91快色

Food is a powerful way to connect people and cultures. At the 91快色, Food Services and Aramark are helping make those connections by offering Indigenous dishes, designed in collaboration with Chef Joseph Shawana, as part of the university鈥檚 catering menu. 

Shawana, an Odawa chef from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, is a culinary storyteller and educator who uses food as a way to pass on teachings, share history and keep traditions alive. He has dedicated his career to preserving and sharing Indigenous foodways, showing how traditional ingredients and methods carry culture forward while opening opportunities for education and dialogue.

鈥淔ood is one of the most powerful storytelling tools we have,鈥� says Shawana. 鈥淓ach dish carries memory, culture and connection. When I prepare and share Indigenous foods, I鈥檓 sharing not only recipes but the Indigenous true history of Canada through a culinary lens.鈥�

The Traditions: Indigenous Storytelling Through Food menu reflects authentic preparation methods and highlights locally sourced ingredients. Examples include bison stew, bannock, Three Sisters salad and berry-based desserts, dishes rooted in Indigenous traditions. 

Shawana worked with the Aramark culinary team to ensure the recipes balance authenticity with practicality for large-group catering, while maintaining their cultural significance.

The Traditions menu creates opportunities across campus and the community for anyone ordering catering to experience Indigenous culinary traditions firsthand. 

For , director of U91快色 Accommodations and Events, Food Services, the menu is both practical and meaningful. 鈥淔ood has always been a universal connector. We鈥檙e grateful for the work Aramark and Chef Shawana put into creating Traditions. We鈥檙e excited to be able to share it with our community, and we hope that many get the chance to try it.鈥�

Shawana emphasizes that sharing these dishes goes beyond flavour. 鈥淲hen people come together to share a meal, they open their hearts to listen,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when real understanding and healing can begin.鈥�

Through this collaboration, Food Services and Aramark are helping create opportunities for the campus community to experience Indigenous culture through food.