Early next month, three notable Canadian chefs of Indigenous descent will come together during the inaugural Pe Mitso event to celebrate their heritage through an immersive culinary and cultural experience at The Foundry Room. Metis-Ukrainian chef Brad Lazarenko of Culina To Go is behind the organization of the five-course collaborative dinner happening on Februrary 9 and explains that this culinary event is a means to showcase the people propelling contemporary Indigenous cuisine, but also as a way for these different individuals to get to know each other a bit better.
“I saw a good opportunity to create an event that promotes Indigenous cultural cuisine and also to connect Indigenous chefs in Edmonton,” says the Culina To Go executive chef. “and hopefully this will be the first of an annual dinner celebration series.”
"Pe Mitso" is Cree for "come and eat" and, by the sounds of it, the eating will be quite enjoyable.
Lazarenko is joined by Cree chef Shane Chartrand (Enoch Cree Nation and River Cree Resort and Casino executive chef, Food Network Canada personality and co-author of tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine) as well as chef Scott Iserhoff of Attawapiskat First Nations, who operates Pei Pei Chei Ow, a company that offers modern Indigenous catering, lectures and much more.
Seeing as the evening is focused around the chefs' Indigenous roots, drumming and storytelling will also take place by mother-daughter duo Matricia and Mackenzie Brown known as Warrior Women, as well as an Indigenous art display curated by the Indigenous Artist Market Collective.
The "Pe Mitso" menu
Tickets are $85 plus tax and available in limited quantity for this unique collaborative dinner.
