Little Miss Chief Gourmet Products, Inc.

Ellen Melcosky, President and CEO of Little Miss Chief Gourmet Products Inc. and a member of Esketemc First Nation, has found success in the gourmet market place with her smoked salmon; using a unique brining process from a recipe started from her grandmother and improved on by her mom. Ellen recalls: No one cooked it better than my mom. She had a unique method of brining and smoking salmon. Ellen began experimenting with her mother's recipe years ago, and in 1996, began distributing her salmon sensation under the Little Miss Chief label. She worked on this for five years using both hot and cold smoking techniques, and finally chose the cold. She explains, "I decided to alter the recipe and incorporate the use of dry white wine into my brining method." The cooking process involves filleting and marinating the fish with wine and spices, which is later slowly smoked over natural woodchips. Using no preservatives or colours, the salmon is quickly packaged into the gold foil retort pouches and thermally processed in steam. This produces a product that requires no refrigeration until opened, while savouring the natural juices in the pouch.