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Yellowknife man wins dream trip to Italy for his home-cooked meal

There's nothing quite like a home-cooked meal made from local, fresh ingredients, and for one Yellowknife man, a prize-winning dish has earned him a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy this summer.

Trevor Sinclair is one of 100 home cooks who have been selected by Airbnb Experiences to spend a week at the Slow Food Institute's University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy.

There, they will get to learn from experts like celebrity chef David Chang, founder of the Momofuku restaurant group.

"There are so many things I'm looking forward to," Sinclair said, including meeting other home cooks from around the world.

"I'm looking forward to learning from them and seeing what they entered into for the competition and stealing some great ideas there that I can bring back home."

Sinclair said he came across a posting for the contest on Facebook and decided to enter on a whim.

"I'm a stay-at-home dad and I cook fresh, unique meals every single day. And I thought 'well, this sounds like something I could get behind.'"

Sinclair entered his recipe for pan fried whitefish with cranberry salsa and a side of fiddleheads with birch syrup glaze and mushrooms. He said it was important to him that all of the ingredients be locally sourced because Airbnb Experiences is all about locally designed and hosted meals and adventures.

Braille Merchant
Braille Merchant

"These were all things that we collected ourselves," Sinclair said, adding that he picked 21 kilograms of cranberries this year. "I know where all the secret spots are."

Sinclair said his love of cooking comes from his mother who made "great, unique meals" and also used local ingredients.

While he isn't a professional chef, Sinclair says home cooks are unique because they're good at adapting.

"You open up the fridge and now you have to create with what you've got — and that's including that old wilty spinach hiding in the corner — and turning it into something great and wonderful that is both healthy, appealing and tasty."

The recipes from the winning home chefs will be published in the first-ever Airbnb cookbook and sent to listings around the globe.

"The recipe will be in there and N.W.T. will be represented," Sinclair said.