Indigenous Culinary Blog

On a snowy trail in the Alberta Rockies near Canmore, Brenda Holder, owner of Mahikan Trails, pointed out some animal tracks and asked my brothers and me to identify which animal they came from. We each enthusiastically shouted our guesses while Holder patiently waited. In response, she taught us how to identify the tracks. As… 

Destination Indigenous and the Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations presents an intimate series of character lead stories exploring the heritage and values of ancestral First Nation and Inuit culinary practices in Canada. Through the eyes of five acclaimed Indigenous chefs, we are taken on a culinary journey to explore Indigenous cuisine, the values upheld and… 

Gerry Brandon has come home. It’s not what he’d expected, back in the 1970s, when he “just took off” and found himself living on the streets in Toronto. But here he is in Haileybury, ON, at 59 the chef-owner of the successful L’Autochtone Taverne Americaine and leader of a growing Indigenous food movement. “I grew… 

Scott Iserhoff’s Takwakin Three Sisters Salad is a crowd-pleaser for diners lucky enough to be treated to a meal catered by Pei Pei Chei Ow, his Edmonton, Alberta-based operation.  “The distinct flavours and textures of the ingredients make it work,” said the Omushkegowin (Swampy Cree) chef. “I use a honey lemon vinaigrette that brings the… 

Calling all foodies – a tasty and creative twist of gift giving! Completely change the way you look at food by adding a little spice, some maple syrup, a sip of delicious tea or coffee or relax with a glass of wine with this delicious selection of 100% Indigenous-made delicacies.  Wabanaki Maple Indigenous people have… 

The Original Original mark: If you look up the word ‘Indigenous’, you’ll find it has many synonyms, including ‘original.’ Many lay claim to being the ‘original.’ When someone makes that claim – to have been the first at something – we feel like we have something in common. We say to ourselves: this is a… 

As Tom Waits once said, “nothing beats a campfire and a can of beans”. Far be it from us to […]

Make this Valentine’s Day a thoughtful one that shows your love for your partner and honours the First Peoples of the land that we now call Canada. From artisan-crafted jewellery and stylish Indigenous fashions to feasting with an Indigenous twist and romantic getaways, spoil your lover with a unique Indigenous gift – to enjoy now… 

Indulge the foodie on your holiday list—or yourself—with this delicious selection of 100% Indigenous-made delicacies. Feast on a tasty bounty of spices, home cooking kits, treats, and wine made with love by Indigenous-owned entrepreneurs.   Wabanaki Maple (NB) Indigenous people have been harvesting sap from maple trees for generations, and its healing, nourishing powers have… 

Discover Québec from the shores of St Lawrence to the boreal forest and explore a rich landscape that many Indigenous communities call home. See the region’s wildlife and discover its storied Indigenous Culture. By Waheeda Harris DAY 1   Arrive in Montréal and head to the cobblestone streets of Vieux-Montréal to discover the Ashukan Cultural… 

By Shafik Meghji   When Christa Bruneau-Guenther first started researching Indigenous cuisines “a light-bulb went off”. After owning a daycare for 12 years, she was inspired to open Feast Café Bistro in Winnipeg in 2016, specializing in “modern dishes rooted in traditional First Nation foods”—from bannock pizzas to bison ribs with wild blueberry barbecue sauce. It quickly… 

By Joanne Sasvari   Denise Atkinson remembers how, when she’d go blueberry picking as a child, a big pot of tea would always be steaming over the campfire. “A nice cup of tea, it’s a part of my Indigenous culture,” says the co‑owner of the Thunder Bay-based wild-crafted‑foods company Tea Horse. “It’s family, it’s multi‑generational,… 

There’s something unifying in all cultures about fried bread; whether it’s Mexican sopapillas, fried Irish soda farls, or the ubiquitous North American frybread or bannock, wherever there is fried bread, there’s good eating! “It tastes good, and fresh out of the pan it makes you feel good. It’s just one of those great things that… 

Brendin Kelly escaped from Home with his girlfriend Meghan to experience the incredible culture of the Syilx People in the Okanagan Region. They packed up their car and drove up to the Okanagan to experience art, culture, and traditional food. Day 1 Kekuli Cafe After the drive from Vancouver to Kelowna (4 hours), we made… 

Escape from Home – Vancouver Jonny Bierman is a sustainable travel journalist and content creator from Vancouver, BC. He escaped from home on an urban getaway in his own backyard discovering Indigenous culture, history, art, and cuisine in the city he thought he knew. His urban getaway paired Indigenous adventure with art, culinary, and history… 

Raised by his Odawa Nation family on the Unceded Wikwemikong Reserve on Manitoulin Island, classically trained chef Joseph Shawana’s serves up a critically acclaimed blend of Indigenous ingredients with classic French techniques at Kū-Kŭm Kitchen.

As opening executive chef at Fogo Island Inn’s Dining Room, Murray McDonald scored a raft of awards for his ‘New Newfoundland’ cooking from ingredients foraged from the land and sourced from the icy sea, including a place on Air Canada enRoute’s 10 Best New Restaurant list and the prestigious World’s 50 Best by Diners Club Discovery Series.

I first met Chef Shane Chartrand, executive chef at the River Cree Resort and Casino, at the Terroir Symposium in Toronto this year, he was wearing traditional chef whites with a bold Coast Salish feather design on the back. I listened as he captivated the packed conference, speaking about his life and background, talking about the… 

Inspired by the land, oceans, and forests across diverse landscapes in Canada, contemporary Indigenous cuisine has fast catapulted into the mainstream. Based on living in balance with your surroundings, respecting all forms of life and giving back to the earth, traditional Indigenous cuisine revolves around no-waste, head-to-tail cooking. Now Indigenous chefs are pushing boundaries and…