Weekend pop-up restaurant looking for permanent home in Regina

A Regina chef is giving people a taste of her Mexican and locally inspired cuisine. But so far, only on weekends.

Mariana Brito is the head chef of the Backyard Project, a pop-up restaurant that operates out of different locations on weekends.

Last summer, she was based at an orchard near Lumsden, Sask. This summer, she's in Regina.

"I came here for a job and then I fell in love," she said.

• Meet CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 winner Mariana Brito

Britogrew up in Tijuana, Mexico, and trained there as a pastry chef. Now she's testing her restaurant concept in the Queen City to judge whether it could work her in the long-term.

The concept is simple enough.Each weekend, Brito and her fellow chefs come up with a new menu, inspired by local, organic ingredientsand what's in season.

The venue often changes, but the idea of embracing what's around you remains the same.

"In Saskatchewan, the season is so crazy that when things come, they just come. Like right now, rhubarb and asparagus and fiddle heads are starting, so it's when you want to pick them and use them and serve them," she said.

While most of the ingredients are currently local, Brito saidshe is thinking to expand to ethically-sourcedMexican ingredientsto incorporate her heritage into her menus.

A week's worth of labour

The work for the weekend starts on Tuesdayswhen Brito starts contacting farmers and placing orders for the week, and visiting the local farmer's market.

"Basically I'm constantly looking for new ingredients and developing relationships with new farmers so that I can incorporate their product into my menu," she said.

She's recently served dishes including lamb, rhubarband, every weekend, a different variety of seasonally flavoured sodas.

Next month, Brito will be taking a hiatus from the weekend meals to train under a chef in Denmark.

But in July, she'll be back with more Backyard Project dates and a renewed mission to find a permanent home for the restaurant.

"We're moving into the possibility of opening a full-time restaurant," she said.

Her next pop-up restaurant is in the courtyard of the Cathedral neighbourhood's iconic St. Mary's church on June 3 and 4.

Tickets are $75 per person, with tax and tip included. The main course is an option of meat or vegetarian.

More information about tickets can be found on the restaurant's website.