Owner of a small Indigenous business in Vancouver cooking for up to 2,400 people, Mr. Bannock. Chef Paul received 2019 Youth Entrepreneur of the Year. Paul has been specializing in Indigenous Cuisine for over 10 years. His unique flavours and textures create Indigenous Fusion Cuisine. A key priority for Paul is educating the next generation of chefs on sustainable food supply, cooking methods and preserving culture through Indigenous culinary experiences.

As one of Manitoba’s first Indigenous restaurants (in Winnipeg) and one of few female Indigenous restaurant owners in Canada, Christa was named 2019 Manitoba Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award for a Business with a Community Purpose. As 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.

Chris Commandant is Kanien’keha:ka of the Wahta Mohawks First Nations community, located outside of Bala Ontario. Dedicated to preserving Indigenous culinary traditions and teachings, he shares his knowledge with the community on topics like Indigenous food sovereignty, food security, and traditional ways of cooking. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary program, he has 28 years of industry experience in some of Toronto and Ottawa’s most prestigious restaurants. Using his vast experience and rich culinary history, Chris has been an educator at the Secondary and Post Secondary level, serving as Program Coordinator of the Indigenous Pre-Apprenticeship Program in conjunction with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Chris continues to focus on creating and delivering education with an Indigenous focus, and inspiring a younger generation of cooks.

Cezin Nottaway is an Alqonquin Anishinaabe from Rapid Lake Quebec, born and raised. A mother of 2, she is the owner and founder of five-time award winning company, Wawatay Catering. Wawatay catering specializes in Anishinaabe cuisine with a modern twist, inspired by her kokom’s recipes. Wawatay is her family name and it means Northern Lights in Algonquin representing the colors of the spirits of our ancestors who continue to guide us from the spirit world.

She has been featured in the New York Times, hosted two episodes of Award Winning docu-series Red Chef Revival, and recently won the honour of distinction award at Algonquin college and named the country’s next top chef in the Globe and Mail.

Scott Iserhoff owns Pei Pei Chei Ow, a food and education company based in in Amiskwaciwãskahikan Treaty 6.

With his wife, Svitlana Kravchuk, he also owns and operates Bernadette’s, an Indigenous restaurant in downtown Edmonton that serves seasonal, traditional, and political dishes that evoke memories and comfort.

It started at 15. I was a young teenager that had ambition. From a busser at McDonald’s at 15 to a Team Leader at 16. Now an owner at an Indigenous inspired restaurant franchise, Kekuli Cafe’, at 22.

Aside from these, I am a youth representative in the Friendship Centre movement at t the local, Provincial and National Associations.