Indigenous-owned cafe opens at Fort Langley National Historic Site

Food has been an important connection to her ancestral roots for Sarah Meconse Mierau.

As the daughter of a ’60s Scoop victim, Mierau witnessed her mother’s efforts to reconnect with her culture and traditional diet. She recalled her father’s support and love, and his help for her mother.

“I grew up in a family that loved food but did not always make healthy food choices, which created a lot of health problems later in life as our bodies were not meant to eat the highly processed diets of today,” Mierau said.

Her mother passed away when Mierau was 12 years old, and her father was later diagnosed with cancer.

Wanting to brighten his day, Mierau surprised him by making potato pancakes – a traditional German Mennonite dish he had grown up with.

“He told me they tasted just like the ones his mom used to make him… I made him something every week, and every time he got so excited,” she shared.