Past Canadian Guest Chef is Shooting for the Stars
From Pop-up to Michelin Star
Owen Sound Indigenous Chef Zach Keeshig, a past Canadian Guest Chef here at Stratford Chefs School, wants to be the first Indigenous chef in North America to earn a nod from Michelin, the global restaurant-rating juggernaut that is, for some, the ultimate recognition of culinary excellence.
Zach Keeshig at his restaurant Naagan | Photo: Chloe Lukas for The Globe and Mail
Indigenous Cuisine
A recent feature in The Globe and Mail by Dick Snyder explains that "The barrier to this goal is not the quality and sincerity of his dishes, it’s the lack of familiarity with Indigenous cuisine among the culinary cognoscenti. Somehow, North America’s oldest culinary identity is also its newest, and least understood. But a new generation of Indigenous chefs is bent on making a mark, taking control of their history and future, and aiming for the stars."
Naagan
Chef Keeshig opened his 17 seat Owen Sound restaurant Naagan last fall, featuring a meticulously plated 12-course journey through his Ojibwa heritage, to immediate acclaim. It was named No. 9 out of 10 Best New Restaurants for 2025 by Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants, and the 17 seats are sold out a month in advance. Before Naagan, Keeshig had a pop-up at the weekend farmers’ market in Owen Sound.
Photos: Chloe Lukas for The Globe and Mail
According to their website, Naagan, which in Ojibwa means “dish”, is "more than a place for people to get a good meal; it is a space that brings together art, education, and incredible food that showcases hyper-local abundance and beauty. If we have not foraged or grown the food ourselves, then we make sure we are sourcing our ingredients from local farmers, fishers, or hunters."
Innovation Award
At the International Ice Cream Consortium annual conference in Greece recently, Keeshig's sweetgrass ice cream collaboration with Chapman’s Ice Cream was named Winner of the most innovative ice cream in a tie with an ice cream sandwich machine.
Sweetgrass Ice Cream
“I started making Sweetgrass ice cream years ago as a pop-up in a farmers' market to pay tribute to memories I had with my dad and as a substitute for vanilla. I didn’t want to use settler ingredients so we got rid of using vanilla and black pepper, lemons and different things like that.”
Global Ambition
Keeshig’s ambitions are global, and he is eager to collaborate with any open-minded chefs he can find. “I want to introduce Canadian Indigenous cuisine to the world. I want people to say, let’s eat Indigenous tonight, just as they would for French or Italian food.”
Canadian Guest Chef Zach Keeshig working with Student Chefs at Stratford Chefs School in 2024 | Photo by Terry Manzo
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