillet the gorgeous fish.

Then they were scored and laid out on a wooden rack for drying - the Piffy will be dried in time for our final feast with the Elders on Saturday!

A short time later it was off to one of the only processing plants in Canada that packages muskox meat and Arctic char for commercial sale.

The muskox season isn't until February, but there was lots of Arctic char for us to see as they were being smoked and packaged.

The plant has strict rules of hygiene, so we all had to sport some stylish hairnets and white coats... even Fink!

Next, the students all went to the Cambridge Bay Visitors Centre to check out some local cultural and natural artifacts.

Overcome with love for the North, Barry gave a big bear hug to a massive stuffed polar bear.

After a great dinner, some of the Kiilinik High School students gave us a demo of Arctic Sports. These are definitely some of the strangest contests known to humans, with games like the "Knuckle Hop", "Mouth Pull", "Muskox Fight", and "Finger Pull."

Everyone was really impressed at the athleticism of the high school Arctic sports players. But we were all definitely most impressed by one of our own: Devon tried a couple of the sports and did really well, but when he stepped up to try the "One Foot High Kick" he ended up kicking a hanging target 7'3" above the ground - higher than any of the other competitors!

Out On The Land!

2010-10-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

Our day started with a Skype session where some of the people from our group and some of the students and teachers from Kiilinik High School talked with an elementary class from Seaforth about our experience so far. Then we were invited to a surprise assembly, where the entire school turned out to officially welcome us to their community!

Then we truly began our adventures in the Arctic Circle by hopping into a whole bunch of 'qamutiks' (which are basically big sleds that are pulled behind powerful snowmobiles) and heading "out on the land" to see the migration of the Caribou!

We were extremely fortunate to have the Elders of Cambridge Bay as our guides for the day. We saw dozens of caribou waiting for the sea ice to freeze on the Northwest Passage of the Arctic Ocean. When the ice freezes they will cross from where we are on Victoria Island to the mainland, where they will graze until they return here for spring.

For many thousands of years, the Inuit of Cambridge Bay have hunted the caribou during this stage in their migration. They have always depended on the caribou to survive, using them for their meat, skins and their antlers.

When we returned to camp, the Elders had prepared a feast!

We ate caribou stew and bannock, their traditional bread!

We returned to town, where we enjoyed an evening of traditional drum dancing and throat singing.

Check out the video of the drum dancing... with two special guests from our group trying to keep up! (Hint: they're the guys not wearing awesome traditional costumes):

We finally made it!

2010-10-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

So after six flights and what seemed like infinite delays waiting for the weather to clear enough for us to land in Cambridge Bay, we finally made it!


Cambridge Bay Airport with our new friends

We were greeted by a welcoming party of students & teachers from Kiilinik High School, and we all posed for a picture together in front of the airport's stuffed muskox.

We were told that kissing the muskox brings good luck, so Fink puckered up!

We'll all be staying at the high school until Sunday: when we got there we were made to feel right at home!

The Stratford and Cambridge Bay students got to know each other.

After some yummy chili the whole gang hung out and shot some hoops and played some floor hockey.

We're all looking forward to tomorrow when we get to see Nunavut in daylight and head out 'on the land' in snowmobile trailers called 'qamutiks'.

We're here! Not quite!

2010-10-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

The trip from Toronto was a breeze. While seven the students had never been on a plane before, they survived their first flight and earned their wings. We departed quick from the airport for Steve and Twyla's for an incredible northern bounty meal that included Muskox sous vide and carpaccio, cedar plank Arctic Char and much more. While most showed an adventurous spirit we had a couple who wouldn't step up for even morsel. Guess they'll go hungry in Cambridge Bay.

Our gracious hosts also had an amazing collection of Inuit and Native art and natural artifacts!


Our Northern Feast - Thanks to Steve, Twyla & Family!


	Kirsten Trying on a Pair of Inuit Snow Goggles

Barry Wielding a Narwhal Tusk

Today we rose early for the flight to Yellowknife and then a quick hop to Cam Bay - that was the plan. When we checked in we were informed of the low ceiling and fog, but not to worry as it should burn off. Five flights later and seven hours in the air we returned to Yellowknife for the night due to bad weather. We were only fifty feet from the runway in Cambridge Bay when the pilot pulled us up and turned the plane around. Tomorrow we rise and try it again.

Shayne, Jamie, Barry & Jordan at Yellowknife Airport

The Gang Getting on the Dash-8 to... nowhere

The kids are good for the most part. Some grumpiness from exhaustion (the teachers as well), but ready to take a stab at it again and excited to meet their twin in Cambridge Bay.

Best, the Screaming Avocados

Three Days!

2010-10-21T03:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, just three more days till departure. Everyone is scrambling to ready for the big trip north to 'inside the Arctic Circle' - this sounds cool. It would be much easier if we were leaving a snowy environment, but the quick transition to the middle of a 'southern winter' is leading to some minor confusion. We in the south of Canada like to forget about the reality of winter until it is nipping at our nose. The snow is falling in Cambridge Bay daily, the wind is blowing and the locals are wearing their parkas. Time to put some serious thought to packing the correct clothing!

We're all excited and a bit nervous. For many it's their first flight and by the end they'll have completed six! In order to get to Cambridge Bay we need to overnight in Edmonton and then fly to Yellowknife, NWT and then to Cambridge Bay. A trip like this is a big undertaking for those who are use to the comforts of home. It's also a great opportunity to learn and grow. We believe it will be a trip of a lifetime that will impact all of our lives in positive way for years to come.

For those joining the trip in a virtual way, please stay tuned. If you want share the weather with us, please read our blogs while sitting in a freezer!

Keep you posted. Please send questions and comments.

The Screaming Avocado's

Cambridge Bay, Nunavut: The Experience

2010-10-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

The Screaming Avocado Gang of Stratford Northwestern Secondary School are heading north to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut on October 24th, 2010 through the YMCA Youth Exchanges Canada Program. This will be the first part of an exchange with the students from Kiilinik High School. They'll make the long journey to visit us on November 15th to experience the beauty of the south.

We'll explore Canada's great north and it's outstanding culture, food and geography. Please share in the experience through our daily blogs, photographs and videos.

The Screaming Avocados