A CHEF’S TALE
Author explores life of late Gail Hall
A biography is a weighty responsibility. So when local food writer Twyla Campbell took on the job of telling the life story of the late chef Gail Hall in the book Maps, Markets and Matzo Ball Soup, it was with some trepidation.
“I didn’t know where to start,” said Campbell, a colleague and friend of Hall’s whom readers may know as the restaurant critic for CBC Radio’s morning show in Edmonton.
Hall was 65 when she died of breast cancer in November of 2016. For more than three decades, she was a major force on the Edmonton food scene. As the owner of Gourmet Goodies (Edmonton’s go-to caterer in the 1980s and 1990s), Hall introduced the Edmonton palate to new food trends. She was also a Red Seal chef and cooking instructor, plus a culinary tour leader, food writer and self-described “food activist” who promoted the local food movement well before it became a catchphrase.
So, yes, there was a lot to cover in Hall’s bio, to launch at Audreys Books at 7 p.m. on Sunday. And like all good biographies, it’s not just about Hall. There is much in her story to inspire readers as they consider their own life journeys.
Campbell took on the biography (which also happily contains a number of Hall’s favourite recipes) after being approached by Hall’s husband of more than 30 years, Jon Hall. Passionate about his wife’s legacy, Hall also launched a charitable fund in his wife’s name. Run through the Edmonton Community Foundation, the ChefGailFund supports a number of food-related initiatives, including a children’s camp with a focus on healthy eating, and training programs for young chefs. Proceeds from book sales will go to the fund.
The Journal spoke to Campbell about the new biography, the secret ingredient in Hall’s recipes, and her talent for never, ever giving up.
Q How did you assemble what you needed to write the book?
A I interviewed 60 people in total. And then it took me a couple of weeks, just looking at everything, before I heard her voice in my head, and it was the speech she gave when she won the Milner Fenerty Pinnacle Business Award. So I began to set up the behind-the-scenes stuff, how she got to that success. And then it just flowed.
Jon gave me four of her journals, and that was a huge deal. This information was so special and personal, and I was scared to open them. There was a pink one and I knew it would be full of her cancer treatments and her thoughts about that. But the book is not about a woman with cancer.
Q So what is the book about then?
A It’s about a woman who had to reinvent herself a few times, and who took risks and didn’t let inconveniences, big or small, stop her. When she was a little kid, she was a feisty tomboy who tried to keep up with her brothers. She was curious. That’s the kind of woman she grew up to be. Curious and unstoppable.
Q Despite Hall’s clear successes, plus her numerous awards, accolades and community contributions, she struggled with insecurity. How do you think her background affected her life and her career?
A Gail’s insecurity stemmed from childhood because her father’s business went bankrupt, and that created a lot of tension in the family, and between her parents, who fought a lot. Gail was only six or seven and, as children do, she thought it was her fault somehow. Her mother was out of the house a lot and so Gail took on the cooking to make people feel better.
She liked how people reacted to her food. Food brings people joy and makes them feel good, and that was her focus. She learned to cook from her mother, who had extremely high standards.
Q Does the book contain a broader message for others?
A Yes. We need to think about more than ourselves all the time. Gail had a generous heart like nobody else I know. Even when she was sick, when she had so much on the go, she always gave more than seemed humanly possible. She couldn’t say no.
She had this rare trait of making you feel special no matter who you were. And that’s why she was such a great chef and cooking instructor. Food was the vessel in which she connected with people.