January 2013
COMMUNITY NEWS
www.cnh.bc.ca/rccnews
Collingwood’s Humble Kitchen Expert
by Esther Yuen
Barry Londry stands out from the crowd, literally. At six feet tall, he towers over most people in the Collingwood neighbourhood, yet his warm smile and kind words put people around him at ease. Barry’s a humble expert in the kitchen and can be often found tending shrubs in the Cheyenne community gardens. He’s also well known to improvise and create delightful dishes out of discarded food materials. Just like these dishes, Barry could have easily thrown away parts of his life, but chose to create a meaningful life for himself that has positively impacted those around him. You see, Barry had a thriving career as a chef―but this all of this came crashing down one day. Years before Chef Barry joined the RenfrewCollingwood Food Security Institute, Barry was just another kid growing up in the Vancouver eastside neighbourhood called Diaper Hill. His parents, who moved here from the Prairies after the Second World War, fed Barry the typical Prairie diet of meat and potatoes―and on the rare occasion, they would cook him a delicious steak dinner. Barry’s tastebuds were more adventurous, and even though Vancouver’s population then was quite homogenous, Barry was still able to develop a palate for exotic flavours. Every so often, Barry would hang out at his friend’s parent’s Chinese restaurant, and would visit ethnic restaurants with friends. Whenever he found a dish that he enjoyed, he would ask the cooks for the recipes. Thus began his fascination with international foods.
Barry Londry tells writer Esther Yuen his story at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House community kitchen. Photo by Julie Cheng
While cooking was a hobby, he pursued a career in sports and business during his 20s. He studied restaurant management and completed a diploma in international business. He became a ticket Continued on page 2
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Climate Change Conference
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