Pati Jinich Explores Panamericana

John, I'm confident.

John: Have you ridden much before, Pati?

Pati: I-Not much, but I have.

Pati: OK, you can do it.

You can do it.

You can do it.

John: OK. Come over this way here, Pati.

Feel your brakes.

He doesn't like the camera.

Uh-oh.

Uh-oh.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

It's OK, it's OK.

I think maybe we're done.

Don't hire me as a stuntwoman, John.

Amazing.

Pati, voice-over: My life's work has been about forging bonds between my homeland of Mexico and my new home of the U.S. Now I'm embarking on a journey inspired by the Pan-American Highway, a network of roads connecting the Americas and a symbol of collaboration across countries.

Oh, my gosh!

Pati, voice-over: Join me as we share meals, make friends, and reimagine what it means to be American.

I'm Pati Jinich, and this is "PanAmericana."

Pati, voice-over: My journey, inspired by the Pan-American highway, started at the very top of Alaska.

I've traveled south down the historic Alaska Highway, through Canada's Yukon Territory and into Alberta.

Here, the rugged Canadian Rockies give way to the open prairies of Canada's heartland.

Alberta, often called the Texas of Canada, owes its economy to massive oil booms throughout the 1900s.

Today, Canada ranks as the world's fourth-largest oil producer, with over 80% coming from Alberta.

Its biggest customer?

The U.S. But in Southern Alberta, ranching drives the culture.

In the late 1800s, fearing U.S. annexation, Canada encouraged settlers to start ranches.

Ranches needed cowboys, so Alberta became cowboy country.

Today I'm headed to a ranch just south of Calgary that you've probably seen before on the big screen.

But first I have to look the part.

Pati: Oh, I kind of love these.

Jo: Yeah, those ones are fun.

Pati: Oh, let's try these.

Jo: We can pull those, too.

Jo, I'm going crazy here.

Too many gorgeous options.

This is like a Dolly Parton boot, no?

Oh, my gosh.

This is so much fun.

Pati: Oh, we have such great choices.

Jo: Look at you, cowgirl.

Pati: I'm feeling very bold with these boots.

It can't be that I'm gonna buy the first ones I chose.

Jo: No.

Pati: I'm kidding.

I'm a decisive woman.

No, I'm not.

Pati, voice-over: With my look complete, I'm ready to hit the road.

Pati: So tell me about this place.

What's the name?

What's the story?

I'm third generation on this ranch.

Uh, my grandfather homestead this ranch in 1904.

Came over here from Scotland.

It was wild, untamed land.

And they had to, uh- uh, establish it, uh, 20 acres a year, I think, in order to hang on to their homestead.

Pati, voice-over: John Scott's ranching roots propelled him into the Hollywood scene.

He began as a riding extra in 1969, and soon realized his own land was the perfect cinematic backdrop for films such as "Legends of the Fall," "Days of Heaven," and "Shanghai Noon."

His sought-after expertise led him to work as a horse wrangler on Oscar-winning films like "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Revenant."

Pati: This is so stunning.

They filmed "Little House on the Prairie" here, right?

Yes, yeah, the remake, not the original one.

Pati: Oh, the remake.

John: It was the remake.

Yeah.

So when I was growing up in Mexico City, for us Mexicans, "Little House on the Prairie" was the United States of America.

So, John, you were promoting Alberta in Canada as a main place for filming, but your clients were in the United States.

That's right.

But they were looking for locations that were wide open, because the multitude of people coming to the United States was putting up houses, buildings, skyscrapers, things like that, whereas here we're quite a bit behind.

So we still had this raw prairie and, uh, wide-open spaces and mountains and hills and trees, and fortunately, we had so many good big pictures come here that we were able to make about seven Academy Award-winning pictures.

That's incredible!

Tom Selleck is very fussy about authentic saddles, authentic hats, wardrobe, everything.

Uh, Sam Elliott the same way.

Brad Pitt wanted everything to be perfect.

He tried so hard to make everything look good and perfect.

And--and it's a reflection on everybody, and it's a reflection on the whole crew that's working.

Pati: Mm-hmm.

John: If, uh... if you make it look hokey, it's, uh, it's not going to sell much popcorn.

Pati, voice-over: After talking about Hollywood, we moved on to other topics.

What is the sentiment of just the population, you know, the normal people in the West versus the East?

Well, the people in the West here, they're so fed up with this, uh, this government that there's--there's talk.

There's even been parties afoot to try and stake the three Western provinces and have them join the United States.

Political boundaries have been shaped throughout history... John: Yes.

Pati: in such crazy ways, but it seems that right now, they're pretty set.

You know, a big chunk of the U.S. used to be a part of Mexico.

Who knows?

Maybe those lines may shift.

I'd love them to shift.

I mean, you just have a-a U.S. state coming straight from Alaska all the way down.

Pati, voice-over: As much as I was surprised by his comments, according to recent polling by Ipsos, a global research company, it turns out that roughly 30% of Canadians would consider becoming part of the U.S. John is one of them.

Down the road, the Twin Cities Saloon serves bison burgers made with John's cattle.

Pati: So, John, you've had this incredible life in Alberta.

You worked in the oil industry.

You were part of the rodeo.

Now you've had so many years in the film industry.

What's your hope for your girls?

I know you have three daughters.

Like, would you want them to continue on your footsteps?

John: Well, at first I didn't want them to be in the film business, but they gravitated towards it anyways.

It's a tough business.

They-they found their niche there, and doing what they want, and it--it-- it seems to be good.

They seem to be happy with it.

John, this is fabulous.

You know what?

I'm really regretting splitting this burger with you now.

[Both chuckle] I ju-I just always believed in Alberta.

It was a great place to do business, a lot of entrepreneurs here.

They go into business to make a business work, but if the business fails, they don't quit.

They go again.

They've got an entrepreneurial spirit, and that's kind of the way the Alberta people are.

You've done so much.

What else are you going to be up to?

Looking for a shrink to see why I keep doing this.

[Laughter] Pati: Cheers to that.

Pati, voice-over: But John isn't the only cowboy around here.

This culture runs deep.

70 miles west of Edmonton sits a small town that may not look like much... [Train whistle blows] until you know its history.

It boasts a church, a general store, and a small hotel.

John Lindsay knows its origin because he lived it.

Pati: John, tell me a little bit about the story of Wildwood.

Wildwood?

Yeah.

Oh, I've been here all my life.

Pati: Yeah?

John: I was born here.

Born here about--oh, it's two miles from here.

Pati, voice-over: John's father was one of the first settlers in Alberta.

Pati: Was it segregated like the U.S., where it was divided?

John: No.

Pati: No.

No.

No, no, I know nothing about that BS.

No?

Yeah?

John: No.

Oh, yeah.

Swedes, Ukrainians, Germans--ev--we're mixed.

Pati, voice-over: Cheryl Melton-Lindsay is John's niece.

Yeah.

So this is my Uncle John here with my Uncle Floyd.

The reason I'm wanting to do the research is its needs to be transferred over to the next generation and keep it rolling.

And it's interesting because in the educational aspects down in the States, you learn so much about the States and everyone else around the world and not too much about Canada.

Pati, voice-over: In the late 1800s, the Canadian government wanted to populate the prairies.

They introduced the Dominion Lands Act of 1872, offering 160 acres of land for just $10.

The deal required men aged 21 or older to farm at least 40 acres and build a home.

By 1909, with segregation laws and the Ku Klux Klan terrorizing Black communities in the southern U.S., a group of Black farmers headed north to Alberta, searching for freedom and opportunity.

Deborah Dobbins is one of Cheryl's friends.

Her grandfather was one of the original settlers.

Pati: What do you think they should be defined as?

Or what do they define themself as?

Deborah: We're the first group of Black people in Western Canada, so that clearly defines us.

Pati, voice-over: Deborah's husband Herbert.

They came as free citizens when they crossed the border, but they weren't really recognized.

So we are a unique group of people.

We didn't come Underground Railroad.

We didn't esc-escape.

S-slaves or--or slaves and then our masters made us free when we were in Canada.

We were invited... Pati: Yeah.

like everyone else, invited.

You know, there's poster.

Didn't say "Whites only."

So we came, and they shut us down.

Cheryl: It was a nice, warm welcoming for the first few hundred.

Then after they're finding out more Blacks were coming into Canada, it wasn't.

Pati, voice-over: The newcomers from the South also had a tough time farming.

The weather was cold, the growing season shorter, and the dark black soil was different than the rusted red soil down south.

Coming to Canada?

Yes, tough coming in and--and--but once they got into their farmland, all the farmers helped each other and supported each other.

John: Sure.

[Indistinct chatter] Dear Lord, thank you for this day.

Thank you for the food that we're about to eat, and thank you for all of our new visitors here.

Pati: Ohh.

Deborah: Pork ribs.

Pati: Mm!

With barbecue.

Herbert: Here's the collard green.

Deborah: Collard and-- collards and mustard.

We grew the mustard... Pati: You did?!

Deborah: ourselves this year.

Herbert: And you get a little potato salad.

Pati: Ohh, I love potato salad.

Herbert: And then you get some of the, uh, cornbread muffins.

Troy made the cornbread.

Pati: So wonderful.

Deborah: That's what we want to have for these-- Deborah: for the little ones.

Pati: Yes!

So here's the next generation.

And this next generation also has the next generation.

Deborah: Yes.

And what do you feel about the--the work that your mom is doing?

Oh, I love it.

It needs to be done.

Pati: Yeah.

Yeah.

McKerry: It's--it's our history.

It needs to be preserved and documented and spread out to everybody, right?

Mm-hmm.

Pati, voice-over: Deborah, a former school teacher, founded the Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots in part because she believes this history is vastly underrepresented in Canadian school textbooks.

McKerry: I think it just comes from lack of knowledge.

Yeah.

McKerry: A lot of people, they might know their family story... Yeah.

but they don't know the bigger picture.

Pati, voice-over: Canada is finally taking notice.

The Royal Canadian Mint recently released a coin that commemorates early Black settlements.

McKerry: So when I was in elementary school, there was just me as the Black representation for the school.

I was the only Black kid in my school.

But the nice thing to see is with my children, they're going to school now, and their class is like the UN.

It's, there's kids from all over the world, all different backgrounds in their classes, in their school, which is nice because they get that nice mix.

They don't feel like, "Hey, why am I the only one different in class?"

Right?

It's not the one chocolate chip in the bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Pati: Yeah.

McKerry: Like, everybody else sees us as Black people.

But like you were just saying.

Pati: Yeah... McKerry: Haitians.

Uh, Caribbean, Jamaican, Trinidad.

There's South American, right?

There's Africans-Africans from, you know, Nigeria, Congo, everywhere.

So they're all different cultures.

People always ask, "Where are you from?"

"Well, where are your parents from?"

"Here."

Like, they-they don't have that concept of Black Canadians, Black Americans.

It's you have to be from an island or from Africa Pati: Yeah... McKerry: or... Well, we came in the 1900s, so... Pati: Right.

I'm from here.

What's the hope for people that are coming?

The hope for people that-- um, for them to learn our story, so they know that they're not the first ones to go through it.

They're not the first ones to blaze these new trails that are new to them.

But we've been here for over a hundred years, and we've done it.

Learn our history, we'll learn yours, and let's work together to make it a better place for everybody.

[Horn honks] Pati, voice-over: Down in Calgary, near International Avenue, I'm meeting Kunbi Olalere, a Nigerian restaurateur.

She is one of the nearly 25% of Albertans who were born outside of Canada but now call the province home.

I'm at her restaurant, Ahinke's Kitchen, with her partner, Cameron Jesse, and local food writer Elizabeth Chorney-Booth, trying dishes I've never had before.

So we have 3 different soups here.

We have the stew, we have the bean stew, and the jute leaf.

Pati: OK. That is like, yams straight and pounded up, almost like we're mashing it, like a mashed potato?

Cameron: Yeah.

Mm!

Mm!

Kunbi: For sure.

It's so flavorful, and it's spicy.

Kunbi: Mm-hmm.

It's spicy, too, but not-- This is--this would be classified as maybe... Cameron: Mild.

Kunbi: mild.

[Laughter] Pati: What was it like growing up in Nigeria?

Completely different.

Nothing to be from here.

Pati: Ha ha!

Kunbi: I come to Canada, and I had the biggest culture shock in every way.

The food, the weather, the clothes, everything.

Just feels very overwhelming.

I grew up in the tropical weather... Pati: Mm-hmm.

where there is, uh, fruit tree everywhere.

You're hungry?

D-We don't really do breakfast.

You go eat some mango or you pick, uh, some coconuts.

Or like, it's just always fruits all over.

And so that's--that's that.

Or you're going for a corn and you're roasting it because at the backyard of the house, there is a fire just constantly going.

[Laughs] Like, um, and then growing-- I grew up in a big family, so we're constantly cooking.

How many kids?

Uh, 12.

I went to Toronto, like four years in university.

I went to Toronto multiple times, if not every weekend.

And I went to Chicago, too, because it was so close, and kind of toured round the Southwest in America because it was so close!

Did you ever consider staying in the U.S.?

No, no.

Pati: Because?

Uh, it was too scary.

[Laughs] I mean, like, living in Canada... Pati: Uh-huh?

um, everyone here is so friendly.

Like, if I go to the States, it's always, I want to go pick up something.

I enjoy buying this and that, but, like, it gets overwhelming.

Like, when you come back here, like, right from the embassy, you hear "Welcome."

Like, it's so cozy.

Like, I was like, "Ooh, I'm back to Canada.

It feels good."

[Laughs] Pati, voice-over: Elizabeth writes often about Calgary's changing cultural scene.

Elizabeth: I feel like it's a little bit more welcoming for people who might be new to Nigerian food.

So because we-- You know, traditionally, we don't have a lot of Nigerian restaurants here, So a lot of non-Nigerian people have not tried this food, and people want other Calgarians to try the food from their homelands because that's what brings us together.

Pati: Mm.

Cameron: And that's kind of the concept to bring the Nigerian fusion menu together, so that we could expand beyond the Nigerian community.

Pati, voice-over: One example of Kunbi's fusion cuisine is her very Canadian brunch infused with very Nigerian flavors, like her French toast with candied plantains an coconut ice cream.

Elizabeth.

That is incredible French toast.

This is in--Also, the plantain is in there?

Kunbi: It's in there.

Cameron: It's on top, yeah.

Pati, voice-over: Kunbi is blending cultures on the plate.

But how does Canada blend with U.S. culture just a few hours south?

Pati: People seem really friendly, but as a Mexican, eh, I haven't been here enough to understand those nuances and those differences.

Give me more.

Well, I mean... [Laughter] We're--we're--we're a small country, too.

Pati: Yeah.

Elizabeth: I mean, we're-- Most of our population is sort of just along that border.

I think we definitely have an inferiority complex... Pati: Complex.

Elizabeth: in Canada.

We, uh, you know, a lot of us want to talk about, you know, how--how we can do things like the States, too, you know.

We also have great food.

The U.S. is large and unwieldy.

And I think a lot of us, we see parts of our culture moving towards what we see in the U.S. and we-- Which parts, like?

Oh, you know, just politically sort of.

You know, s-s-s-- some people want to see private healthcare, things like that.

And I think most of us resist it.

We don't--we don't want to be the States.

We want to-- we want to be us.

Pati: And what's the future for Alberta and for Canada, you think?

I think this brunch is the future.

Like... [Laughter] Elizabeth: I--I really do.

Like, with the exception of Indigenous people, we're all immigrants here.

Pati: Yeah.

Pati, voice-over: While Kunbi is introducing Nigerian flavors through classics that Canadians love, back in Edmonton, near the historically Punjabi neighborhood of Mill Woods... [Bell rings 3 times] Ramneek Singh is aggressively ensuring that his culture's food remains authentic.

Ram is Edmonton's local bad boy food critic.

He is uncompromising in his views and has recently embarked on a self-imposed butter chicken odyssey to find the best version of this iconic dish.

[Keyboard clacking] [Fans cheering] Pati, voice-over: Growing up Punjabi in Alberta, following professional wrestling was a way for Ram to connect to pop culture.

Today, the superfan credits the combative narratives between fighters with inspiring his hard-hitting writing style.

His outspoken reviews can make or break a small business.

He's earned the respect of many but not without a cost.

Pati, voice-over: First of all, I want to hear about the death threats that you were getting.

Yeah.

For sure.

So about five years ago, I--I was reviewing food, just anything that I ate.

Uh, fast-food chains, uh, local chains, uh, or just local indie restaurants that don't have much of a following.

And I happened to review Jollibee.

Somebody had requested it, and I had a minimal following at the time.

I wrote how I felt about it.

It was very negative.

And then all of a sudden, uh, I happened to get, like, 120 notifications on Facebook, and it was just people threatening to kill me.

And they're like, "We're going to get you," and all this stuff.

And I initially thought it was a joke, but, you know, I--ah, I'm impulsive.

I've got--I've got a stereotypical Punjabi temper, so I responded to every single person... Ram: I gave it back to them.

Pati: Every single comment!

Ram: Yeah.

[Laughter] So your main influences were horror movies and wrestling.

Ram: Wrestling.

Yeah.

And I was brought up in a Punjabi household.

Didn't know English until about 1990.

I learned it from horror movies and, uh, wrestling.

But my dad and mom hated wrestling because they knew it was predetermined, which made no sense.

My aunts go like, "Oh, why do you like wrestling?

It's fake."

I could have just said, "Your arranged marriage is fake.

There's no love there.

"There's no love there.

"Like, the Bollywood movies, they're fake.

"Like, did you, like, dance around in fields and sing songs?"

Right?

Like, no, [Pati laughing] that never happened.

Pati, voice-over: Ram's blunt sense of humor and unreserved writing style is catching the attention of bigger media outlets.

I had a lot of support when I was getting the backlash, and people really enjoyed my writing, so it reinforced my writing.

And afterwards, local publications started reaching out to me, like the "Edmonton Journal."

And, like, we have so many food bloggers here.

The market is saturated.

I need to find my niche.

And then I had a daughter, and I'm trying to teach her about the culture.

I'm trying to teach her the language.

I'm like, "You know what you should go back to?

"You should go back to Indian cuisine.

"It's the cuisine that made you.

"And butter chicken is the most famous dish "that came from your country.

"So reconnect with that.

Get intimate with your cuisine."

Pati, voice-over: South Asians shape Edmonton's culture as the third-largest ethnic group.

Inspired, Ram launched the Butter Chicken Odyssey to review over 50 local takes on this Punjabi classic.

Ram: And so I started focusing on the small indie shops, and that's how I found places like Chutney, or, like, a place like Masala Tree.

And that's where I got the authentic flavors from.

Pati: And, Ram, what have you learned in this process that has been unexpected?

I've learned that a lot of restaurants are catering to Western clientele.

They've kind of adjusted their food accordingly to the Western palate, but then there's some that don't compromise.

Like, the restaurant we're in right now, they don't compromise on the flavors.

But this is, like, authentic butter chicken.

They-they marinate their chicken in advance.

They cook it in a tandoor, which is a clay oven, and that's mandatory.

I like to dump it on my naan.

Pati: Oh!

Ram: So I put the naan on the plate.

Pati: OK. We're gonna do Simon Says.

Ram: Simon says, OK, take a spoon of the-the chicken and make sure you get a lot of the gravy in it as well.

Pati: OK. Ram: Dump it on your, uh, naan.

This is how I eat it.

Pati: OK. Ram: So remember, this is not how everyone eats it, Ram: but this is how I eat it.

Pati: Yeah.

And now I will start breaking off garlic naan and putting it on that and eating it.

Pati: Much smaller.

OK. Ah!

Ram: Much smaller.

Ram: And then I will take this.

Pati: OK. And then just get a feel of that.

Oh, OK. You feeling that?

Mm.

Yeah?

Mm!

Mm!

Mm-hmm.

That's real butter chicken.

It's made with love.

I feel a resemblance with Mexican food in that it feels very complex and multi-layered.

Like, you can tell that there were many layers of seasoning happening to get... Ram: Definitely.

Yeah.

Pati: the final dish.

Ram: I think a lot of butter chicken over the years has been watered down.

Pati: OK. Ram: And it's kind of become like the tacos of Indian cuisine.

And a lot of Albertans are just relying on tomato soup and rubbery chicken breast, but you don't get that from here.

Man: [Indistinct].

That's our chicken to go.

[Sizzling] Pati: So tell me about how you feel about being Canadian.

Do you feel Canadian?

Do you feel like a Punjabi Canadian?

How would you define your identity?

I feel more like the latter.

A Punjabi Canadian.

My dad immigrated in '77.

It was very welcoming to us.

Like, sure, some people were upset or whatever, but as a nation, it embraced us.

Yeah.

Our mayor is Punjabi.

Calgary's mayor is Punjabi, so we--we really made it here.

Pati: Yeah.

Ram: Yeah.

I'm at a crossroads in my life, and I--and I do feel that the culture is being lost at times.

And when my daughter grows up, I want her to speak Punjabi.

I want her to s-sp-speak about, like, the culture or whatever.

Like, I-I do feel that we should, uh, talk about our experiences as second-generation, uh, Canadians, and what it was like growing up Punjabi, growing up in Mill Woods, which is not too far from here.

That's the cultural mosaic in Edmonton.

That's where all the Punjabis got-- set their roots in, right?

So when you go to Mill Woods, we're the norm.

Right?

You'll hear Punjabi music while you're just walking by.

Do you feel like you have a little bit of a responsibility when you're doing this?

Yeah, I do think I have a responsibility because...you got to preserve the culture.

You can't lose it, and you should always be proud of what you are.

[Laughter] Pati, voice-over: For Ram, keeping food authentic is a battle.

But on the north side of Edmonton, another group is using their culinary traditions to start over one varenyky at a time, but with a Canadian twist.

Woman: And then put together both sides.

Pati, voice-over: Nearly 10% of Albertans can trace their lineage to the early Ukrainian immigrants, who settled in the province in the late 1800s.

The last couple of years have seen a new surge but for very different reasons.

Since the start of the war in February of 2022, roughly 60,000 refugees have arrived in Alberta.

A small group of women have found a community here at Don'ya's Kitchen, a commercial kitchen staffed entirely by refugees displaced by the war.

Lillia Vovk and Nataliia Vynohradova.

are two of them.

Pati: How important was it to have Don'ya in the community for you?

It was very important have place where we can feel that we make the same thing as we make home, at home, yeah, that we speak the same language as we speak at home, you know, that we feel the same atmosphere.

We can create it here.

It was very important.

It is very important for us.

Pati, voice-over: Don'ya's Kitchen evolved from a donation center started by Ukrainian-Canadian mother and daughter duo Janice Krissa and Jorgia Moore into the commercial kitchen it is today.

Pati: When the newcomers come and they meet you, your-- and your Ukrainian heritage are what they find here in this city, what are they shocked by?

Varenyky with cheddar cheese.

Oh!

Potato with cheddar cheese for us, it's like, "Oh, my god.

What is it?"

So, yeah, we-- it's kind of, but, you know, to taste, it's really good.

Pati: How did the cooking start?

Jorgia: Yeah.

No.

Canadians were like, "We love Ukrainian food."

So the girls came to us and said, "Maybe we'll try it."

And, uh, didn't really have any background.

Like, what you're seeing with this, I had never done anything like that before.

We, um, launched with a First Nation chef Matthew Potts.

Um...

He invited you or you asked him?

Jorgia: We asked if we could come 'cause we needed a commercial kitchen.

He welcomed us in.

And the really beautiful part is he said, "No, you know, I don't know my language 'cause it was taken away from me."

He's like, "So whatever I can do to make sure that that doesn't happen," he's like, "I'm behind you."

And so there was a lot-- I know.

I--I always choke up.

There was just, like, a lot of similarities for him between what happened to the Indigenous groups here and--and what's happening in Ukraine.

So it's communities that are being torn.

Yeah.

Pati, voice-over: Part of adapting has been relearning old traditions kept alive by previous immigrants, like Jorgia's ancestors.

So under Soviet reign, you couldn't speak Ukrainian language, you couldn't do Ukrainian dance, you couldn't make a pysanky Easter egg.

Um, and so here in Canada, we were doing that.

We were carrying that through generations.

My grandparents and my great-grandparents were continuing that down.

Pati: Things that stopped in the Ukraine were actually continued outside of the Ukraine by the Ukrainian community.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And, you know, we have one secret.

Yes.

To make faster varenyky... Yeah?

we need to sing Ukrainian song.

You just--Oh!

I want to hear.

Lillia: Yeah.

Pati: Oh, I want to hear.

[Chefs singing in Ukrainian] Pati: So beautiful.

It's so moving.

[Rail whistle blows] [Crossing bell clangs] [Vehicle horn honks] Pati, voice-over: On Edmonton's east side... [Indistinct chatter] Ukrainian refugees Lida and Vera Burtova bring a different skill to their new home.

The Russian invasion halted their Olympic training.

Now they compete under a new flag.

Pati: And so, what do you want to do when you grow up?

Do you want to be a professional ice skater?

Vera: Maybe.

We are both dreaming to go to the Olympics one day.

Pati: Both of you?

Yeah.

Vera: And that's our first competition in Canada.

Pati: Do you guys see any difference between skating here and skating in the Ukraine?

Lida: A lot.

A lot of difference.

Tell me about it.

Vera: Like, coaches-- In here, the coaches are kind of, like, more nice, and in Ukraine, they're a little, like, strict.

Yeah.

Pati, voice-over: Their mom, Katya, has prepared a full meal that includes borscht, salad, varenyky, and stuffed cabbage.

In 2022, she, her husband Val, and their four daughters escaped the war in Ukraine, arriving here with nothing but a suitcase.

Kateryna: So then we were trying to find some people who can host us for, like, one week.

Mm-hmm.

Kateryna: So that's how we met David.

Pati, voice-over: David Benjestorf and his wife Amy signed up on a website that connects helpers with Ukrainian families.

Pati: So by the time you had made contact, you had already helped many Ukrainian families.

Yeah, yeah.

David: They were my 11th family.

Pati: 11. and then there's somewhere over 60 at the moment.

And so... Pati: 60?

David: Yeah.

Pati, voice-over: David and Amy helped these families make connections, find clothes and furniture, and helped the Burtovas with the most important part.

David: We pick up donated furniture and deliver it to their homes.

And so we were picking up furniture from a house, and I was telling them our story, and they said, "You should talk to Brian."

Brian's the owner of this house.

He's like, "He just moved into a seniors' home.

"He still has this house.

Maybe he would like to work with you."

Pati, voice-over: Brian not only worked with them, he gave them the house free of rent for one year until they got back on their feet.

David: Brian doesn't have grandchildren, and so he now has four grandchildren, and so they get together for dinner, and they go for walks in the river valley, and so, you-you know, if your heart's in the right place, you know, things just sort of happen.

And there's no shortage of-of folks that want to help others here.

And so we're a young province, and so we're a province in a city that's based on newcomers.

And so none of us would be here if our forefathers didn't come here.

Pati, voice-over: David knows the hardships that come with living in an active conflict zone.

He spent six months studying abroad in Russia.

While there, conflict with Chechnya broke out, leaving David alone in extremely tense circumstances.

David: I saw people shot on the bus and grenades thrown out windows and people killed in stairwells, and there was a group of Russian families that sort of circled the wagons around me and kept me safe, because there were some pretty uncomfortable times.

And without their help, it would have been potentially a difficult situation for me.

So I always thought if I could repay that debt one day, I would.

And so you fast-forward now to 2022 an-and Russia is invading Ukraine now.

Um, but I still want to repay that debt.

And so the Ukrainian people needed help.

Um, so it's odd that Russian people saved me before, um, and now we're helping Ukrainian folks.

And so we just knew we had to do something.

You didn't expect it to be this way.

Many people here, uh, have Ukrainian roots.

Pati: Mm-hmm.

Kateryna: We were also very surprised because of that.

I--I guess, like, every second, our neighbor came to us and told, "My grandparents were from Ukraine," or, "My, like, parents were from Ukraine."

So... Do you guys feel like you-- you need to represent your culture from the Ukraine here in Canada?

We basically are now exploring ev--everything.

Pati: Yeah.

Vera: You know?

I'm like, getting into Canada more than, like, Ukraine.

Yeah.

It's your new home.

Girls: Yeah.

Pati, voice-over: Immigrants move for so many reasons.

In 1997, the Bonjean family left their crowded city life in Belgium to homestead these wide-open spaces south of Calgary.

They soon founded Spirit Hills Winery, making wine with a twist.

Bjorn: We're a flower winery.

Pati: Oh, wow.

So our sugar is basically the flower nectar that the bees have gone and collected for us, and they've turned that to honey for us.

We rehydrate it back to kind of its nectar state, and then we use that as our fermentable sugar.

And then we're actually infusing actual flowers, so flower petals into the wines, and getting those really nice floral notes into the wines that way.

Not a single grape is in our wines.

Pati, voice-over: Bjorn's father Hugo started Spirit Hills before passing the reins.

Bjorn now runs it with his girlfriend Nicole Bamford and their business partner Carly Nathe.

One reason Hugo chose Alberta-- so Bjorn could grow up connected to nature.

Bjorn: And by the time I was 12 years old, I was bow hunting and got my first deer, moose, bears.

Um, we eat everything out here.

One of the reasons that we wanted to make an Alberta product is we're trying to live locally.

We really like the idea of not having our food travel 2,000 kilometers to get here.

Pati, voice-over: Now I get to enjoy the fruits of Bjorn's labor, including these grilled elk tenderloin and beef from Carly's family ranch.

Carly: I'm technically the fifth generation on, uh, my farmer ranch.

And so we're one of the original settlers in Alberta.

Pati, voice-over: What was it like to live in the borderlands between Alberta and Montana?

Carly: From my parent's front porch, we could see Montana.

We saw the Sweet Grass Hills of Montana.

Like, our backyard was Montana.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Um... [Laughs] It's delicious?

[Laughter] You are-aren't used to Alberta beef?

Man: Yeah.

A lot of people like to call Alberta the Texas of-of Canada, um... Pati: Mm-hmm.

Carly: Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

because we relate to Texas so much.

But at the same time, Montana has a very similar type of mindset an-and kind of culture down there, I would say.

Between Alberta and Texas, I think the large similarities are coming from, obviously, the cattle industry, the oil industry, um, and then just the, um... like, "don't mess with my stuff" kind of deal, like, attitude... like, just... That's very, uh, very... Like, just, yeah, like, same mindset of just like, Let me do my thing, and we'll be OK. Carly: There's a lot of Alberta businesses that have left to go to Texas because there's less red tape.

Pati: Your parents now moved to Texas.

Bjorn: Mm-hmm.

Um, and you guys opened a winery there.

Yeah.

Tell me a little bit about that and why.

Bjorn: So it just opens us up economically to a larger group of customers, I guess.

Pati: Mm-hmm.

Bjorn: Um, so... for us to go and sell in British Columbia, there's a large provincial markup.

For us to go out east to Eastern Canada, which is the largest population size of the country, there's a large provincial markup there as well.

So you-you just don't make any money trying to go outside of the province itself.

It's more profitable for us to start another business in Texas, export down to the U.S., and sell through that business to the people of the U.S. Pati, voice-over: As part of the collaboration between the two wineries in neighboring countries, they created Blue Bonney.

Pati: So it's this Alberta-Texas marriage in the wine.

Bjorn: Yeah, yeah.

So we got fresh and spicy.

So you got hot and cold all at the same time.

Pati: Oh, that's awesome!

Bjorn: Um... [Carly laughs] Bjorn: You'll get there.

Just take a little sip of that and just tell me what you think of that.

Mm-hmm.

Mm!

The smell.

[Carly laughs] Super flowery.

It's delicious.

Pati, voice-over: Just a few miles down the road are the Bonjeans' family friends, Cheryl and James Greisinger.

This husband and wife team are breaking from city life, reconnecting with the land, and teaching their children, Zoe and Zach, how to be self-sufficient.

Pati: This is such stunning view.

It's breathtaking.

Yeah, we love it.

It's a special little corner of the world for sure.

It's a special huge corner of the world.

You have the Rocky Mountains there.

Cheryl: Mm-hmm.

So I used to work a corporate job, and I used to commute to the city, and I just totally wanted to change my life.

So it's kind of like I reinvented myself as a garlic farmer.

Pati: Why garlic?

Cheryl: Uh, It's just one of the few crops that actually grow around here really well.

It's really harsh growing conditions.

We only have 100 frost-free days a year.

Pati, voice-over: In addition to Alberta's challenging climate, turning a profit off the land can be difficult.

Cheryl has found her niche by taking things a step further, turning her regular garlic into black garlic.

Cheryl: We'll just peel off, like, the outer couple layers of skin.

Mm-hmm.

And then it exposes the really beautiful color... Pati: It's so beautiful.

Cheryl: of the garlic inside.

Pati: And then the turning the garlic black, what's that process like?

After I've dried and cured it, at this point, I will select certain bulbs that I'm going to put into a machine that keeps the garlic at a low heat and humidity for a-several weeks.

And it goes through what's called the Maillard reaction.

So it kind of caramelizes the sugars and makes it-- Mm!

changes the color and flavor and texture and makes it black and sweet, like ba-balsamic vinegar, and gives you that flavor of umami and also increases the antioxidants.

So it's considered a health food at that point.

Pati: And I was actually stalking you guys on--over your Instagram, and I read something that you posted.

OK. You said, "Quite honestly, "I'm tired of convincing people "of the value of growing your own food, "why ethical food and land stewardship is more expensive."

That was a little venting session th-that I did... Cheryl: the other night.

Pati: I loved it.

Yeah, um, some people get it.

Some people understand that, you know, being able to s-sustain yourself, grow your own food is a skill that is kind of dying.

Um, garlic imported from China, and even California, they have just longer growing seasons.

A different variety grows there.

You can't compete with million-dollar tractors and all this, you know, 100 acres of a crop at the same time.

And, uh, I can't even grow it for the price they're selling it for.

So I just keep reminding myself that I'm teaching my kids skills that I feel are important.

It'll serve them well in their--in their life, I hope.

Pati, voice-over: James is a blacksmith and creates works of art from raw metals.

Hundreds have attended his workshops, experiencing transformations of their own.

People really want to use these again, and they're also discovering how important and therapeutic it is to get away from the fluorescent lights, to get out of the office, and just... Work.

And--and walk away and say, "I made this," you know?

"I made this."

Yeah.

I had a 911 operator, too, that she was dealing with some, you know, heavy stuff from what she listens to and what she has to deal with.

And by noon, just, they got a huge smile on their face.

They give me a big bear hug at the end.

Like, "I needed this.

When's the next class?"

Yeah.

We're going to forge you a knife... Pati: Oh!

and then you're going to be able to use that on the charcuterie board with Cheryl, and then that's your takeaway.

I mean, I'm already giving you a hug.

This is incredible.

I love this so much.

You're making me feel at home with an apron and making a knife.

Pati: I love charcuterie.

James: Do you?

Pati: Yeah.

James: Nice.

Pati, voice-over: We start with a steel railroad spike and let it heat in a forge at 900 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes.

What do you think?

Ready?

Yep.

You're good.

Pati: So just take it?

James: Yeah.

OK. [Hammering] Is that too much?

No.

That's great.

There we go.

Oh, wow.

James: You can pull it up, and then back in.

Like frying chicken.

Yeah.

Well done.

I love these, James.

James: And you can start to twist.

Pati: So just twist to the right.

Yep.

Whichever way you choose.

Pati: OK. James: You're the artist.

Oh, wow.

Oh, it is moving.

Pati: Oh, my gosh.

This is so beautiful.

James: Beautiful.

It's beautiful.

Pati: So this is this.

Cheryl: Yeah, this-- this is the bulb, uh, still with the skin on it.

And then I peel the skin off, and this is what the cloves end up looking like after that Maillard reaction.

It smells sweet.

Oh, this is ridiculous.

It's like garlic candy.

Mm-hmm.

[Laughs] Pati: Do you feel like the pandemic pushed for these movements for people to reconsider this way of life?

James: Yes.

Cheryl: Absolutely.

Cheryl: It did wake a lot of people up in certain ways, that they realized how dependent they are on everyone else other than themselves.

Um, so it really pushed people to--to skill build and to learn cooking themselves, um, growing their own food, learning how to build tools.

[Rooster crowing] I kind of felt like everyone else was getting this sort of experience, the lifestyle that we usually lead, not just ordering out whenever you want something, but how you can bond over cooking a meal and the satisfaction of growing it yourself, and just makes it all that much sweeter when you sit down to eat it together.

[Clucking] James: Did you try the pesto yet?

No, I haven't.

Let me try.

I want to try.

Cheryl: Do you have-- Do you eat bread?

Pati: Can you--Zach, can you prepare one for me?

You put enough pesto on as you think I may like, but you-- Cheryl: Oh, that's a bit much.

Pati: I--Well, I was so excited.

I'm a super big eater.

He's a big--he's a good chef, this one.

Pati: Don't tame your enthusiasm.

I can go for more.

[Cheryl chuckles] Cheryl: It's very garlicky.

Mm!

Mm!

Mm!

[Laughs] [James chuckles] Crazy.

If you came from a culture where you d-did all these things yourself, you know there's nothing to be afraid of.

But we've been so "protected" that we don't have a clue that--you know, and we're not empowered to--to know that we can actually grow it ourselves, make it ourselves, and not die from eating it.

And I start to talk to other people that are of the land, you realize that's what Indigenous means-- you're of the land, so... it's--it's kind of like creating our own new culture here.

We've been here-- my family-- for 17 generations, so we are Indigenous.

I guess realizing that our ancestry is being connected to this piece of land.

Pati: Yeah.

James: Properties out here sell very quick because a lot of people want to get back to the basics.

Every morning I say I start three of the Fs-- family, forge, or farm.

Cheryl: We weren't raised in a farming family, so we've learned it all ourselves.

And it's--it's been a-- it's been a challenge.

And when you see that view, that-- Pati: Yeah.

it is what keeps us here, and the community of people that we've built around us has been really what keeps us here, for sure.

Pati, voice-over: Cheryl and James' story reminds me of what I've encountered throughout my journey, that our identity often comes back to the land we call home, and our ties to the people we share it with.

[Matricia and Mackenzie singing in Indigenous language] Pati, voice-over: In a provincial park just south of Calgary... [Singing continues] I'm meeting Matricia Bauer and Mackenzie Brown, an Indigenous mother-daughter duo known as the Warrior Women.

Pati: That's beautiful!

[Matricia and Mackenzie laughing] Pati: So beautiful.

What do the words mean?

You said "welcome"?

Yeah, so I said... [Speaking Indigenous language] which means "Welcome to these lands."

[Continues in Indigenous language] "We are surrounded by the mountains."

[Continues in Indigenous language] "We are strong people..." [Continues in Indigenous language] "Who need to work together."

Pati: Mm, that's beautiful.

Pati, voice-over: They're taking me on a medicine walk to harvest plants from the forest.

Matricia: The way that we practice our harvesting, it's called the honorable harvest, and we never take the first or the last.

Uh, we never take more than we need.

And we leave enough for the next 7 generations.

So if I was walking here by myself and I wasn't here with you, I wouldn't think there was anything edible here.

Mackenzie: No.

Matricia: This is something that we would forage.

Pati: Yeah?

Matricia: Yeah.

And, uh, we can actually make a tea out of this, and it's good for colds and flus.

And then right behind it, uh, and right around it here, this is a rosebush.

So rosehip also has an enormous amount of vitamin C. So this is an antioxidant and this is a vitamin C. So this adds a lot of structure to help your body fight against colds and flus.

Pati: And these ones you don't eat.

You would make a tea out of.

Matricia: You can make a tea out of these.

You can eat them, but you do have to be a little bit careful.

Mackenzie: They get stuck in your digestive tract.

Matricia: Yeah.

So we actually call this, uh... [Speaks Indigenous language] "Itchy bum berry."

OK. [Laughter] Exactly.

Exact-- Yes, that.

And so we always believe that, you know, if you're harvesting in an area, you don't have to give tobacco to every single plant.

They actually share that gift together.

Pati: Oh, that's beautiful.

Mackenzie: Isn't that beautiful?

So we take it in our left hand... Mm-hmm.

and we gift the tobacco, and we--we thank them for their gifts that they're giving us.

[Mackenzie speaking Indigenous language] Which means, "All of my relatives, "thank you so much.

I'm grateful.

Thank you for this medicine."

Thank you to you and all of your ancestors that are sharing this knowledge with me.

[Chuckles] Pati, voice-over: Matricia uses traditional practices to stay connected to her roots despite being removed from her culture at a young age.

In the early 1960s, a program now referred to as the Sixties Scoop forced Indigenous children from their communities, often without knowledge or consent from their families.

The children were not allowed to know their real nationality or history.

It affected more than 20,000 Indigenous children, including Matricia.

Matricia: I was removed from my family when I was about five years old, and then I was placed into foster care for a while, and then my brother-- my youngest brother and myself were adopted into a different family, and they weren't Indigenous.

Um, I'm really lucky.

My family is--is amazing.

They've been amazing, um, support mentally and physically and emotionally, but I know that isn't the same story for a lot of people that went through that process.

And even though, you know, even though I was adopted into a good family, it doesn't make that transition any easier.

You know, even though I got a new family, I still had to deal with the loss of my natural family.

It's a--it's a Canadian story.

It's an Indigenous story, and, uh, I prefer not to look at myself as a--as a victim of trauma or circumstance.

Um, I-I try to think of myself as more of a resilient person, more of a strong person, more of a survivor.

Matricia: I think that every time I come outside, I'm eternally grateful for the bounty.

Like, you know, a lot of Indigenous people are drawn to the water, they're drawn to the earth, they're drawn to the outside, they're drawn to the mountains, they're drawn to the fields.

And they may not always have the knowledge because of what was taken away from us, but they have the blood memory within their bodies to be in places and spaces that make them feel good and whole.

Pati: Yeah.

Matricia: Yeah.

Oh, my gosh!

Oh, they're so beautiful.

[Matricia and Mackenzie chanting in Indigenous language] More often than not, I meet new immigrant families who come here, and they connect with me because they say, "I'm not being taught this," and I'm seeing this disconnect.

And, you know, I've had people say, you know, "Canada has been a welcoming place for me.

"It's been a safe place for me, "but I don't see that same treatment, so to say, "for some Indigenous communities.

And what can I do as a new Canadian to help?"

And that's a really beautiful thing to hear.

We're in this together.

And so how can we come together and learn about our differences and use it as a strength?

Matricia: Well, we can have tea together.

[Matricia laughing] Pati: Yeah.

Matricia: So here we have our beautiful, uh, purple aster, and, uh, then we have our beautiful, um, rosehips as well.

So we're going to be using those.

And then we also have our gorgeous chokecherry.

Pati: Right!

[Laughs] Oh, yeah.

And of course.

Oh, yeah.

With the rose petals, too.

Yeah.

Mm.

Pati: This is so delicious.

Thank you for inviting me in.

You're very welcome.

I'm always surprised, uh, what you can discover with a simple cup of tea.

Mm-hmm.

Big cheers.

Mm.

Pati, voice-over: From deep in the Arctic Circle to the Canada-U.S. border, I'm at the end of the road, at least for now.

The people I've met have shown me the power of reconciling differences and forging an identity at the intersection of cultures.

It reminds me of the many pieces of myself, the duty I feel to my various identities, and how in the end, they are not at odds but can be powerfully united.

The further I go, the more I realize how much there is still to learn.

Join me next season, as my journey inspired by the Pan-American Highway, continues south through the Lower 48 and into my homeland, Mexico.