Travel tips Unique Yukon culinary experiences

Over the last few years, a culinary revolution driven by a booming local agriculture scene and a talented population has begun in the Yukon. With new restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and culinary festivals springing up each season, the Yukon food scene cannot go unnoticed. 

Owned and operated by a born-and-raised Yukoner, Chef Cat McInroy, Well Bread Culinary Centre is an innovative, welcoming space devoted to helping home cooks improve their skills. Chef Cat offers classes for groups on-site in her industrial-grade kitchen, as well as at-home one-on-one lessons for people who want to choose specifically what they'd like to learn. Recognized for being the only female Chef in Northern Canada who holds her Red Seal in both cooking and baking, Chef Cat was recently named a 2021 Canadian Rising Star Chef.  

Let's make a sourdough bites

Gather Café and Taphouse is located next to one of Whitehorse's hottest spots - no joke. Built off the front of glass-blowing shop, Lumel Studios, Gather offers guests unique fusion-style shareables and dishes from a variety of cuisines. They source as many ingredients locally as they can, and to keep their footprint even smaller, they also hand-blow their own glassware and mugs.  

Let's make a rica cocktail

Michelle Genest, founder of Boreal Gourmet, had lived in a handful of cities all over the world before settling in the Yukon in the 90's. Captivated by the beauty and diversity of the land, and the food of the North and Indigenous peoples, Michelle combined her two passions of writing and cooking. She has built not only a collection of impressive cookbooks but also a community of foragers, creators, and innovators each as inspired as herself. 

Let's make glazed cranberry lemon loaf

Wayfarer Oyster House connects modern, delicious cuisine with a cool, warm ambiance for a dining experience that is sure to delight. With fresh seafood brought in from Alaska and BC, locally sourced fish, meats, beers and bread, and handmade pasta on the menu, there is something tantalizing and tasty for everyone. 

Let's shuck some oysters

Known for her iconic fusions of local flavours, Jennifer Tyldesley draws inspiration for her handcrafted cocktail bitters, syrups and shrubs from the boreal forest that surrounds Whitehorse. She places major importance in terms of what she creates on local ingredients, farmers, and businesses. Free Pour Jenny's unique bitters and their impressive flavour profiles are not just a hit with locals, they swept the 2021 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competitions, winning 9 medals overall. 

Let's make a wild mountain sour