ST. PAUL, Alta. – Who has the best sugar pie in Alberta?
Albina Brousseau’s sugar pie was named the best sugar pie in the province’s Francophone community by the Association Canadienne Française de l’Alberta (ACFA) on Oct. 14 in Edmonton. Brousseau is from St. Paul and represented the ACFA Régionale de Saint-Paul (ACFA St. Paul).
ACFA St. Paul president Virginie Dallaire, who presented the award, said Albina competed against eight other regional ACFA chapters under the provincial ACFA umbrella. All the other eight sugar pies were the best in their respective regions, “and luckily, St. Paul’s is the best sugar pie in Alberta’s Francophone community,” said Dallaire.
Dallaire said the award is also an opportunity for St. Paul’s Francophone community to say, “We are proud to be from St. Paul.”
Albina said she did not expect to win because of how good the other sugar pies were and was “pleasantly surprised because I didn’t think that a great grandma from St. Paul would be the winner.” She said she has no regrets about participating.
When asked about her secret, she said, “I love to bake, and my neighbours can attest to that fact.”
“I’m a baker, and I make bread every week and share them with all my neighbours,” said Albina with a smile. “They must like it because they keep me supplied with flour, yeast, and shortening.”
“I shouldn’t say this, but I don’t like sugar pie,” she admits, with a glance at Richard, her husband. “My husband is the one who loves it.”
“It’s a good thing he’s not fussy because not every recipe I try is that good,” said Brousseau, to which Richard responded with, “I wouldn’t say that.”
According to Dallaire, “Albina is the best cook ever.” However, she added that not only is Albina a good cook, but she has also contributed and done a lot of volunteering to St. Paul’s “vibrant” Francophone community.
Couple recognized for contribution
Albina and Richard are also recipients of the ACFA “Ordre Des Sages De la Francophonie Albertaine” award for their contributions to promoting the Francophone community, French language and culture within the Province of Alberta. The award was presented on Oct. 15, also in Edmonton.
The couple’s contributions and volunteer work include hosting youth from a French Summer Camp, where they educated young people about agriculture in Alberta, which involves planting seeds like lettuce, radish, and dill, “something easy for them to put in the ground.”
In addition, the youth also learned how food is produced in the province and were taken for a bus ride to tour various farms in the region, including a field now owned by their eldest son. Also, “I asked a neighbour if we could go in his field,” and the youth were shown fields of canola and barley.
Albina also has years of experience as a teacher, which primarily involves teaching French immersion to elementary school students. She said her philosophy has always been to be a teacher who treats children as she would her own children and grandchildren.
“I would tell them you’re special, and nobody can replace any of you,” said Albina, adding, it is also her own way of practicing her faith.
According to Albina, the Francophone community has always promoted and imparted their language and culture to “our children, and our children sharing it with their grandchildren.”
She said she believes that every nationality should also be “proud of their heritage,” no matter where they are from, and preserve their cultures and traditions.
“It’s very important to keep that and to respect each other for who we are or who they are.”
