Cravings Late Night Food and Kikinahk Friendship Centre staff have been instrumental when it comes to feeding Tony Cote visitors. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

feeding an army

‘Rolling with the punches’: Cravings tasked with 25,000 meals for Tony Cote athletes

Aug 14, 2024 | 1:58 PM

Feeding thousands of athletes and coaches twice per day for five days has been quite a logistical feat for Air Ronge’s Cravings Late Night Food.

The Indigenous-owned restaurant was selected by the Tony Cote Summer Games organizing committee to supply 2,500 breakfasts and 2,500 lunches each day for the duration of the provincial event. Owners of Cravings have been doing so by closing down and utilizing their restaurant and by distributing food from the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre and the Mel Hegland Uniplex.

Owner Jamie Charles explained there was a lot of work to prepare for the Games with 20-hour days just to be ready.

“We had two freezer trucks dropped off,” he said.

“They were packed with pallets right to the backdoor, so we had to organize all of the stuff and fill up my whole restaurant and divide it into two, because we are serving in two locations. We had to distribute all of that stuff and then prep up the stuff for the sandwiches and the bagged lunches.”

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Every morning, a team of 24 full-time staff (Charles had to hire 10 extra workers for the week) prepare all of the fixings for a continental breakfast. That includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, hashbrowns, cereal and fruit bowls, oatmeal, yogurt and beverages. For instance, Charles noted they are preparing 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of bacon every morning.

Lunches consist of soups, sandwiches, fruit, granola bars and a drink. Charles’ team has been cooking a variety of different soups such as cream of mushroom, beef barley chicken noodle and vegetable. They have been assisted in making the lunches by staff from La Ronge’s Kikinahk Friendship Centre.

Current and former Cravings staff came together to feed the athletes and coaches of the Tony Cote Summer Games. (submitted photo/Jamie Charles)

The space at Cravings where chairs and tables once stood is now being used as storage space for product. (submitted photo/Jamie Charles)

Cravings has been providing a daily changing lunch menu during the Games. (submitted photo/Jamie Charles)

Kikinahk Friendship Centre staff have created an assembly line in their efforts to put together thousands of bagged lunches. (submitted photo/Jamie Charles)

“It’s an honour to be catering for the Tony Cote Summer Games. I am just rolling with the punches, just going with it and having fun. Our team is having a really good time and we are just happy to help,” Charles said, adding after the Games the restaurant will be closed until Aug. 21 for a much-needed break.

“My staff has been waking up at 4 a.m. and leaving by 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. in the afternoon, putting in 12-hour days. I am not pushing my staff too much, but they are happy to do the work. I am blessed to have the team that have to help me accomplish this.”

Charles also mentioned many visitors have been asking who they are and have provided positive feedback about the quality of the food. He said they are proud of the work they are accomplishing and are inspired once they learn Cravings is an Indigenous-owned business that is well-known in Northern Saskatchewan.

Kikinahk interim executive director Danielle DeBruyne noted it has been all hands on deck for staff the last few days. She, too, had to hire extra staff to assist with food preparation, stating they are utilizing Kikinahk’s kitchen and gymnasium to make it all happen.

“We actually didn’t jump at the gun,” DeBruyne said. “The Tony Cote committee had approached us and asked us to use our facility and it just kind of snowballed from there.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com