Stacked milk crates form two sculptural pillars. Water is served in deli containers, not glasses, and guests’ names are scrawled across pieces of painter’s tape affixed to each. Menus are printed on tickets, the kind kitchen staff would receive after a server puts through an order. For two nights in October, Hearth Restaurant creates not just a meal to remember but another world.
This is Kindred Plates, a two-night dinner series that creatively breaks down the barriers between those working in the kitchen and the guests enjoying the delicious party in a scenic event space in the museum. The most recent iteration of the soiree, which took place last fall, also featured a soundtrack highlighting what the chefs were listening to as they prepared the evening’s offerings. There was even a camera set up offering a live view of the kitchen throughout the night.
“I’ve always found, even if I was trying to be objective about it, that more fun happens in the kitchen with all the interesting people we are cooking with and the information sharing and storytelling [that happens as a result],” says Thayne Robstad, co-founder of Hearth. He specializes in haute but unpretentious Prairie cuisine. “We wanted that to bleed into the dining room as much as possible.”
“We have a reserve of creative ideas, but we’re open to new things,” adds Beth Rogers, co-founder and Robstad’s life partner.
An Annual Dinner Series Founded By The Duos Behind Hearth and Primal
Kindred Plates launched in October 2023 as a celebration of Canadian culinary talent and collaboration. Since 2015, Rogers and Robstad had been talking about joining forces with friends Christie Peters and Kyle Michael. The latter duo are the founders of the renowned Saskatoon restaurant, Primal. When Hearth moved to the ground floor of the Remai Modern museum in 2022, they finally did.
The goal was simply to highlight the creativity and passion of Saskatoon’s food scene. “We wanted an amazing culinary-focused event to happen in our town,” Robstad explains. “It’s not a thing that takes place a whole lot, so it’s really important to us, because that’s how we grow community and inspire people to do what we do.”
What drove the idea for Kindred Plates is the same passion that Rogers and Robstad bring to Hearth every day. “We travelled all over Canada and the world cooking, and we always wanted to come home to start our own business— a place that tries to be true to what Saskatchewan food might be, give it an identity and really champion local ingredients,” says Robstad.
When the team launched the dinner series, they declared the event an annual occasion—“with fingers crossed,” Rogers says. But now with three editions under their belts, they are gaining attention from chefs across the country and making an impact on their local community.
Gaining Traction: Cross-Country Collaborators Stepping Into Their Kitchen
Robstad calls the first edition of Kindred Plates a trial run. But it formed a solid foundation that has allowed for creative growth. Two guest chefs from other restaurants in the province joined the quartet to develop an original menu. Local floral shop Blossoms created the tablescapes. Tickets quickly sold out.
Subsequent editions have seen chefs from top restaurants in Vancouver (Cactus Club, and Michelin-starred Published on Main and Kissa Tanto) and Winnipeg (Deer + Almond) joining several Saskatoon chefs in the kitchen. Four or five restaurants are represented at an event.
Chefs or teams from each kitchen tackle a different course on the menu. They also prepare well as an amuse-bouche that’s offered to guests as they enter the dining space. And the dishes are as varied as the talent creating it. Honey crullers with duck-liver parfait and peanut praline as an hors d’oeuvre. Beet-cured trout on rye crisp with roasted beet, horseradish and haskap powder. Cabbage rolls with whole duck kielbasa A chic take on the chocolate cherry blossom. These were just some of the dishes at the latest dinner series.
Impact Beyond the Event: Minimizing Food Insecurity in Their Community
There is impact felt beyond a gathering of community and celebration of local and national culinary talent. Thanks to the success of Kindred Plates, the event’s founders have donated $20,000 to CHEP Good Food. It’s a local nonprofit organization that works with families to improve access to food and minimize food insecurity.
Tickets for the event sell out faster and faster each year. But the Hearth duo aren’t looking to expand beyond their means. “Do we want to extend it another night? I don’t really think so,” says Robstad. “Our current situation is just perfect.”
Indeed, as it stands, it’s the hottest culinary ticket in the Prairies.
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