Students from NC’s School of Culinary Arts recently had the chance to cook up a storm alongside one of Canada’s most celebrated chefs.
Chef Zach Keeshig, the driving force behind the acclaimed Owen Sound restaurant Naagan, spent two days on campus in early October, offering a generous slice of his experience and passion to NC students. His visit culminated in a sold-out Chef Signature Series dinner at Benchmark, but for students, the real flavour was the opportunity to work and learn directly from him.
Keeshig, a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, has had a meteoric rise in the Canadian culinary scene, putting progressive Indigenous cuisine on the map. Since opening in late 2024, his 17-seat restaurant, Naagan, has earned a coveted spot on Canada’s Top 100 Best Restaurants and a top 10 rating on Canada’s Best New Restaurants for 2025. He achieved this success by fusing Ojibwe cuisine with modern culinary techniques learned from some of the country’s top chefs at institutions like Pearl Morisette, Canoe, and Langdon Hall.
During his visit to the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Keeshig dedicated time to seasoning the next generation of aspiring chefs. He spent two days connecting with culinary students with presentations and demonstrations in various classrooms. Keeshig shared the story of how he forged his own path and swam against the tide of those who doubted his vision for an Indigenous restaurant nearly 20 years ago.
“When I started, almost 20 years ago, there were no Indigenous restaurants. And when I started my business, I wanted to try and modernize recipes from my grandmother and aunts. But then I went back to the reserve and there was nothing to be handed down,” he said. “That’s when I decided that I would use the techniques I learned from my formal training and start incorporating more Indigenous ingredients to my cooking.”
Keeshig’s 12-course tasting menu at Naagan is hyper-local, and changes with the cycles of Mother Earth. Every ingredient is foraged, grown or sourced from hunters, fishers and farmers. Ingredients like lemon and vanilla, for example, are substituted with local flavours like sweetgrass and sea buckthorn.
“Most people think of wild rice when they think of Indigenous food … who’s to say we can’t make sweetgrass ice-cream that’s Indigenous,” he said to a classroom of Culinary Management students. “I’m telling my story, and the story of what Indigenous food could be,” said Keeshig.
Learning from the ground up
Keeshig took a team of about 20 student volunteers under his wing in the Benchmark kitchen. Students had the opportunity to spend two days alongside the chef as they prepared his unique, multi-course dinner to be served at his Chef Signature Series dinner on the evening of October 2, including dishes like bison tartare, cured duck breast on a wild rice pancake, and pigeon cooked over birch. Herbs and garnishes were collected from the College’s Teaching Greenhouse.
“It’s very impressive the way he grows his own products, picks the flowers, and creates a tasting menu all from his origins,” said Culinary Management student Diego Vergel Leal. “There are a lot of new techniques I’m learning from him in the kitchen. It’s very inspiring, the way he reflects his heritage and his uniqueness as a chef.”
Bailey Moreau, also a Culinary Management student, valued the opportunity to gain experience from Chef Keeshig. “It’s really inspiring to be in the kitchen with Chef Zach, knowing he has one of the top restaurants in Canada,” said Moreau..”He’s like a celebrity.”
Keeshig, who has past experience teaching, enjoyed the exchange with NC students.
“It educates the students a little bit about my culture,” he said. “And then I get to pass some of my knowledge to the next generation. Who’s to say one of those kids isn’t going to win two Michelin stars?”
Recipe for success
When sharing his advice, Keeshig focused on passion, perseverance and the hard work needed to succeed. Reflecting on his journey, he spoke about how valuable it was to gain experience at highly reputable restaurants early in his career. He encouraged students to do the same, lean into the ‘grind’ and persevere through the challenges.
“There were times I wanted to give up. There were no chefs you could name doing Indigenous food and my own family would tell me, ‘That’s never going to work,” he said. “I wanted to prove them wrong.
“Don’t let people tell you, ‘No.’ It takes a lot of passion and perseverance but just stick with it.”
Chef Signature Series
Craig Youdale, Dean of Culinary, Tourism and Beverage Studies, noted that Keeshig’s visit perfectly kicked off the academic year for the Chef Signature Series.
“Chef Zach is championing his own background, but at the same time, is in their world – and he’s bridging that,” Youdale said. “It’s not only about Indigenous food; he is helping us define Canadian.”
Youdale noted that while students learn from a roster of celebrated chefs on the cutting edge at the College, visiting chefs help broaden their palate. Each guest chefs brings a new perspectives on what’s happening in the food industry, as well as unique techniques and approaches to food.
“For our students, it gets their adrenaline going and sparks inspiration to do something themselves, like starting their own restaurant, or staging at a really famous restaurant,” said Youdale. “It expands their network when they make new professional connections.”
NC’s Chef Signature Series will continue on November 13 with Culinary Management alumnus Chef Vish Mayekar of Vancouver’s Elem Restaurant (tickets now on sale), followed by Chef Marc Lepine in January 2026 and Top Chef Canada fame Erika and Josh Karbelnik (also NC alumni) in February 2026.
