For some Indigenous chefs, the future of Aboriginal cuisine is getting back to the land

The Indigenous culinary landscape is as varied as the many First Nations caretakers of the lands. Meet a few of the Indigenous chefs who are bringing the richness and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis culinary expressions to the table.

Jenni Lessard

Jenni Lessard, of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, lives on Treaty Four Territory in the Qu’Appelle Valley near Regina, Saskatchewan, where she owns Inspired By Nature Culinary Consulting, and is also the interim executive director of the Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations. The collection of Indigenous chefs is bringing traditional foods and practices to the forefront of the Canadian culinary scene. “Our goal is we want to have so many different voices at the table and flavours at the table and people with opportunity,” says Lessard. She believes the future is bright for Indigenous cuisine. “There’s what the cuisine was, there’s what it is, and there’s what it’s going to be like. I would say to new chefs, don’t be afraid to do molecular gastronomy with Indigenous ingredients.”

Zach Keeshig

Zach Keeshig was born and raised in Owen Sound, Ontario, and now runs a 13-seat reservation-only dining room called “Naagan” (Ojibwa for Dish) at the Owen Sound Farmers’ Market. Keeshig calls his menu “Progressive Aboriginal Cuisine,” and uses ingredients from the land. He fuses his Ojibwa background with French techniques. “Naagan is about connection to the land, to our food, and to each other. When I first started this, I didn’t really know what my cuisine was going to be. I was foraging and I was going around sourcing things from farmers straight from the ground. “I don’t want to say I had a vision, but I knew I wanted to do modern Indigenous cooking,” Keeshig says. One of his most famous items is sweetgrass ice cream that he blends with harvested duck eggs and natural sweeteners. “We stopped using any sort of white processed sugar. We stopped using ingredients that aren’t coming from Ontario or that we can’t grow or forage ourselves. Instead of using white sugar, we use unpasteurized honey or we use maple syrup to sweeten things. If we have to use sugar, we always try to find organic cane sugar., Keeshig says. Lemons are another example — they don’t grow in Ontario. “Instead of using lemons, we’ll try and find unripe grapes or we use gooseberries. I think what’s going to be the future for Aboriginal food is really getting back to the land and trying to wean out processed sugars, processed foods, and get back to growing things or going back out into nature and finding these things,” Keeshig says.

Doug Hyndford

Another place to eat and learn is Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatoon, Sask. Visitors learn about the Cree culture, history, and science of the land, including the harvesting and management of the Cree’s main food source: buffalo. The Cree executive chef of Wanuskewin restaurant Han Wi Moon Dinner is Doug Hyndford. Hyndford serves visitors bison tenderloin seasoned with yarrow and sage, topped with crispy chanterelles accompanied by nettle and sun choke puree and a small dish of stewed berries — all served while sitting in a tipi village. For Hyndford, understanding the Indigenous experience starts with the food. “It’s part of that sharing process, and the sharing of that experience with non-Indigenous people who might want to learn more as a part of reconciliation.”

Sheila Flaherty

Reknowned Inuk chef Sheila Flaherty also believes in sharing her Inuit culture through food. She’s the founder of Sijjakkut, in Iqaluit, Nunavut, a tourism culinary venture and soon-to-open commercial kitchen, that relies on hunted and harvested foods for its menus. “I approach cooking to reflect the intimate process of actually harvesting and hunting the food,” Flaherty says. “More often than not, it’s food that I actually hunt and harvest or my husband does. All of our nations have different food sources and for Inuit, for my people, our foods are quite unique.” Flaherty explains Inuit rely heavily on marine mammals. “That’s the majority of our diet. There’s a real hunger — pun intended — for not only tasting, trying the food, but also a hunger for learning more about Inuit culture. And that’s what I love.”

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