RRC Polytech - Prairie Research Kitchen

The Prairie Research Kitchen is dedicated to culinary research and food development projects with Canadian companies. The facility specializes in applied research, technical services and training to food processing and food service companies.

The 4,600–square-foot facility is located at RRC Polytech’s school of hospitality and culinary arts on the 11th floor of the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute in downtown Winnipeg.

Image showing person working in an industrial kitchen

The Prairie Research Kitchen specializes in:

  • food prototyping
  • ingredient utilization
  • recipe development
  • process improvements
  • food styling and photography
  • consumer taste testing

The Prairie Research Kitchen supports the protein industry by creating chef-driven prototypes incorporating plant and animal protein products, using pulse products and meat-based and charcuterie products. The industry benefits from the unique perspective the culinary research team brings to projects, with a focus on taste for consumers and performance for food service applications. The culinary research team has a blended background of culinary and food science skills, supplemented with the talent from RRC Polytech culinary students and instructors.

The Prairie Research Kitchen features:

  • A fully equipped commercial kitchen and a second modular-style kitchen for project-specific equipment and client projects.
  • An analytical and culturing lab.
  • A client collaboration and focus group space.
  • A specialized food photography room.
Image showing inside view of Prairie Research Kitchen

In addition to equipment housed at the Prairie Research Kitchen, the research team has access to analytical equipment in RRC Polytech’s Life Sciences labs, including an Illumina Genetic Sequencer. This opens up opportunities for collaborative genetic-backed research projects in food and agriculture sector.

The culinary research team works with government funding agencies to provide applied research support for industry to commercialize new food applications, and works with food development partners to bring new food products to market.

The Prairie Research Kitchen is a Technology Access Centre (TAC), funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The TAC provides local industry (particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises) with access to specialized technology, equipment, and expertise.

Contact

For more information about RRC Polytech, visit their website or email us at mbproteinadvantage@gov.mb.ca to get this information in an alternate forman.