JOSEPH SHAWANA
CHEF | EDUCATOR
Acclaimed Chef Joseph Shawana is Odawa, part of the Three Fires Confederacy. Born and raised in Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve located on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, north of Toronto, Joseph was brought up knowing that food is life. Having 6 brothers and 6 sisters, and being the oldest male, he paid a lot of attention to his mother while she was cooking, who she learned from his grandmother and great grandmother. Starting in the kitchen at the early age of 13, Joseph quickly fell in love with the chef life. At a young age he experienced the power that food has to bring people together, and began his culinary journey with the strict philosophy of utilizing the entirety an ingredient to bring its full range of flavours to the palette.
Trained in classical French combined with his Aboriginal background, his cooking infuses Classical French techniques with Native American cuisine; full of flavour and never compromising quality over quantity.
Currently a professor and the Indigenous culinary advisor at Ontario’s Centennial College, Joseph is committed to furthering the education of culinary to all communities. He has also developed a program to assist Indigenous youth to come into his kitchens and work alongside chefs and provide them valuable industry applications for sustained development.
Chef Joseph is also the force behind the high-end Indigenous restaurant Kūkŭm Kitchen, which won the ‘Best World Cuisine” award in 2019 besting over 33,000 restaurants. There, he has been acclaimed for his unique experiments with traditional Indigenous ingredients, many of them wild, including fir tips, sweet-grass and seal.
Chef Joseph is currently the chair of ICAN, the Indigenous Culinary of Association Nations. Under his leadership and guidance, Chef Joseph and ICAN is dedicated to breaking barriers dedicated to sharing Indigenous food, culinary and cultural experiences from across Canada with the world.
He was named on the list of Top Ten Chefs of Ontario and has received rave reviews in the New York Times, Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and Food & Wine to name a few. He is also in great company on Air Canada’s top 20 restaurants in Canada for 2019 and is a sought after voice on the emergence of Indigenous culinary around the globe.
Connect
"It's my job to preserve our heritage through food. I feel that I have a duty and obligation to preserve as much culinary knowledge in Indigenous foods as possible."
Sid is joined by Joseph, the chair of the Indigenous Culinary of Association Nations to discuss the storytelling and spiritual experiences behind food.
Chef Joseph Shawana teaches Jess how to fish, and serves Indigenous ways to serve their catch.
Chef and educator Joseph Shawana cooks a wild ramp and maple pesto chicken with wild garlic spring Vegetables, inspired by his Indigenous heritage. "A truly drool-worthy dish."
Chef Joseph Shawana with NAC’s Michael Gauthier, on Indigenous cuisine, the origin story of Kūkŭm Kitchen, as well as his future plans.
We gathered on the shore of Lennox Island for a sacred smudging ceremony and were welcomed by your Miꞌkmaq hosts, including Guest Chef Joseph Shawana.
Teaching Indigenous cuisine and food history while prepareing a baked chicken with pesto made from wild ramps and maple syrup.
Josephs prepares the seasonal Sugarbush dish with wild ramp and maple pesto baked chicken for the Chicken of Farmers of Canada campaign.
#GivingTuesday
Chef Michael Bonacini and Chef Joseph Shawana at Centennial College exploring the importance of passing knowledge on to youth, promoting indigenous careers in hospitality and making progress in the indigenous cuisine industry.
chef Joseph and Michael Hunter share the flavours of Ontario’s outdoors.
Joseph shares his love of authentic Indigenous cuisine at Devour! The Food Film Fest
Chef Joseph Shawana prepares pan-seared elk, presented by ITO and Burnbrae Farms, at the Royal Agricultural Virtual Experience 2020.
Chef Joseph creates a rainbow trout dish on the shores of Wikwemikong over an open fire coupling it with local wild ingredients for the Manitoulin Ice Showdown fishing derby.
Centennial College School is invested in its student's learning and the acknowledgement of Indigenous wisdom and values through foraging projects.
Chef Joseph Shawana, the force behind a new high-end Indigenous restaurant in Toronto, brings CBC News into his kitchen to sample his cooking.
Chef Joseph Shawana grew up watching his mom and grandmother cook over open-pit fires for his family and even large crowds.
Chef Joseph Shawana joins us to make one of his favourite dishes for the winter combining Indigenous and French cuisine.
Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations - Joseph and Bill are excited to let you learn about culture and Indigenous cuisine!