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Bistro fare is nothing new, but a stable of Canadian chefs from coast to coast to coast are reinventing this kind of cooking with seasonal, local ingredients and innovative techniques, as Halifax author and chef Craig Flinn deliciously demonstrates in 'Fresh Canadian Bistro: Top Canadian Chefs Share their Favourite Recipes.'

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"Except for using the odd lemon, vanilla bean or cinnamon stick, young Canadian chefs are passionate promoters of their local farmers, fishermen, artisan cheese and charcuterie producers and wine makers," he writes in the recently published cookbook. The recipes are colour-coded by season, to help the home chef capitalize on the freshest ingredients.

Flinn, who opened Chives Canadian Bistro in Halifax in 2001, has compiled recipes from across Canada, venturing as far north as Nunavut to share exotic dishes such as red thai curried caribou and roast Canada goose with brandy marmalade sauce from Ray Lovell of Combat Catering in Iqualuit.

Chris Aerni of The Rossmount Inn in St. Andrews is the sole New Brunswick chef in the collection, offering up his recipes for Atlantic salmon tartar as well as marinated Passamaquoddy Bay herring fillets with fingerling potatoes. Other East Coast chefs include Martin Ruiz Salvador of Fleur de Sel in Lunenburg, Paul McInnis of Rhubard Grill and Café in Indian Harbour and Dennis Johnston of Fid in Halifax, while notable from across the country include Jamie Kennedy of Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar in Toronto, and Prince Edward Island native Michael Smith of the Food Network and the Globe and Mail. 'Fresh Canadian Bistro,' $24.95, is published by Formac.