The "Little Miss Chief" Story "Little Miss Chief", Ellen Melcosky, was born and raised in the Cariboo and Chilcotin area of British Columbia, Canada. At an early age she learned to live off the land, preserving wild berries, meat and fish by either drying or canning. Wild game and salmon, salted and smoke dried, played an important role in the daily food supply. She learned from her mother a method of brining and smoking salmon. The brining recipe originated with Ellen's grandmother, was improved on by her mother and then passed on to Ellen. She continued to experiment with different ingredients resulting in the unique flavour that you can enjoy today.