What is Canadian cuisine? There’s a lot more to it than maple syrup, poutine and Caesars – and chef Scott Downey wanted to prove it. It was 2015 and Scott had just finished a shift at Wildebeest in Vancouver when he decided to go for a walk. During that short 20-minute walk he came across at least 10 different wild ingredients. “I started to realize that all these (ingredients) I was seeing were things I used in restaurants. I was like, 'Hey! I recognize these plants! They’re delicious, they’re amazing and they’re everywhere!’" Scott says. “And that’s when I started thinking – what if a whole restaurant stemmed from that idea?” So that’s what Scott set out to do. He moved home to Alberta and in September 2017 he opened The Butternut Tree.
Located at the edge of downtown overlooking the River Valley and Alberta Legislature Building, The Butternut Tree is a hub for Canadian cuisine. The menu is always changing to showcase seasonal ingredients and to utilize the many plants, produce and proteins of Canada. “By showing people the diversity of what actually comes from Canada it’ll kind of open their eyes,” Scott explains. “It’ll also show people what the flavour of Canada is.”
The Butternut Tree is a textbook example of Canadian hospitality and has one of the best views in all of Edmonton. “A big part of having this Canadian restaurant is that it’s not necessarily just about the food,” Scott says. “It needed to feel Canadian.” The restaurant has massive sunlit windows and a panoramic view of the River Valley and surrounding city area. Not surprisingly, it took Scott more than seven months and hundreds of viewings before he finally found his perfect location. “After all the spots I saw, this is the only place I walked into and immediately said yes,” he says. “When you’re here, I want you to look at Canada and I want you to love it.”
