WHITEHORSE – Chef Cat McInroy is sharing a new culinary experience with Whitehorse.

McInroy, the owner of the newly opened Well Bread Culinary Centre, has long cooked for private local chefs and family, even helping to formulate the Air North flight kitchen in its earliest days.

“I worked as a first responder with the RCMP for 20 years, retiring in 2014,” said McInroy. “I spent the next few years pursuing my dreams of a culinary career.”

McInroy, who had already graduated with honours in Le Cordon Bleu Cooking and Catering in 2006, also graduated with honours in Baking & Pastry Arts, 2016 from SAIT.

She also got very close to a spot on MasterChef Canada. (LEARN MORE)

“I didn’t get it, but it gave me some great contacts, and the ability to take the pastry course at SAIT that I was excited about,” said McInroy.

McInroy knew that she wanted to do something in the food industry that hadn’t already been dreamt up in Whitehorse.

“I decided that a first-of-its-kind culinary learning experience was what I would love to build. A culinary centre where home cooks can learn about and prepare food in a new, exciting way,” said McInroy.

McInroy and her husband, Pat, bought a Sixth Avenue downtown building that used to house the Boys and Girls Club and spent a year renovating the space to include height-adjustable marble worktables, stainless steel sinks, fridges, pastry racks and ovens.

Outside, a greenhouse with fruit trees is in full swing with the warm weather.

Not everything has gone to plan.

A few months prior to opening in late 2018, McInroy discovered that there were stand mixers, a food processor and glasses totalling over $2,000, missing from her warehouse.

“It was frustrating, because it would have delayed the start of my baking classes.”

Then something amazing happened.

A friend of McInroy’s expressed her anger over the theft on Facebook, and challenged the Whitehorse community to help McInroy replace the appliances she had lost.

Within days, people who were friends, acquaintances, and even perfect strangers, dropped off new mixers and replaced the rest.

“I was so touched. People I didn’t even know were dropping off brand-new stand mixers worth hundreds of dollars,” said McInroy. “One woman told me that plenty of people had helped her, and she wanted to pay it forward.”

The Well Bread Culinary Centre officially opened in December 2018 and McInroy has been amazed with the response.

“Classes have been selling out,” said McInroy. “I am encouraging people to sign up early; it’s really easy to do on our website.”

Well Bread Culinary classes are $95 and up, depending on the cost of ingredients. Fundamental classes run throughout the year, others are based on a seasonal connection such as preserves and meat curing in the fall, or fresh ideas for the bounty from the greenhouse. 

Some upcoming classes include: Curing and Smoking Meat, Pastry 101, Thai Food, Pasta 101, Chocolate Bon Bons and Sauce Making Fundamentals.

Happy clients are giving thumbs-up so far.

“What an amazing time! The dairy class was phenomenal, delicious and educational on so many levels. I learned so much! I can’t wait to come back for another class.” –

Victoria Irwin (via Facebook Review).

For more information, or to book a class, visit www.wellbread.ca

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