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Chef Rich Francis revives Indigenous culinary traditions

Rich Francis - Illustration by Chief Lady Bird, The Globe and Mail
Published: 8 November 2022

Rich Francis, owner of Seventh Fire Hospitality Group in Six Nations in Ontario and Alberta,  never set out to be a chef, but leveraged his time on Top Chef Canada to launch a prominent culinary career. Francis focuses on the precolonial culinary traditions of Indigenous peoples, but there are limits on what he’s able to do. “Most of my work is in First Nations communities,” Francis told Prof. Karl Moore in an interview for The Globe and Mail. “Partially because it’s illegal to do what I’m doing using Indigenous products. For example, there’s nowhere in Canada where you can use a beluga whale. We can’t profit from it. By doing these dinners, I’m forced to go, ironically, to Treaty or Indigenous lands, where we were starved in the first place, because it gives me a sanctuary and the freedom to do what I need to do.”

Illustration by Chief Lady Bird, The Globe and Mail

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