An 81 year old Lac La Biche man has turned a love for cooking from his youth into a popular local social media site that has grown over the years to have more than 800 local followers.
Elmer Gawryletz started the “Make it, Bake it, Roast it, Post it” site in 2013. The site, which features images of home-cooked meals and baked goods uploaded by followers, is also sprinkled with kind and supportive comments from Gawryletz. The local widower has been overwhelmed with the response so far.
“It went over our expectations, our goal when we started this page was about 30 to 35 people, and we got more than that within the first day of having the page up,” said Gawryletz.
‘Make it, Bake it, Roast it, Post it’ allows for members to upload pictures of their well-plated meals and desserts for everyone to see, and Gawryletz always makes an effort to leave an enthusiastic comment on everyone’s posts. He says that he started the group because many people prepare nice meals and have no one to show them to.
“I felt that there was so much hidden talent out there that should be brought out and exposed,” said Gawryletz. “A lot of times, a person will prepare maybe one of the most wonderful meals they’ve ever prepared and there is no one to see it, nobody will give them recognition for it. So they post it in the Facebook group, and it makes them feel good. If the person went to the trouble of preparing it, taking the photo, and putting it on our page then it deserves recognition.”
A passion for food
As a teenager, Gawryletz always loved being in the kitchen and experimenting with new and exciting recipes. When he got married and started having kids, however, he didn’t get to spend as much time cooking as he would have liked to because he had to provide for his family by working in construction. Around nine years ago, his wife became ill which brought him back into the kitchen again.
“I had to get back to cooking and baking to look after her. So a little at a time, the cooking and baking I did as a teenager started to come back to me, and it blossomed from there,” he said.
When asked what his favourite meal to make is, he kept it simple saying that he loves a good burger and mashed potatoes, and when he does go out, he likes to go to Ginger House for some Chinese food, or V&H.
The Facebook group just keeps on growing, and Gawryletz is happy to have attracted the kinds of people that are passionate about food and also are wanting to create an accepting, and encouraging online environment.
“We have a tremendous group, that’s all I can say. It’s just more than I ever expected,” he said.
To join The Make it, Bake it, Roast it, Post it site — which is a private group — a request can be made here.
