Jade Berg was cold.
It was his fourth night in the woods and the atmospheric river had just hit B.C. He was trying to sleep in a makeshift shelter that he described as 害羞草研究所渨orse than sleeping under a pasta strainer.害羞草研究所�
Everything was wet, his waterproof gloves had been wrung out too many times, his clothes hadn害羞草研究所檛 dried out since he fell in the ocean three days prior and the storm was just hitting its peak.
Still, he had to sleep, or at least try to. He dozed, sometimes for up to twenty minutes at a time, but would be woken up again when he rolled over and an icy shower of water that had accumulated on top of his waterproof hood poured into his jacket.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e never been that cold in my life,害羞草研究所� he said.
Berg had spent the last three days in the woods on the Sunshine Coast, but he wasn害羞草研究所檛 just camping. He was trying to make a five-star meal, and was doing it all on camera for Hulu害羞草研究所檚 new series Chefs Vs. Wild.
Video courtesy Hulu
Chefs Vs. Wild is a new show on Hulu which will be premiering in Canada in late October. The idea is that a fine dining chef is paired up with a survivalist somewhere in the woods on the west coast.
They have four days to gather and wild craft as many ingredients as they can while surviving on their own, then use those ingredients to create a five-star meal.
害羞草研究所淲hat they don害羞草研究所檛 show on the series is that we had no food with us, the clothes on our backs and a backpack full of sugar and vinegar to make infusions害羞草研究所� We害羞草研究所檙e not sleeping in sleeping bags. We害羞草研究所檙e sleeping on sword ferns in a shelter that we built, trying to stay out of the rain,害羞草研究所� Berg said. 害羞草研究所淲hen we came across the food 害羞草研究所� for example we found oysters on the beach one day 害羞草研究所� do we keep it? We have to do an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. Or do we eat it because we haven害羞草研究所檛 eaten anything in days.害羞草研究所�
In 2008, Berg arrived on the west coast with the dream of being a chef. He had $100 in his pocket, no place to stay, and no job, but immediately jumped in to Vancouver害羞草研究所檚 restaurant scene. After paying his dues there for a few years, and bouncing around the coast between Vancouver and Powell River, he eventually settled down in Campbell River and worked in fine dining as a chef. That was until he had a major back injury and was told he害羞草研究所檇 have to give up his dream job.
害羞草研究所淲ork Safe said 害羞草研究所榶eah, you害羞草研究所檙e never cooking again,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 he said. 害羞草研究所淭hat led to a lot of soul searching, what was I going to do? That害羞草研究所檚 what I tied my identity to. I started driving commercially害羞草研究所� and started getting more into the wild food side of things.害羞草研究所�
It was through his appreciation for wild food that an unexpected opportunity arose.
害羞草研究所淚 started fishing a lot more and really wanted to start getting out and foraging, hunting, and doing everything I could to have that connection to the land and the food I made. I started posting pictures of it on Instagram and somehow it became my marketing. I got a message one day from ITV Casting, saying they害羞草研究所檇 like to have me on this new show,害羞草研究所� he said.
A few months later, he was dropped off in the bush, and things didn害羞草研究所檛 quite go as expected.
害羞草研究所淚n the first two weeks that I was there (before filming) the foraging was amazing, but as soon as the wind and rain started hitting the mushrooms went from being in their prime to being rotten and non-existent,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淲e had to keep it fresh, if you found a bunch of mushrooms, what are you going to keep them in?害羞草研究所�
All that time, he was subsisting on about 100 calories per day, and had to be in a cooking competition at the end of it all.
害羞草研究所淚t was only four nights, but those four nights felt way longer that that. On night two, I thought 害羞草研究所榳hat did I get myself into?害羞草研究所� On day three, I hadn害羞草研究所檛 eaten anything that day, my partner had been pulled from the game (due to hypothermia) so I was doing all of the foraging myself,害羞草研究所� he said.
害羞草研究所淚 had some sort of like, I don害羞草研究所檛 know man, change of heart or epiphany kind of thing. The first time since entering that depression after the back surgery and ending my career that I felt that alive. I was like 害羞草研究所榟oly shit man, I can feel this.害羞草研究所� I wasn害羞草研究所檛 just numb,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚 was miserable, cold and hungry, and I don害羞草研究所檛 know if it was a combination of not eating for that many days or not sleeping. It sounds stupid and cliche, but holy shit, that was a big turning point for me. It helped me find my passion again.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 about embracing the suck,害羞草研究所� he said.
As for the cooking competition part of the show, we don害羞草研究所檛 want to give away the ending. However Berg did say he cook something unexpected with a sea urchin.
He hopes that this show gives his Wild Isle Cooking business more exposure, and helps more people realize the amount of food that is available right at their feet.
害羞草研究所淭o me it害羞草研究所檚 all about connection. You go to the grocery store and get a piece of meat, wrapped in plastic on a piece of Styrofoam害羞草研究所� . You don害羞草研究所檛 respect the ingredient and you don害羞草研究所檛 really understand害羞草研究所� that was a living, breathing, feeling animal,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚f you害羞草研究所檙e out there害羞草研究所� picking berries for hours and hours to get enough to make the jam you want for the season, you work hard for it, and develop a connection and respect.害羞草研究所�
Chefs Vs. Wild begins streaming on Disney+ on Oct. 26, with two episodes per week. Berg is featured on episode 3, which will be available Nov. 2.
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