Indigenous restaurants in Vancouver join national campaign to send holiday feast boxes to people in need

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      Indigenous chefs and restaurants are uniting in a national campaign to ensure Indigenous people in need receive warm and healthy meals over the upcoming festive holidays amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

      Winnipeg-based Feast Café Bistro owner executive chef Christa Bruneau-Guenther from Peguis First Nation and Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations (ICAN) board member announced today (November 27) the launch of Indigenous Feast Boxes, a fundraising campaign to support Indigenous chefs across Canada and their teams.

      The meal kits will be provided to Indigenous families and community members in need during the fast-approaching holiday season. 

      “This fundraising campaign is a way to secure jobs but also support families, elders, people with health risks and the larger community as a whole,” Bruneau-Guenther explained in a news release. “The holidays can be hard financially, but they are also a time of warmth and giving.”

      Indigenous chefs from across Canada will participate in the campaign to create feast boxes, made with local ingredients and inspired by their heritage and contemporary influences, for four to six people with a minimum value of $50 each. The boxes will either be partially or fully prepared, with recipes and cooking instructions that will provide details about the significance of the ingredients.

      Each chef chose local Indigenous community groups to distribute the boxes to.

      “When COVID-19 hit and all our Taste of the Nations events got cancelled, we decided to redirect those efforts by funding $25,000 for the creation and distribution of Indigenous Feast Boxes,” ICAN board chair Joseph Shawana stated.

      Shawana pointed out that people can visit IndigenousCuisine.ca which offers profile, blogs, and recipes, as well as a map of Indigenous restaurants, food trucks, caterers, and culinary experiences across Canada.

      Indigenous Family Centre codirector Michele Visser explained what the experience of receiving a feast box is like.

      “At a time when getting groceries is difficult, having all the necessary ingredients within one package made cooking a healthy meal so much easier,” Visser said. “The portions were generous! The stew was supposed to make six servings, but it was so rich and hearty that it served six for supper and there were leftovers for the next day. The ingredients that were chosen were mostly local and the recipe was simple and well explained which made the meal easy to reproduce at a later date.” 

      In addition, Visser pointed out that it reminded people that they’re not alone, and provided them with both assistance and food education.

      “For people who don't know a lot about cooking, or who don't have a large pantry of available items, these meal kits made cooking healthy, simple, and delicious,” she said.

      In British Columbia, the participating chefs and community organizations include:

      Mr. Bannock Catering (442 West 1st Street) in North Vancouver, led by chef Paul Natrall and distributed by Dude’s Club

      Salmon ’n’ Bannock (7–1128 West Broadway) in Vancouver, with a team led by owner Inez Cook, and distributed by the Helping Spirit Lodge Society.

      The campaign has a goal of raising $60,000 to ensure Indigenous families across Canada receive a healthy warm meal during the holidays. This campaign, which runs until December 18, is being shared online at GoFundMe.

      Mr. Bannock
      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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