When Christmas is just another workday

Christmas Day for most of us is usually spent with family and friends celebrating the holidays, relaxing and enjoying the time off work.But for some it’s just like any other day where they have to wake up early, put on that uniform and head off to work.

Most offices, businesses and restaurants are closed on Dec. 25 but there are a few in the township who will turn on the “Open” sign to invite in those that need that forgotten item or some batteries for the newly unwrapped toys.

Andrea Gagne, manager at the Short Stop on Church Street, says she doesn’t mind working on Christmas Day because she is single and has no children or family close by.
“It allows my employees that do have families to be able to spend time with them. I don’t mind working to give them some family time,” said Gagne, who keeps the store open from 9 to 5 on the holiday.

“It is also nice to be able to help those customers that have forgotten a thing or two and come in here in a panic looking for something.”

For the most part people are friendly and very thankful that the store is open and are usually looking for cranberry sauce, bread or batteries.

“It is usually the small things that people end up forgetting or they have unexpected guests that arrive and they come here looking for small gifts like lottery tickets or cards because there is nothing else open to sell things to them.”

Just down the street, the lights of the Mac’s Milk will be lit up as Vineet Sood opens for business. The manager of the convenience store doesn’t mind working Christmas day because she never celebrated it back in her home country of India.

“It can be very busy here on Christmas Day because as far as I know we are the only place open for 24 hours on Christmas Day,” said Sood. “People like knowing that we are open just in case they need something that either has gone bad or they forgot to buy over the busy holiday season.”

Customers come in looking for eggnog or breakfast foods like bacon, eggs, milk and bread, and Sood is happy to be able to make sure the people in her community have a place to shop when all the other stores are closed.

“I love working on Christmas because you are usually greeted with such big smiles on that day and people are very thankful that we are open.”

Convenience store clerks are not the only people working on Christmas Day. It is business as usual at the Waterloo Regional Police detachment in Elmira.

For those police officers that work over the holiday it can be either very quiet or quite hectic as the department tends to go to minimal staff to let as many people off as they can.
Sgt. Sig Peters, who has worked more Christmas Days than he can remember over the last 30 years, has seen the gamut when it comes to Christmas Day incidents.

“I remember one Christmas morning we had a fellow show up with a knife at his girlfriend’s door who wanted the Christmas presents back he gave her the night before so he could cash them in to buy more alcohol. We ended up having to lock him up over the holidays,” said Peters. “There are times when it is just like any other day.”

In keeping with the spirit of the season, community members tend to bring in some treats or baked goods for the officers that are working and it is greatly appreciated because sometimes the officers forget to bring a coffee or something to eat and would have to do without as all the coffee shops, including Tim Hortons, are closed on Christmas Day.
Senior officers are given first dibs on the holiday schedule but a lot of senior officers that are single or do not have a family close by end up working on Christmas Day to allow younger officers with children a chance to spend time at home.

Officer Joshua Kerr has been on the force for six years and this is will be the first Christmas he has had to work.

“It is unfortunate, but my family will still make the best of it. We will just have our celebration on a different day,” said Kerr. “A lot of times our families will build their Christmas celebrations around our schedules. If we have to work during the day they tend to hold off opening presents or eating the Christmas dinner until we arrive home. Being a police officer, it is something that they expect to happen from time to time. It is not that horrible because I have my second family here that I will spend time with.”

All the pharmacies in town will be closed on Christmas Day.  Damenjit Banwait, a pharmacy intern at the Shoppers Drug Mart at the corner of Church and Arthur streets, suggests that people who need to take medication stock up on their tablets, pills and liquids to make sure they have enough to last until the New Year.

“People want to make sure that they have enough medication to get through the holiday season because usually doctors’ offices are closed between Christmas and New Year,” said Banwait, adding the pharmacy will help those that need refills to contact their doctors before Christmas holidays begin.

For parents that have newborns or small children they should make sure they know which stores are open on Christmas Day because they may need something like Tylenol or Advil for a child but again the best idea is to stock up on those items before Christmas, said Banwait.

Prime rib makes a juicy alternative to turkey

Like it or not, prepared or not, the holidays are here. We often talk about different family traditions. Some keep it very traditional, roasting a turkey with all of the fixings. In chatting with our friends, family and clients we have found a number of them are choosing to treat themselves to a prime roast of beef. We receive many questions on how to roast it to perfection.
At our roasting class this week we created a delicious holiday prime rib meal. Please check out next week’s column for Yorkshire puddings.

Here are a few of our tips for that perfect prime rib:

• Temper you roast (allow the meat to come to room temperature) for more even cooking over all.  This takes about 1-2 hours;

• Generously season with salt and pepper and a good handful of your favorite herbs if you would like;

• Allow 1 rib for every 2 people (a standing rib roast is 7 ribs cut from the 7-14 ribs;

• Cook your roast on the natural rack of the ribs, start the oven out high 425F for the first 15 minutes and than turn down the oven to 350F for the remainder;

• It is approximately 15-20 minutes per pound to cook the roast to medium-rare;

• You need to account for carry over cooking, which means your roast will continue to cook and rise in temperature 10-15 degrees once out of the oven. Remove the roast 10 degrees early than the doneness that you are looking for (i.e. if you would like medium rare or 125F, remove the roast when an instant read thermometer reached 115F);

• Cook your roast to medium rare, this will satisfy most the diners, those that prefer a bit more well done will enjoy the end pieces or their slice can be returned to the oven for a minute or two to cook it to medium;

• Allow your roast to rest at least 30 minutes after removing it from the oven. This allows the juice to redistribute and they will be retained in the meat when it is carved rather the drain out onto your cutting board.

Pre-heat oven to 425°F; Sprinkle roast liberally with salt and pepper; Place beef roast on top and roast in oven for 20 minutes; Turn oven down to 350°F and roast a further 20 minutes, per pound, for rare; Insert instant-read thermometer into the center of the roast, avoiding the bone; For rare: 120°F; for medium rare: 125°F and medium: 130F°. It is recommended that a prime rib roast be no more than medium; Transfer roast to carving board and loosely cover; rest at least 15 minutes; Place roasting pan atop stove and add stock; simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up and browned bits on the bottom of the pan; Continue to simmer and reduce by half; strain juices through a fine mesh strainer into a small pot; keep hot; Begin to carve roast by slicing the whole roast off of the bones; set bones aside, slice between the bones and offer along with meat slices; Slice the roast, using a long, sharp, carving knife. Slice to desired thickness; Serve meat slices hot, drizzled with a little jus, and served with more jus.

Perfect Prime Rib Roast

• 1 3-4lb prime rib roast
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups of beef or chicken stock, preferably home-made or no sodium (because it will be reduced, we do not want it to be salty to begin with)

Cross country, one stretch at a time

For Corin Metzger, a silver medalist on the U-25 Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team as well as a member of the provincial and national sledge hockey team, a relatively short 250-metre jaunt down Ernst Street to the Woolwich Memorial Centre on a Saturday afternoon should be no big deal. But last Saturday was no ordinary day for Metzger, as she completed the final portion of the Rick Hansen Relay that passed through St. Jacobs and Elmira. With the silver relay medal dangling around her neck and nearly 100 supporters behind her, Metzger rolled into the WMC to a thunderous applause.

“It’s really heavy,” said Metzger with a laugh, referring to the medal which weighs 400 grams (or about one pound) that each bearer will carry along the 12,000-km trip from Newfoundland to British Columbia, retracing Rick Hansen’s original Man in Motion marathon 25 years ago.

“I think it’s a tremendous honour to be a part of this in order to create change for the future. It’s a great thing to be a part of,” she added.

Metzger, 19, has spinal bifida and was only one of 13 medal bearers that participated in the relay as it passed through the township, first on Saturday then again Tuesday morning before it continued on to Elora, Fergus and Orangeville.

Other carriers on Saturday included Jordan Wardorp, Carla Mantel, Chere Davidson and Dianna Weltz in St. Jacobs, and Halle and Kim Detweiler, Kirsten Sills-Ouellette, Amanda Clemmer and Metzger in Elmira, day 102 of the nine-month journey that began on Aug. 24 and is set to end in Vancouver May 22.

Zoe Hahn, Chris Kurz, Jacob Galbraith and Heather Weber also took part when the relay returned on Tuesday after it passed through Guelph.

The cross-Canada journey is aimed at raising awareness of the work of the Rick Hansen Foundation to make our world more inclusive for those with disabilities, to raise funds for spinal cord injury research, and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Man in Motion marathon.

“Twenty-five years ago when Rick Hansen started out on his journey, he brought what was then a unique (idea) that if you dream, nothing is impossible,” said foundation ambassador Taposhi Batabyal, who is also confined to a wheelchair.

“If you dream, you can achieve anything. If you dream, you are only limited by what you can dream. You are limited by nothing, only by the power of the mind.”

More than 7,000 people will share in the medal bearing duties before the relay finally reaches its destination, and that shared responsibility is a testament to the fact that no one in this world can get anywhere on their own.

“Rick found that out early on when he was injured,” said Jamie Levchuk, the director of the relay.

“He required so much help – friends, family, doctors, coaches, mentors – for him to rebuild his life and what better way (to commemorate 25 years) than to move from a man in motion to many in motion.”

Standing on the upper level of the WMC overlooking the pools and the front foyer, Levchuk also praised the township for its work towards becoming a more inclusive community.

“I see automatic doors, I see an elevator, I look to my right and see a ramp leading down into the pool – this is fabulous progress we’ve made, but we can still go further and we know with the help of everyone across Canada we will.”

For Weltz, an able-bodied participant who completed the final leg of the St. Jacobs relay, the work of the foundation over the past 25 years has been critical in raising awareness for those living with a disability.

“I think able-bodied people are not aware of the obstacles that are out there,” she said. “Everyone has to be more aware; everything should be accessible.”

She also recalled watching clips on television when Hansen first crossed Canada, and said that the true beneficiaries of his work and others like him will be the young men and women who are  participating in the relay and are working every day to make spinal cord injuries a thing of the past.

“Corin is a remarkable young girl, and Halley is really going to benefit from this,” she said.

“Everyone is going to benefit.”

To follow the progress of the Rick Hansen Relay as it makes its way across Canada, go to www.rickhansenrelay.com and click on the relay map button.

A break from all the Christmas cooking

This time of year is busy for many people, especially those in retail and service, and us chefs, who are happily working over time to feed holiday folk. On a rare night off, the question always comes up: “what’s for dinner?” And after cooking all day, we want something quick and satisfying. That often means taking something that may have been leftover from the day before, and turning it into something new.

Our Polenta ‘Lasagna’ is just that. Polenta is an Italian ‘peasant’s’ dish of cornmeal cooked with water or milk and then finished with cheese and butter. The result is a thick and creamy porridge that is fantastic served in place of rice, potatoes or noodles with a rich stew or pasta sauce. It is quick to prepare if you purchase ‘instant’ polenta or just 30 minutes if you use regular cooking polenta. You can find packages of ‘Cornmeal for Polenta’ at any specialty grocery store, especially Vincenzo’s in Waterloo.

Now the beautiful thing about polenta is that it is almost better the next day. After the polenta is cooked and served, immediately pour the leftovers in a plastic-wrapped lined pan (a loaf pan, for instance).

Refrigerate immediately for a few hours or overnight. The polenta then firms up and can be sliced. We then fry it to a golden brown in a little butter or oil and then bake it with various sauces and cheese, as you would a lasagana.

Bring the milk, water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepot;

Take a fistful of cornmeal and add it in a fine stream to the liquid (like sifting sand through your fingers) – whisk constantly to avoid lumps;

Continue to add cornmeal this way and whisk until it is all incorporated;

Reduce the heat to low and stir with a wooden spoon frequently, about 20-30 minutes, until it is tender and thickened;

Stir in butter and parmesan and season with salt and pepper;

Enjoy immediately or pour into a plastic wrap lined pan to cool.

Basic Polenta

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup cornmeal for polenta (not instant)
• 1-2 cloves Ontario garlic, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Fried Polenta

• 1 recipe cooked and chilled polenta
• Canola oil

Pillars of the community lead Christmas in Wellesley

Next Friday night, Santa will arrive in the village of Wellesley for the 21st annual Christmas Thyme in Wellesley Parade and the Tree of Light celebration. And two of Wellesley’s most prominent citizens will be at the centre of that celebration as Albert Erb is this year’s parade marshal, and Ron Futher has been selected to light the tree. Both men were informed in November, and say it will be a great honour to participate.

“I don’t know why I was chosen, but I didn’t ask any questions,” laughed Erb, former mayor and councillor of Ward 1.

“I’m honoured. I was very surprised when I was chosen,” said Futher. “Hopefully the weather will be nice and we’ll have a good turnout.”

While both men were humble in their responses, their selection should come as no surprise to those who live in Wellesley.

Erb was a constant face in township politics as he was a councillor from 1963 until 1980 when he became mayor, and he held that position until 1991.

Born and raised in Wellesley, the 90-year-old Erb has undertaken countless projects to improve the look and feel of Wellesley. Whether it was running the breakfast at the Apple Butter and Cheese festival with his wife Irene or planting more than 1,000 flowers around their old home on Henry Street, Wellesley has certainly benefitted from his personal touch.

Erb also said he was the first to suggest hanging Christmas lights from the lampposts in town while he was a councillor, and he even undertook the enormous task of upgrading the park and pond – a “pet project,” as he called it – that was renamed the Albert Erb Conservation Area in 1994.

From installing the first fountain to buying the first five swans, it was a large undertaking, he said.

“That took quite a few years, we did a little bit every year until we got it to the point where I wasn’t ashamed of having people come and look at it.”

As marshal of the parade, Albert and his wife will ride at the front in the fire truck as it makes its way through the streets of Wellesley, starting in front of the public school at 6:45 p.m. before turning south on Nafziger Road and finishing up at the park.

Beyond waving to the crowd, Erb isn’t too sure of what to expect, but is looking forward to the ride nonetheless.

“Well, as long as they drive slowly. Nothing too swift,” he laughed. “I’m not getting out and dancing on the truck.”

The parade committee chose Erb, and it was a pretty clear decision, according to one of its members.

“He has been a staunch leader in the community for many years,” said Jean Horne. “He and his wife have been involved in many things, from ABC to whatever event was happening in Wellesley, they were there and were excellent supporters.”

Waiting for Erb and the rest of the parade-goers in the park will be Ron Futher, who is responsible for lighting the Tree of Light located in Albert Erb Park right next to the pond.

Having the honour of lighting the tree will likely be Futher’s final official act as the outgoing Wellesley Citizen of the Year.

Chosen earlier this year, the Citizen of the Year award is given annually to someone in the community in recognition of outstanding achievements and unselfish contributions to their fellow citizens, and Futher certainly fits the bill.

The 76-year-old Futher has called Wellesley home his entire life and became a pillar of the community. He spent 53 years as a licensed funeral director at the funeral home started by his father back in 1933. He also spent 42 years as a member of the Wellesley Fire Department, 10 of those years as chief before his retirement in 1999.

There is also the matter of the 30-plus years he’s been a chartered member of the Wellesley Lions Club, and the 40-plus years spent on the Board of Trade.

Futher was also the first clerk-treasurer for the newly incorporated Village of Wellesley, but his municipal career was cut short after only one year due to the death of his father in 1962, when he took over the funeral home fulltime until about three years ago when he sold the business.

Futher also gave a talk about the history of the Wellesley Fire Department back in October and plans to give more in the future.

“Ron’s a very prominent citizen of Wellesley and he’s done a lot for the community,” said Marilyn Bisch, the head of the Tree of Light Campaign, of why Futher was chosen to flip the switch.

The bulbs for the tree were for sale throughout the community for $5, the proceeds of which will go directly to Meals on Wheels and the Community Action Program for Children. Donations will still be accepted up until Dec. 31.

The fun begins next Friday, Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. with a live nativity scene next to the Wellesley Pond, followed by the parade at 6:45 which will start in front of Wellesley Public School. A second nativity scene will follow at 7:20 p.m. and Futher will flip the switch for the tree-lighting ceremony at 7:30.

“I’ve been practicing for it every night before I go to bed,” said Futher with a laugh.

Cookbooks that make great gifts for the foodie on your list

Well it’s that time of year again – cookbook buying season! Every year we compile a list of our newest favourite cookbooks that we use, and find valuable for the everyday home cook to be inspired by.  The cookbook market is extraordinary and highly competitive – there are more cookbooks in bookstores these days than ever before. So we’ve broken it down here with a few of our favourites, from the novice to the advanced cook.

For the more advanced foodie
Larousse Gastronomique (ISBN: 0307464911)
Larousse Gastronomique is an undeniable encyclopedic source for the culinary world since its first publication in 1938. Find everything from cooking techniques, ingredients, and recipes to equipment, food histories, and culinary biographies.  According to Julia Child, “If I were allowed only one reference book in my library, Larousse Gastronomique would be it, without question.”

This book is now updated to include more modern approaches to cooking such as sous-vide and molecular gastronomy.  There are more than 3,800 recipes from around the world to choose from.

Fat by Jennifer McLagan (ISBN: 1580089356)
We like this book for its unapologetic stance on an art form of cooking that has been lost. Methods of cooking that are so delicious: confit and butter-poaching meat and seafood; using butter for old-fashioned classics like shortbread and pies.

McLagan breaks down the good fats and the bad fats, making us all want to enjoy food again and to win us back to a healthy relationship with animal fats.

For the home cook looking for inspiration and staple recipes, there’s Edna Staebler’s More Food that Really Schmecks (0-07-077392-0)
What more can we say about Edna Staebler’s books than that every household in Waterloo Region should have a copy. From her stories that make you chuckle, to her staple, tried and true recipes for everything from bread to bean salad, we use this book often and get hungry just leafing through it.

Edna never apologizes for eating more than one muffin at a sitting. This quote always inspires us: “Bread-making is a grand thing to do. Kneading is a kind of revelling: it makes one feel like a primitive, pioneer woman – unstarvable, self-sustaining and joyful … one of the great satisfactions of a lifetime.”

Dean and Deluca Cookbook (0679770038)
This book has taken us through many basic and then updated recipes of classic dishes. It has great international recipes for those looking to experiment (the Chicken Korma is unbelievable), but also breaks down simple cooking techniques, like how to properly roast a prime rib, for example.

Each recipe is described in perfect detail and we pick it up over and over again as a reference and inspiration.

She’s not horsing around

Horses are in Ute Busse’s blood. There is not a day that goes by without Busse strapping a saddle to one of the 25 horses at her Sonnenhof Stables to go for a ride. She is dedicated and exacting in her skills as a dressage rider, which means she develops, through training, a horse’s natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, and increases its potential as a riding horse. At the height of a dressage horse’s development, the animal will respond smoothly to a skilled rider’s minimal directions. It has been called ballet on a horse and to the spectator it should appear as if the rider sits effortlessly on the horse as it performs intricate movements all on its own.

For more than 52 years Busse has surrounded herself with horses and for the last 20 years she has been training both horses and riders in dressage discipline, teaching the correct aids precisely.

“All my life I have been on the back of a horse,” she noted.

Starting at the age of five in Germany with the help of her father, a riding coach, she entered the sport early on, competing in eventing and jumping. In 1982 Busse immigrated to Canada and started coaching horseback riding as a way of dealing with the stress of being a mother of two.

“I just wanted to get out of the house and do other things rather than focusing on the children all the time, so I accepted a job as a coach at a hunter jumper stable. I never could stay away from the horses,” she said.

She purchased her farm, located at 300 St. Charles St. W. between Maryhill and Bloomingdale, in 1991 and converted the sheep farm into a riding stable and expanded to include 25 stalls, an indoor arena and outdoor riding ring. That same year her horse, Dillon, became a champion in dressage.

“He helped build me my name and after him I continued to get good horses,” she said. “He was an amazing horse and we trained him over the flat not over fences, it is a really good base for all horses that need to be trained, either to walk, trot, or canter. At the stables we take it further and go into the more fancy movements – some people refer to it as horse dancing.”

To say that Busse has a great talent in working with horses is an understatement. No matter the age, breed or level of training she can transform the ordinary horse into an extraordinary one. Which is why she’ll be in Toronto Saturday to receive an award as the 2011 Ontario Equestrian Federation coach of the year.

“She is amazing at what she does and has accomplished so much this year,” said Nadine Koppeser, who nominated Busse for the honour and whose daughter Brooke trains at Sonnenhof Stables. “(Busse) keeps producing great horses and riders year after year and I am glad she is finally receiving the acknowledgement she deserves.”

Not only is Busse receiving the coach of the year award but she is also the only coach in Canada to have four family members competing in the grand prix at the international level: Busse, her two daughters Sarah Turner and Tina Irwin and her son-in-law Jaimey Irwin.

Daughter Tina is also a member of the 2011 Pan-American dressage team. She was not only taught to ride by her mother but has become a coach as well, which makes her the third generation horse coach in the Busse family.

Busse’s current horse, named Lindor’s Finest, has produced a few winning shows over the season and is part of Busse’s declaration to become a member of the Canadian Olympic team in 2012 in London, England.

The road to the Olympics will not be an easy one, even for the coach of the year, as she will be travelling across North America over the next few months competing in shows and earning points.

“I am willing and capable to compete for Canada at the Olympics but I still have to prove that I can really do it,” said Busse. “I have to produce results and only the top three will be able to go to the Games. The road to the Olympics is not paved with sugar cubes.”

Age is not a factor for equestrian riders. In fact, once a rider has learned the skills they operate on technique, and age can help as it means more experience and better technique.

“At the age of 57, I can outdo a lot of our young riders, and I can do this for many more years to come, I am very fit on the inside and out. It is all a mental thing: you are only as old as you think you are.”

For all her endeavours this year, Busse is the most proud of her student’s accomplishments. She trained four riders who made it to the young and junior rider teams.

“OEF coach of the year is a great accomplishment, I understand that, but for me the bigger accomplishment is having four junior riders reach the highest standards of the sport and two of them reached the finals in Kentucky. For me that is the best accomplishment to have. That I have so many great riders in my home base, that is what I am proud of, their accomplishments.”

Becoming a champion rider is not something everyone can do. A rider needs compassion and feel when it comes to connecting with a horse.

“They need to be able to feel themselves into the horse,” said Busse. “It isn’t about muscling a horse because these animals on average weigh 1,200 pounds; if they don’t want to work for us, they are not going to, so we have to convince them that they do want to work for us. We have to build a partnership with the horse.”

That partnership takes a great deal of effort on the part of both horse and rider.

“It takes a lot to become a champion both physically, mentally and you must have deep pockets. It is not a cheap sport to be a part of. It is, after all, the sport of kings.”

A great option for healthy snacking

Lately everywhere you turn there are ‘healthy’ versions of our favourite pastime snacks. ‘Baked’ chips as opposed to fried, low-fat cheeses, diet pop and more.  And now the latest snack we’ve seen on the market (selling for very high prices!) is kale chips.  These ‘chips’ are made from the nutrient-dense vegetable that may often be overlooked at the market. We love kale for its sturdy texture and depth of flavour.  The leafy green can be cooked without wilting down to nothing, and can take on many flavours, anything from bacon to lemon to garlic.

We’re getting close to the end of the buying season for this vegetable, so get to the market to find your huge head of kale for under $5.

Once the chips are baked to a crisp they keep well in an airtight container for several days of snacking.

You can experiment with flavours too. Fancy sea salt, sliced garlic or even herbs tossed with the kale before baking are options. We’ve even used the chips as a nice crispy garnish. Try it on top of a creamy potato soup, or in a sandwich in place of lettuce.

Preheat oven to 350;
Tear kale into ‘chip’ size pieces;
Toss with olive oil and salt; kale should be ‘shiny’ looking;
Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes.

Kale Chips

• 1 bunch of kale, washed and dried
• A good drizzling of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1/4 tsp or more of kosher salt

Something to get revved up about

If you walk up to the front door of Herb Becker’s Kitchener home and ring the doorbell, chances are no one will answer. If Becker is home, you’re more likely to find him in the garage behind his house. With its white paint peeling slightly around the edges of the large rollup door, the garage’s humble exterior belies a bevy of activity inside.

From the 1960s-era dragster sitting in one corner, to the shell of a 1928 Model A Ford Coupe in the other, along with the myriad parts, tools, and tires piled nearby, it’s clear that Becker knows a thing or two about fixing up old cars.

There are also two vintage Norton motorcycles on the floor of the shop, one propped up near the door and another on a stand awaiting work.

He’s fixing the bikes up for a guy from Rockford, Illinois, he says, and hanging on the wall behind him are two more Norton motorcycles of his own.

For the past 25 years Becker has made a name for himself in vintage motorcycle racing circles as one of the preeminent bike builders in the country, and on Nov. 5 the Breslau-native was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame in the builder category during its sixth annual induction banquet held in Mississauga.

The honour, however, is one that Becker would rather do without.

“I’ve got to admit, it didn’t make me feel particularly good,” said Becker, leaning against his worktable and his arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m really kind of struggling to deal with it. I find my new-found celebrity feels rather awkward.”

The humble man has equally unassuming roots. Born in 1946 and raised just outside of Breslau near the airport, Becker grew up idolizing the city kids who seemed to have more excitement in their lives than he did growing up in the small town.

Breslau was far from the booming town it is now, and he said there was scarcely a thing to do.

“Your movement was restricted (living in Breslau),” he said. “You got to meet kids from the city, and you think everything is happening in the city.”

It was during the 1950s and early 60s that Becker said he developed his love for cars. Back in those days the 401 and other major highways in the area were non-existent, so when racers and fans made the drive from Hamilton and Cambridge to the Bridgeport Speedway, they would often go right by the Becker homestead.

“Bridgeport Speedway on a Saturday night was a pretty big deal,” he said. “So every Saturday night this was a big event for me to sit and watch the cars.

“I really think that’s what piqued my interest in racing.”

His father didn’t share that interest in cars or racing, so Becker was not allowed to go to the races until he was 16 and could drive himself.

The family moved to Kitchener that same year and Becker started to apprentice as a tool and die maker in town, an occupation that leant itself well to his passion for working with his hands and building or repairing engines.

“My hands really are my way of expressing myself; I think I’m hardwired from the brain to my hands, and it’s intimate and a meaningful expression for me.

“When I started as a tool and die maker I didn’t even know what it was, but I’m lucky because it’s exactly the right job for me.”

Becker was married in 1971 and they had a son in 1972. His wife at the time wanted him to give up fixing cars and they moved to a larger house – with no garage – a few years later.

That move was what prompted Becker to make the switch from cars to motorcycles.

“I was always interested in bikes, mainly from a technical standpoint, and I thought if I got a bike I could wheel it into the basement and work on it there, so that’s when I got into bikes.”

His brand of choice was Norton, a British motorcycle company, originally from Birmingham, founded in 1898. He said he chose Norton because the parts were cheap and at the time he could build one from scratch for about $500.

In the past 25 years he’s made about 10 or 12 bikes and had three different drivers compete for him at tracks all across Canada and North America, from Daytona to Shannonville, Ontario.

He’s earned widespread praise for his technical skill, and fans and opponents alike have come to recognize Becker’s trademark baby-blue motorcycles as they make their way around the track, dominating the circuit for a quarter century.

That was one of the primary reasons why he was inducted into the hall of fame this year.

“There aren’t too many in the vintage motorcycle races that wouldn’t know Herb’s name,” said Vada Seeds, the chair of the selection committee at the Canadian motorcycle hall of fame and a member of its board of directors.

“His bikes and his engines are known throughout Ontario and the United States.”

While renowned for his technical skill, Becker never raced a motorcycle a day in his life, and for good reason: Becker said that winning a race comes down to the best racers riding the best bikes, and the better the team, the better your chance of winning.

The best mechanics in the business want to ride their own bikes, and that is their downfall, he said, because most of them are only mediocre riders. Likewise, the best riders are often only average mechanics.

Becker’s recipe for success all these years has been to build the best machine possible, then find the best racer he could to ride it to the finish.

“It didn’t take me long to figure this out at all, when you prepare a good bike and have a good rider on it you have a good shot at winning, and I liked that.”

He has also developed a strong respect for the riders, and while they’re often perceived as crazy daredevils with a death-wish, he says the opposite is true.

Becker retired about 10 years ago from the tool and die trade to devote more time to racing, yet he admits as he gets older – he turned 65 in October – and as the cost of parts continue to rise, he’s beginning to lose that drive for motorcycles he once had.

He would much rather turn his attention to restoring that Model A Coupe sitting in pieces in the corner of his garage.

Homemade stock well worth the extra effort

One of our most popular—and important—classes that we teach at The Culinary Studio is the basics on homemade stock and sauces. More and more folks are trying to watch their sodium intake, as well as the use of processed foods. Although cooking from scratch can take up more time, it is well worth the effort for stock that is made with local meat and produce.  Make lots, and freeze it – it is so handy to have for many dishes.

We have three rules when it comes to stock making: don’t stir it, don’t cover it and don’t boil it. By abiding by these rules, your stock will remain clear and golden. Cooking it for more than two hours will result in a darker, grey-ish stock.

The sauce velouté (pronounce vel-oohh-the), is one of the classic French mother sauces. It is a roux-thickened stock. The roux (equal parts flour and butter) is cooked briefly before adding the hot stock.

Veloute can be used as a sauce over chicken, or as a base for a cream soup.

Place bones in a large pot and cover with cold water;

Bring just to a boil, then immediately turn down to a simmer (medium heat);

Skim all of the grey-ish foam that rises to the top;

Add remaining ingredients and then simmer, uncovered and without stirring for 1-2 hours;

Strain into a large bowl or container;

Cool down before ladling into freezable containers. Refrigerate overnight – this will allow any fat to
harden at the surface. Freeze if necessary;

Use stock to make soups and sauces;

Notice that we do not add salt to this broth, as it can be used for various things which we will season at the end.

Melt butter in a saucepan; add the flour and using a wooden spoon stir constantly so that the roux does not colour unevenly or become lumpy;

Cook for 5 minutes, or until mixture begins to froth;

Turn off heat and cool slightly;

Add stock and whisk constantly over a medium heat;

Bring to a simmer and cook 20-30 minutes, stirring and skimming often;

To turn the velouté into a sauce suprême, we can finish by adding a touch of cream and swirling in some butter.

Basic Chicken Stock

• 2 lbs chicken bones
• Cold water to cover
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery, roughly chopped
• Fresh or dried herbs such as thyme,     rosemary and parsley
• 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves

Velouté

• 50g butter
• 50g flour
• 1 L chicken stock or broth, hot
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 35% cream, to finish (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp cold butter (optional)