ESTEVAN — Laurie Wall’s culinary skills, her commitment to local vendors and her passion for her new business have earned her a place on a well-known Saskatchewan television food show.
Wall and the Old Stone Inn bed and breakfast will be showcased during the upcoming season of the Flat Out Food series on CityTV. Flat Out Food host Jenn Sharp and a camera and production crew were at the Old Stone Inn from Sept. 9-11 to film her appearance.
Wall traced this opportunity to be on Flat Out Food to a few years ago, when Sharp asked Wall to be involved with her book Flat Out Delicious, back when Wall had a business, Wallnuts Expressive Catering in Regina.
“After that, the series started, and we’ve been in touch through the years,” Wall said in an interview with SaskToday. "Then she started following me on Facebook and heard how I was supporting local farmers and producers and makers in this region, and she just became interested in what I was doing … and brought the crew down.”
The Old Stone Inn opened earlier this year. As a bed and breakfast, it has three rooms available for rent, but the building has also been used for community events, social gatherings, weddings and more.
The stone building is one of the oldest structures in Estevan. It was constructed in the early 20th century and has served as the site for churches and businesses.
Sharp and a crew of about 10 people arrived in Estevan Sept. 9. Wall said they took over the inn and the area around it, and she marvelled at the production on and off the set. The episode was filmed the following day and they left Estevan Sept. 11.
The three rooms were booked at the inn, and crew members also stayed at a local hotel.
“What an absolutely amazing group of people they have who work on the production, so supportive and lovely. I was really pleased to be a part of it,” said Wall.
The crew was really patient and knowledgeable, and Wall said it shows in the level of production she has seen in the episodes.
“You’d swear you’re watching a Hollywood, big-budget film when you see those episodes, and they do an absolutely fabulous job of what they’re doing. I can see why it’s in a sixth season and why it’s continued to be successful, and it really is promoting Saskatchewan,” said Wall.
Each episode features a different ingredient that is commonly grown around the province; the item for Wall’s episode is sage. All of the foods she served to the crew for a meal Sept. 10 contained the herb, including the dessert and the tea.
She prepared a pork belly, which she thought went well with sage, saying some things naturally work well together. Lamb also had orange zest with sage. Apples and pears were part of the meal, and the cake for dessert had lemon and sage.
An Aboriginal elder and his two sons came to Estevan that day to talk about the importance of sage in ceremonies and how it’s used in their culture for the episode. Wall said the episode will also feature a woman who is growing sage as part of her line of herb products.
“There is usually a cultural significance in the episode,” said Wall. “There is the grower or producer, and then there a chef that brings it all together and creates a nice table dinner using the ingredient as well. My part was that.
“But I did feel that they did really want to learn about what I’m doing here in Estevan, about how I’m trying to bring attention and awareness to this neck of the woods, so they allowed me to talk about that, they allowed me to talk about the different producers and growers in this area, and then to showcase what they’re doing.”
The people involved with Flat Out Food really supported the community, she said. They went to a few different restaurants in the area and spent money elsewhere in the city. Wall has created a tour of the Estevan area for her guests and she took Sharp on the tour, including the land Wall’s mother owns in the Souris River Valley outside of Estevan.
Wall has tried to showcase local food since the inn opened. One of the things that she believes attracted Sharp’s attention was the producers’ dinner that Wall had at the end of August, in which Wall invited 15 people for a free meal. Each guest had to bring an ingredient.
“Then I fabricated a beautiful six or seven-course dinner and invited them just to come and celebrate what they’re doing here in the community. I was able to meet a lot of really lovely people, with some home growers and some commercial growers as well as producers,” said Wall.
The next night was a dinner in which she recreated the same meal for people who purchased a ticket.
"It was nice to be able to talk about those people and bring attention to this area as well as growers and producers.”
Originally from the Alameda area, Wall grew up on a farm 10 kilometres north of the town. She isn’t the first person from Alameda to be spotlighted on the series; earlier this year, Marilyn Simons was on the season premiere of Flat Out Food thanks to her use of preserves. Wall noted she spoke with Simons about the people involved and what to expect, and noted she has used some of Simons products.
Wall is looking forward to seeing the episode and plans to have a watch party when it debuts. Not only will it be a chance to watch it with some invited guests, but she wants to bring attention to and celebrate the local growers and producers.
