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Indigenous Engagement

Roxanne Kent

PRK Research Assistant

Roxanne joined Prairie Research Kitchen in 2020, and now puts her culinary skills to work supporting product development projects.

Community connection is especially important to Roxanne: in addition to graduating from RRC Polytech’s Culinary Arts program in 2021 with honours and various awards, she earned a social work degree in 2015. One of her long-term goals is to work with low-income families to teach them how to cook nutritious meals.

As a student during the COVID-19 pandemic, Roxanne completed her second co-op with PRK by working on a project designed to convert excess vegetables into a high-protein dehydrated soup for Harvest Manitoba. When employees were sent home to work, Roxanne was reassigned to a project she could start at home that would incorporate her heritage and local ingredients. 

One of her creations for PRK is a rich, flavourful wild blueberry sauce. She deliberately chose a sauce that would pair well with gamey meats such as bison, duck, and venison, or could be used to top toast and pancakes. The recipe features an infusion of sweetgrass, a traditional medicine that has also been used as tea or in a marinade.

Roxanne is Ojibwe from the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations in northwestern Ontario.


In Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe), the name of Roxanne’s
blueberry sauce is Wenoodizii Magan Miinan
Apagajiganan. The name, which was selected by
Corey Ralph Whitford, instructor, Indigenous Language,
School of Indigenous Education at RRC Polytech,
means “The rich flavour of blueberry that you can
put on top of something.” It is pronounced weh-NO-deh-
ZEE mah-gan, mee-NUN, ah-PAH-gah-JIG-ah-nun.]

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