First Indigenous restaurant inside of Canadian airport to open in YVR

An Indigenous restaurant is opening at the Vancouver International Airport. The restaurant owner says this will be the first Indigenous restaurant inside of a Canadian airport.

The first-ever Indigenous eatery inside of a Canadian airport is opening in the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on Monday.

Salmon n’ Bannock On the Fly can be found in YVR’s international departures area, its second branch after its West Broadway location.

Inez Cook, the co-founder of the restaurant, is a member of the Nuxalk Nation on B.C.’s central coast. She also worked as a flight attendant based out of YVR for 25 years.

Cook says she’s “thrilled” to showcase her heritage at the airport in the form of food, and for travellers from around the world to experience it.

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“It’s remarkable — it’s such a great time to be Indigenous. I’m so proud.” Cook said.

“I’ve been in the airline business for 33 years, and I know what the traveling public likes and needs. We hope that when our guests come here, they get to see who we are, and understand more of our story and culture,” she explained.

Suiting to the needs of travellers, Cook explains that the restaurant’s location at the airport will be more of a “grab and go” experience, and have “faster service.”

“We took a lot of our dishes from our Broadway restaurant and we inspired them,” Cook said. “On Broadway, you can have the bison pot roast and sit down and have a beautiful dinner, but here, you can have the bison pot roast on Bannock with bison gravy. So you’re still not missing out, you’re still getting the flavours but it’s more conducive to where we are.”

Tamara Vrooman, president and CEO of YVR, says the opening underscores the importance of having Indigenous-run businesses at the airport, which is on Musqueam Nation territory.

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