If the scent of cumin or coriander is present at the Williams Lake Farmers’ Market it is most likely because Jackie Pooni is creating something good to eat.
At both the Tuesday and Friday markets, you will find her there cooking under her Fennel Cup awning.
She makes favourite Indian foods such as samosas and pakoras.
“I like cumin, and coriander, black pepper, cracked chili, salt and cilantro,” she said when asked for some of the secrets about her cooking.
“It’s all about the spices you put in.”
She does not use garam masala, a combination of various spices already prepared, because it has too many flavours, she said.
In addition to spice choices, her homemade dough is also something that makes her samosas popular.
Some people use egg roll wrappers for their samosas, and have suggested to her that she should too, but she said it’s just not the same.
For making pakoras, she confirmed that chick pea flour or pea flour are crucial to getting the fritters to hold together.
Jackie and her friend Colleen Killman started Fennel Cup in 2017 which they operated out of a lime green food truck.
Today Jackie runs the business solo, minus the food truck.
Aside from the farmers’ markets, she also enjoys attending as a food vendor to various events such as Arts on the Fly in Horsefly earlier this month.
Before 2017, she worked at Carmen’s Restaurant for 33 years as a cook.
“We used to serve a big buffet on Saturdays and Sundays,” she said.
Today she works three of four days a week in the kitchen at the Overlander Pub.
Jackie has called Williams Lake home since 1976.
“My sister was here and she sponsored us. I came here with my dad.”
In Williams lake, she met her husband, Charanjit Pooni.
They have two children.
Bhavna their daughter lives in Saskatoon and has a daughter and their son Parveen lives in Langley and has two daughters.
Parveen would like to see his parents move to Langley, she said, but noted at this point in her life she is happy being in Williams Lake.
“I love the market too. We all know each other here,” she said.
Charanjit works at Tolko Soda Creek and depending on his shift at the mill, he helps her at the market sometimes.
When she is not involved with the farmers market, she enjoys walking her dog Millie, a Bernese Mountain and Shepherd cross.
One of her favourite places to walk with Millie is in the river valley, so she was disappointed to learn on Tuesday, July 23, it will be closed to the public due to a recent 40-hectare wildfire there.
She said she will probably start walking on Fox Mountain, a place she went with Millie when she was younger.
Jackie also does 45 minutes of weight training at least two times a week at Concrete Fitness during market season.
When she is not doing markets she goes to the gym Monday to Friday.
“Saturday I work and Sunday is my day off,” she said.
