| When its regular cook failed to show up for work, the Polar Club, a private club at Queen Elizabeth and Palaugaa, gave Arturo Valenzuela, a recent immigrant and dishwasher, the job. Although he knew nothing about cooking, he started anyway – merely following the chef’s orders. Every day he and his coworkers served more and more club members who apparently approved of their soup and whale bacon sandwiches. For six or seven years, Arturo worked at the Polar Club and at various restaurants that his employers later established in the community. . They later promoted him to executive chef. It was 1986, and he was only thirty years old. For nearly fourteen years in this role, until the Polar Club closed January 2000 (damaged beyond repair by the ill-advised Running of the Narwhals), he catered meals for many club members, as well as many visiting VIPs. This included a breakfast for a twosome, Prime Minister Jean Chretien and Stompin Tom Connors. Arturo embraces a simple philosophy: work hard and learn. Fully acclimated, Arturo loves Iqualuit and would not live anywhere else. With his son Pepe and the support of the community, Arturo opened ZAPATA'S in 2001 to share the culture of his homeland with the good northern people who have adopted him. |
