Enercare Centre, Toronto 

What:
Top Indigenous chefs representing the Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations (ICAN) and supported by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), will highlight Indigenous cuisine from across Canada during the Restaurants Canada Show in Toronto.

The RC Show, taking place March 1 to 3, 2020 is Canada’s largest food service and hospitality event, hosting over 18,000 hospitality professionals.

ICAN was launched with a vision for a world where Indigenous food is not a dish served for one but a cultural feast and celebration of Nations. It is dedicated to sharing Indigenous food, culinary and cultural experiences from across Canada with the world. In November, an MOU between ITAC and ICAN was signed to support a strategic framework to develop and market the country’s many Indigenous culinary experiences, and in turn, foster the growth of Indigenous culinary tourism on a national level.

Who:
Chef Joseph Shawana – Acting-Chair, ICAN, Indigenous Culinary Advisor, Centennial College & Indigenous Menu Development Chef, Aramark Canada

Chef Shawana is Odawa, part of the Three Fires Confederacy. Born and raised in Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve located on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, he was brought up knowing that food is life. Currently an Indigenous culinary advisor at Ontario’s Centennial College, Chef Shawana has been named one of the top ten chefs in Ontario and won best world cuisine in 2019 with his restaurant Ku Kum Kitchen, beating over 33,000 restaurants.

Chef Christa Guenther (Peguis Nation) – Vice-Chair, Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations, Owner and Executive Chef Feast Café Bistro

One of Manitoba’s first Indigenous restaurants and one of a few female Indigenous restaurant owners in Canada. Christa was named the 2019 Manitoba Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for a Business with a Community Purpose. As a home cook turned restaurateur, Christa is proud to have shared her recipes in a variety of publications including Canadian Living, Chatelaine and on Food Network Canada.

Chef Marie-Cecile (Cezin) Nottaway (Algonquin Nation) –  Director, Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations, Owner and Chef of Wawatay Catering

Chef Cezin is the owner of a five-time award-winning catering company. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Red Chef Revival and recently named the country’s next top chef in the Globe and Mail. She has travelled across Canada, but it’s back home in the quaint forest of the Kitigan Zibi reserve in Western Quebec that she finds true inspiration and everything she needs. Nottaway can often be found cooking outside of her log cabin over an open fire, gathering medicinal ingredients in the wild, and hunting with her kids. Throughout her life, the forest has been her kitchen, her grocer, and her pantry.

When:
Speaker Stage: 11 AM – 11:45 AM
Sunday, March 1, 2020

The world is our oyster: How to grow your business through culinary tourism with Chef Shawana.

POP UP Restaurant:
Indigenous Dishes
March 2, 2020 2:30 PM-3:30 PM

Steeped in tradition, yet thoroughly current, experience how to craft indigenous dishes with modern flare.

Presented by Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations

Indigenous Diverse Dessert
March 3, 2020 11:30 AM-12:30 PM

Fusing Canadian ingredients with international recipes, discover how to make a plant-based Candy Cap Mushroom Crème Brulee with a Cotton Candy Maple Syrup Topping.

Presented by Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nation

About the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada

The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is the lead organization tasked with growing the Indigenous tourism industry across the country. Inspired by a vision for a thriving Indigenous tourism economy sharing authentic, memorable and enriching experiences, ITAC develops relationships with other groups and regions with similar mandates. By uniting the Indigenous tourism industry in Canada, ITAC works to enable collective support, product development, promotion and marketing of authentic Indigenous cultural tourism businesses in a respectful protocol. With Indigenous tourism outpacing Canadian tourism activity overall, and international demand for Indigenous experiences at an all-time high, ITAC recently updated its five-year plan.

For more information on ITAC visit www.IndigenousTourism.ca

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Media Contact:
Nicole Amiel, Beattie Tartan
416-436-5185
Nicole.Amiel@BeattieGroup.com

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