Firing Up the Grill!

by Jared Wayland

If you’ve been following along on the @canquantumrehab (or even my personal @jaredway account), you’ve probably noticed by now that one of my favourite things to do is cook - especially BBQing!

Ever since I can remember, I have had a passion for delicious food, and have always been amazed by how people could make such great dishes and meals. In my early teens, I really started to experiment in the kitchen at my parents’ home and realized that cooking was something I really enjoyed doing not only for myself, but for others as well. There is something about creating something and seeing others enjoy it. One of my dreams as a teenager in highschool was to attend culinary school afterwards, however, it did not work out that way. The long hours required on my feet in a kitchen, along with the fast paced atmosphere and close quarters was something that wasn’t quite practical for me due to my disability - and that’s ok! Despite that, I still really enjoyed cooking at home where it allowed me to do things at my own pace and seek the required help with certain kitchen tasks from my family.

As the years passed, I found myself reading more and more cookbooks and watching a lot of YouTube videos from many chefs all over the world. I tried to give myself the basic knowledge of things such as seasoning food, cooking meats the correct way, and learning what items could be paired with other items in order to create delicious meals. It was certainly a lot of trial and error (and still is!). I was lucky to grow up in a household where there was always amazing food on the table - a lot of which centered around the BBQ. My dad would BBQ in the summer almost every night for our family, and it didn’t stop there. I have vivid memories of my dad shovelling a path in knee deep snow in the winter, just so he could get to the BBQ - it wasn’t just reserved for the hot months!

BBQing is probably my favourite method of cooking things these days. Last summer, my dad purchased a beautiful new grill for my fiancee and I - and it is something the both of us enjoy doing as often as we can. I think this past summer, we fired up the grill at least 5 nights a week, enjoying the weather and our backyard. My Quantum Edge 3 Stretto power chair has made it so easy to access the BBQ and be able to tend to our eats much easier as well. I am able to actually sit above my food, making sure we achieve the perfect sear and temperature on whatever it is we’re cooking. Our everchanging menu often includes things such as steaks, homemade burgers, sausages, seafood, and more - we even turn the BBQ into a smoker sometimes and let things such as ribs and whole chickens slow-cook their way to perfection on the grill. Also, much like my dad taught me, the BBQ isn’t just reserved for the warmer months. We have enjoyed it all through the winter so far, and it is definitely one of the activities that has kept us busy during the Covid19 lockdown of this winter (and the last almost-year).

Even though I wasn’t able to follow my “dream” career of becoming a chef, I didn’t let that deter me from following my interests and learning as much as I could about the craft. I am still learning every day and trying new recipes and techniques, and hope to continue that for the years to come. I have never had as much freedom at the grill and in the kitchen as I have now thanks to my Stretto! Keep following along on Instagram to see what I’m cooking up!