Sheila is the founder and executive chef of sijjakkut, a 100% Inuit owned company that prides itself in the preservation and promotion of Inuit culture through inuksiutit menus. Sheila has shared menus in Iqaluit, Ottawa, Toronto and New York City. She also collaborated with other accomplished chefs in a New Arctic Kitchen event in Nuuk, Greenland.
Shortly after making Iqaluit her home in 2010, Sheila started working with the delicate and unique flavours of Inuit foods to create delicious fusion dishes. She quickly discovered a demand for inuksiutit menus and has been catering local events since 2011.
Sheila’s participation in MasterChef Canada Season IV catapulted her passion for inuksiutit dishes to a national audience. She has been featured in the Globe and Mail as one of the top emerging chefs in Canada, was featured in a Chatelaine article and has contributed a recipe with The Kit. She has appeared in Chuck and the First Peoples’ Kitchen, Moosemeat and Marmalade and NHK’s Gatten!
Sheila is Inuvialuk and is enrolled in the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.