The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Canned ham, canned corn, canned pasta sauce, canned fruit, canned beans and water were some of the main ingredients left to six teams who participated in the Red Cross Disaster Relief Cooking 101 challenge. Set up outside of Walmart last Thursday, six teams took essential items from a disaster relief package to create the best meal they could. Not only were they limited to canned food, pasta, rice and water, the teams were required to cook everything on a camp stove with one pan and one pot. Adding to the challenge, teams were judged on their presentation, creativity and overall taste of their food. The six teams, mainly from Flin Flon, were required to cook a meal, dessert and create a beverage with the items supplied. Along with the food items in the box provided, teams shared community items like spices, sugar, coffee, iced tea powder and can openers. Participants had 10 minutes to look over their food and create a game plan. Then they had 45 minutes to prepare the best meal they could. Cherlyn Cain, with the Red Cross, said the cook-off was a great way to bring awareness to the importance of being prepared for a disaster. "Definitely people need to be aware of the 72-hour preparedness," said Cain. "We want them to be prepared for disaster." Cain said it's important to have a box stored at all times with items such as water and canned food. The cook-off was a fun way to get the message out, she said. "This was the first time I've done (the challenge), but I was very pleased with how it went," she said. Once teams were finished cooking their meals, the food was brought into the store for judges to critique. Two judges from Flin Flon and two from The Pas ruled that the Walmart We Burn Its were the top pick for the day. Coming in second place were Tina Ross and Colleen Watt of the Red Cross while Mark Frances, EMO for the North, and Debbie Lane, Emergency Social Services for Flin Flon and The Pas, took third. Other teams competing were The Reminder's I Wouldn't Eat That, CFAR 590's Radio Active, the Flin Flon RCMP's Jordan and Cole Show, Team Buffalo and Camp Cookee from the Red Cross. Aside from Flin Flon, the cook-off challenge also took place in Brandon. Only a few locations have completed the challenge, but Cain says it has also been done in Atlantic Canada.
