This event takes place at CSI Spadina, 192 Spadina Ave., Suite 501

Toronto is part of the Dish With One Spoon Covenant. In its very language, it reminds us that by eating together, we are connected. 

The Depanneur is proud to host the Indigenous Food Lab, a new monthly residency with Chefs Taylor Parker and Matthew Knight-Barton, the duo behind The Dep’s acclaimed and subversive Canada Day Supper Clubs.  It is an honour and privilege to offer a space where these chefs can combine their talents to explore the possibilities of an elevated, communal dining experience rooted in First Nations traditions. It is their laboratory to explore and experiment a Canadian concept of terroir – the flavour of a place — to rediscover and redefine what Indigenous food means today.

We live in the largest city in Canada, one of the most ethnically and culinarily diverse cities in the world. One can find almost any dish from almost any cuisine, with one glaring, egregious exception: the country we actually live in. Indigenous food is criminally underrepresented in Toronto’s food scene, without a single Indigenous-owned restaurant for people to patronize. More than ever before, Canada needs to embrace and celebrate its indigenous culinary heritage, and I believe the long path towards reconciliation can and should start at the table.

Read my profile of Chef Taylor from The Depanneur Cookbook

Their sophisticated tasting menus celebrate local and foraged ingredients, and a deep connection to First Nations foodways, to our land and our shared heritage. Each meal showcases a range of wild ingredients harvested by Chef Taylor. Weather, timing, season, and the caprice of Mother Nature will determine exactly what will be shared with us. Whatever comes to the table, you can be assured that it will be crafted with remarkable skill and creativity of two veteran fine-dining chefs.

Because food in general, and indigenous food in particular, is inherently political, this series will also reconnect with The Depanneur’s Pay It Forward program. Developed to support Dashmaawaan Benmaazinjin (They Feed The People) as part of the Dep+Bentway 2023 Communal Table dinner series, Pay It Forward directed donations from dinner guests to provide fresh, lovingly prepared food to the elderly and unhoused in Toronto’s Indigenous community. Additionally, two tickets at every dinner will be gifted to members of Toronto’s indigenous community, underscoring the literal and symbolic importance of a seat at the table.
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$99 + HST

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Taylor Parker is from Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve, where he inherited an extensive knowledge of native plants and foraged foodstuffs from his parents. Taylor has spent much of his professional life working in a diverse range of professional kitchens and as a freelance chef, and recently launched FOR4GED Candle Company in Brantford, Ontario.
@turok_parker | @for4ged.candleco

Matthew Anthony Knight-Barton has been cooking and managing kitchens, venues and events for nearly 20 years. Matthew has a passion for all things fresh, and a traditional British style of cooking with a French twist.
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