In the first episode of Keep it Canada, we hit Calgary during the Stampede—Canada's biggest rodeo exhibition—to get host/chef Matty Matheson outfitted like a proper cowboy. He rides a mechanical bull, eats all the carnival snacks physically possible, and then leaves town to majestically ride horses through the mountains. We also devour some amazing food with the team at Charcut, spot some wild rams, and throw a huge cookout where Matty makes bison chili-corn chip pie with root beer baked beans.
In the second episode of Keep it Canada, Matty heads to PEI to meet a potato farmer, go clam-digging, eat a whole lot of lobster rolls, and cook for his new Islander friends on the beach.
Matty heads to Newfoundland to fish for capelin with his bare hands, go on an insane hike that nearly drains him of all his life force, cook seafood in a gorgeous cove, and make a fried chicken feast for his Newfie pals.
In this episode of Keep it Canada, Matty heads to New Brunswick to hang out with his close friend and spirit animal: Chef Jesse Vergen. Jesse takes Matty to visit his family's driving range, where he's built an incredible roadside BBQ restaurant. We also meet with Cornel Ceapa, a man who has devoted his life to sturgeon and the decadent caviar they produce. Matty then takes his mother and aunt—who grew up in New Brunswick—for a giant pile of fried seafood. At the end of it all, Jesse and Matty respectfully slaughter a lamb on Jesse's farm to serve to Matty and Jesse's families, along with Cornel and his wife.
In this episode of Keep It Canada, Matty heads to the Quebec countryside to hangout with Emma Cardarelli, chef and co-owner of Nora Grey. Emma's catches quickly outnumbers Matty ten to one when the two go fishing for trout. Before returning their bounty to Nora Grey, they manage to sneak in a quick skeet-shooting session with expert Charles Antoine. Matty also visits the headquarters of Société-Orignal—plus their offsite beehive, Gourmet Sauvage, and Ferme la Rose Des Vents—to source local ingredients for a huge family-style meal where he prepares whelk pie, tourtiere, and roasted chicken with root vegetables. (Oh, and we should mention that Matty also becomes an official member of the Turd Confederacy.)
In the final episode of Keep It Canada's first season, Matty explores organic urban farming in British Columbia with Shira from The Acorn and Paul of Hannah Brook Farms. Matty gets real deep with Paul in a sauna, cuts down a tree with a chainsaw, enjoys a salmon lunch in the foot of the mountains, and bonds with two 1,000-pound pigs before heading back to Vancouver to reconnect with his extremely talkative friends from the band Ladyhawk. While in Vancouver, Matty explores the city’s Asian food scene, dinning at Meanam and Peaceful Restaurant before stopping at the Granville Island Market to shop for ingredients for a West Coast-inspired Whistler chalet feast. Finally, we head up to the top of Whistler Blackcomb to partake in Matty’s favourite Olympic sport: snow tubing. See you next season, trolls!