Two Island girls win national recipe contest
Erica Gallant and Raya Cann Boisvert off to Ottawa for Kid Food Nation gala
A love for cooking has paid off for two P.E.I. girls.
Erica Gallant, of Kensington, and Raya Cann Boisvert, of Arlington, are among 26 national winners of the Kid Food Nation recipe contest.
They will both attend a national gala in Ottawa on Oct. 21 and their recipes will be featured in the Kid Food Nation cookbook.
The program is run by many Boys and Girls Clubs across the country and encourages healthy eating.
Raya heard about the contest from her stepsister, who won it last year, said her dad, Will Cann.
“So, Raya thought she’d try it this year, and sure enough, she won – back-to-back.”
Her interest in cooking began at age 7 from watching her dad cook. She likes to make pizza, spaghetti and salad dressing, among others.
Raya made a low-fat version of macaroni salad for the competition.
“She likes figuring out how to put stuff together. With her diet restrictions, we try and make every meal the same so Raya can have it with us,” Cann said.
“Raya has Familial Lipoprotein Lipase Deficiency (LPLD) which limits her fat intake. Therefore, she has a restriction on her diet, so we try to adapt our meals to suit Raya’s needs,” he continued.
“Instead of us trying to figure it out, now she’s trying to figure it out on her own.”
Meanwhile, Erica made a unique omelet for the contest with peppers, tomatoes, provolone cheese and seasoning.
“I just like to make eggs, and I thought it would be fun to try something different. It’s special because my mom [Christina] and I make it together.”
The first recipe she ever made was pancakes.
“My mom and my grandparents cook a lot, so I thought I would try it,” she said.
Finding out she won was a happy occasion.
“It took a long time to find out, so I was expecting that I didn’t make it and then when my mom told me, I got really excited.”
The trip to Ottawa will be Erica’s first time on a plane.
“I just like to make eggs, and I thought it would be fun to try something different. It’s special because my mom [Christina] and I make it together.” Erica Gallant