MAKAYLA BERNARD
Mi’kmaq Artisan
Makayla Bernard started creating her unique jewellery pieces three years ago, at the age of nine, after taking a quill workshop on Lennox Island hosted by the Canada 150 celebrations. In 2018, Makayla joined the Young Millionaires Program with West Prince Development Corporation. That same year, she was presented with the Award of Excellence from the West Prince CBDC for her work. Makayla also won the West Prince Youth Entrepreneur Award in 2018, and in 2019, the Young Millionaires
Award from the Lennox Island Development Corporation. “My pieces are made mostly from birch bark that I harvest myself and porcupine quills that I find in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as porcupines are not native to the Island,” says Bernard. “I harvest and clean these myself. Quilled pieces are made by soaking birch bark and quills in water to make them easier to work with. I pull quills through the birch bark to create designs; some are finished off with sweet grass.”
There is a lot of preparation involved in the creation of each piece, including strolling through the woods looking for porcupines or sourcing carcasses from roadkill incidents. “We also have contacts in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick who will freeze and store deceased porcupines until we can arrange to pick them up,” says Bernard. You can purchase her creations by contacting her directly, at pow wows, at the Lennox Island Mi’kmaq Culture Centre, or by visiting her Facebook page Quilling with Makayla.
▲ Makayla Bernard Photo by Jacqui Chaisson
RORY BENNETTO O’BRIEN
Ginger Food Adventures
Canada’s Food Island has a new ambassador. Eleven-year-old Rory Bennetto O’Brien has a passion for local food. With the launch of their YouTube channel, “Ginger Food Adventures,” they have an opportunity to share that passion with the world. “Originally, Rory really wanted to be another Fortnite and manga YouTube fan account, but the world didn’t really need more of that,” Sarah Bennetto O’Brien, mom to Rory, laughs. “Rory has been around chefs their whole life, and food is a strong focus with any travel that we do as a
family. This was a natural choice for what to feature and share with others!” Ginger Food Adventures is very entertaining and informative; Rory’s enthusiasm is ever- present, whether they’re reviewing crunchy pickles from Charlottetown’s Riverview Country Market, custom cookies from Butter Bits in Summerside, or a burger from The Abby, located inside Lone Oak Brewing Co. in Gateway Village. Rory’s commentary is delightful and engaging as they delve into the unique flavours and attributes of each bite; you can almost taste it.
Ginger Food Adventures sometimes uploads a new video weekly, although Sarah explains, “We just do this for fun, so there isn’t a set schedule. Rory is super excited to have all of the seasonal restaurants open up for the summer, and then we’ll have a wave of that content hitting the channel.” Ginger Food Adventures is all about supporting local food and restaurants; I highly recommend subscribing to the channel and planning your next food adventure.
▲ Rory Bennetto O’Brien - Shot on location at The Abby (Lone Oak Brewery) Photo by Jacqui Chaisson
SUMMER 2021 www.pei-living.ca
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