Arctic talent: Nicole Giles discusses the comfort of chemistry in the kitchen

To Nicole Giles, cooking is an act of taking control.

“I know that if I boil sugar, add butter and some cream, I will have caramel. I know that. For sure,” she said, standing in her kitchen in Iqaluit.

Giles was mixing a batch of caramel that she was about to put on a bunch of sliced apricots that she flambéed (set briefly on fire) in rum.

She topped it with some of her signature maple syrup whipped cream.

“I know it’s rude to say that about your own food, but this is so freaking good,” she said.

In the world where certainty is as common as finding fresh apricots at Iqaluit NorthMart, the stability of step-by-step cooking instructions brings Giles comfort.

It also makes her a popular coworker. She often brings baked goods to treat her fellow Government of Nunavut employees during breaks.

“I feel like a rock star,” she said, adding that it’s gratifying to hear the praises that usually come after the treats.

A lover of music, avid singer and a person responsible for bringing the Newfoundland tradition of shouting “sociable!” in-between karaoke songs in Iqaluit bars — a signal for everyone to raise their glasses and take a drink — Giles took time to reflect on baking her way to proficiency.

Nicole Giles walks on the stage of Food Network Canada’s “Wall of Bakers” show, which she won. The show was designated for amateur bakers across Canada competing for a $10,000 prize. (Photo courtesy of Nicole Giles)

• Late 1990s: She went to a now-defunct restaurant in St. John’s, N.L., that had terrible service but an amazing $30 plate of pasta with rosemary and garlic. She called them later, saying she had an allergic reaction and demanding a list of ingredients. “I know, I’m a terrible person — shocking misbehaviour,” she said. The pasta was one of the first highbrow dishes Giles learned to cook.

• 2007: She moved to Iqaluit from Paradise, N.L., determined to give Nunavut’s capital all she had. She started learning to cook. At times of struggles, it felt like therapy, she said.

• 2016: Giles took a year to read Anna Olson’s Baking Wisdom. She cooked every single recipe from cover to cover. Well, almost.  She skipped the wedding cake. And the cookie chapter — she hates the monotony of baking cookies.

• 2022: Giles won Food Network Canada’s Wall of Bakers competition. Even though the winning prize was only $10,000, Giles says she felt like a million bucks.

• 2024: She applied for MasterChef Canada, went through three auditions, but eventually didn’t get picked for the show. “I have no worries. I had a great time and I learned a lot,” she said.

• 2025: Singer Jeremy Dutcher visited Iqaluit for a concert in January. Giles is a huge fan, and was thrilled when he and his team accepted a dinner invitation at her house. She bought some dry char, made char chowder and a blood orange olive oil cake with maple syrup whipped cream. They also had some bannock and hot honey butter. Dutcher loved all of it, she said.

Tips from the trade: Choose a cookbook you enjoy. Anna Olson’s Baking Wisdom, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Amanda Hesser’s The Essential New York Times Cookbook or whatever works for you. Take it, and make it your own, Giles says.

Giles’ three other Arctic talent picks: Fellow amateur chef Adamie Sakeeta; actor and writer Vinnie Karetak; actress and advocate Malaya Qaunirq-Chapman.