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34 PEA SOUP & PANCAKES INSPIRES WINNING DISH AT NORTHERN LANDS AWARDS Chef Kelsey Johnson was inspired by the regular pea soup and pancakes of her youth to create the pulse dish that took top honours at the Northern Lands Fes val in May. Thirty Canadian chefs were challenged at the food and wine fes val that took place in Edmonton to u lize dry beans, peas, len ls or chickpeas in their dish in a unique way, and Johnson was thrilled to have been named the creator of the winning dish. "I grew up in a Swedish community where we'd have summer camp and every Thursday would be pea soup and pancake night, but usually with yellow split peas and ham," Johnson recalled. "Part of the inspiration behind the Green Pea Pancake is the big crepes that we make in-house at Café Linnea. We were playing with it to see if we could make it nice and crispy on the outside while still fluffy and bright green on the inside, and it worked." To make the Green Pea Pancake, Johnson and her team ground half of the green peas into flour and soaked the other half. The pancake was suitable for vegetarians and people with celiac disease. The pancake was topped with crème fraiche, slightly soured onions, and a choice of house cured bacon, ham or smoked brisket. Inspired by tradi onal Scandinavian and French cuisine, Café Linnea fuses familiar bistro fare with locally sourced ingredients like pulses. "When it's cold, we use a lot more dry ingredients like pulses," the head chef explained. "But we did a len l dish with roasted carrots and finished with a shallot vinaigre e and topped with a pork chop recently. The 'meat' of the dish can be the pulse, which makes a great vegetarian op on as well." Café Linnea is Johnson's passion project which opened in 2016 with a commitment to reflec ng the community's rich growing tradi on with an ever-changing menu galvanized by the seasons and in support of farmers. The restaurant was recently named one of Canada's Best New Restaurants by EnRoute Magazine. Johnson has always had a passion for cooking. From a young age, growing up in the small Scandinavian community of Vasa near Edmonton, her heritage has been a constant source of inspira on, as well as the local farmers and producers around the city. A er working at Duchess Bakeshop for a few years, she and the owners, Giselle Courteau, Jacob Pelle er, and Garner Beggs, decided to team up and opened her dream restaurant, serving a modern take on Top Le : The decor at Café Linnea is fresh and modern. Bo om: Green pea pancakes cooking to perfec on at Northern Lands. Right: Chef Kelsey Johnson works in the kitchen at Café Linnea.

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