A new Manitoba television series is showing viewers that healthy eating can still be full of flavour while highlighting local food producers across the province.
The Diabetic Kitchen, a six-episode cooking series that began airing in January 2026, combines a traditional cooking show format with visits to farms and food producers throughout southern Manitoba. Each episode features a different theme, ranging from game-day eats to vegetarian-style meals.
The series follows host Kevin Beaulieu as he prepares diabetes-friendly meals using local ingredients. Registered dietitian Bailey Lakutsa closes out each episode with a breakdown of each recipe’s nutritional composition.
The Manitoba-made series was celebrated at a public screening on March 10 at the Park Theatre in Winnipeg, where three episodes were shown to a large audience.
For the show’s cast and crew, the project represents both a health-focused initiative and a celebration of Manitoba’s culinary and agricultural communities.
The concept for the series came from producer Karen Tusa, who said the inspiration was rooted in her own family’s experience with diabetes.
Tusa explained that her father was diagnosed with the disease years ago, prompting her family to pay closer attention to what they were eating. With other friends and relatives also living with the condition, she said the issue has long been on her mind.
The idea developed through conversations with director George Orallo, a longtime collaborator who also lives with diabetes. While researching the concept, Tusa said they discovered there were few cooking shows focused specifically on diabetes-friendly recipes.
“I did a lot of research, and there are no diabetic (cooking) shows out there,” said Tusa.
After pitching the idea to several broadcasters, the series was picked up by Bell Fibre TV1. The network supported the concept, but producers wanted to ensure the program reflected Manitoba’s food culture.
Instead of filming exclusively in a studio kitchen, the production team decided to visit local farms and suppliers, tying the ingredients used in each episode to the producers who grow or supply them.
Tusa, who works professionally as a location scout and location manager, said the approach allowed the show to showcase Manitoba’s agricultural landscape and the people behind it.
“I thought, wouldn’t this be a cool twist to bring this (idea) into a cooking show?” stated Tusa. “We thought it would be so much better to send our host to the different locations and interview the producers at their place of work so they could share what they do in their environment.”
While the show highlights Manitoba producers and healthy home-style cooking, the central goal is to make diabetes-friendly meals accessible to people looking to improve their health.
Beaulieu brings an unusual background to the role. Unlike most television cooking hosts, he does not come from a culinary or broadcasting profession.
“I sell trucks at the Freightliner dealer in Winnipeg for a living,” Beaulieu said. “I’ve worked there for almost 15 years now.”
His connection to the series came through Orallo, whom he has known since high school. The idea for Beaulieu to host the show came during regular Sunday dinners he hosted for friends.
“One day Orallo said, ‘I’m going to do a cooking show, and you’re going to be the host,’” Beaulieu recalled.
Like Orallo, Beaulieu also lives with Type 2 diabetes, which helped shape the direction and tone of the series.
The creators wanted the show to feel approachable, especially for viewers who might be intimidated by complicated recipes or specialized equipment. Simple tools — including beginner-friendly gadgets like a slap-chop — appear regularly throughout the episodes.
“We didn’t want to intimidate anybody,” Beaulieu said. “We wanted to encourage people to try the recipes and make small changes toward better health.”
Filming for the first season took place over several days, including visits to farms and food producers across southern Manitoba, followed by cooking segments filmed in a home kitchen.
Despite the relatively short production schedule, Beaulieu said the experience gave him a new appreciation for television production.
“I’ve walked away from this with a deeper appreciation of folks that do this for a living.”
For Beaulieu, one of the most meaningful aspects of the project was the way it brought together longtime friendships and community connections.
“The show really tells a story of relationships,” he said. “Food brings us together as family and friends.”
All six episodes of The Diabetic Kitchen are now available for streaming on Bell Fibre TV1. The cast and crew hope the series will attract additional distribution and potentially be renewed for a second season.
