Shaping Saskatchewan: Christie Peters

By Chris Carr Global News

Posted October 30, 2026 6:53 pm

1 min read

3:08 Shaping Saskatchewan Christie Peters

A decision a decade and a half ago to establish her business in Saskatoon’s Riversdale neighbourhood has paid off in a big way for Christie Peters. The Saskatoon business owner and chef says the location appealed to her because of its proximity to the river, and that it was up and coming area.

“And I had seen other restaurants in Vancouver that I worked at succeed very well in areas like Gastown, and I thought this would be a great time to try a restaurant as a young person where I could actually afford the rent,” said Peters. “So, we gave it a shot with the Hallows in 2011 in the old Golden Dragon building.”

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The Hallows remained open until the building was torn down nine years later. Fortunately, she said a new building for Primal had already been acquired. Primal opened in 2015 and has since become a nationally recognized place to dine in Canada, cracking the top 100 restaurants in Canada recognized by Open Table, in 2021. Pop Wine Bar, which is right across the street, followed in 2022.

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With all the success she has enjoyed, Peters said she is very proud to have been invited to the fermentation lab in Copenhagen, which was the best restaurant in the world at the time of her visit.

She was also invited to be a judge on the Wall of Chefs, something she called an incredible experience.

“When I moved to Vancouver, my first chef was Chef Rob Feenie and he had his own show at the time, I when I ended up at Wall of Chefs, I was sitting right next to Rob Fenny. So, it had all come full circle. It was great to have a friend there, and it was just a real special moment for me,” Peters said.