When Rich Francis attended the Stratford Chef School in Stratford, Ont., one of his assignments was to come up with a bistro concept.
Francis spent his early years in the traditional Indigenous community of Fort McPherson in the Northwest Territories, and he was in the midst of rediscovering his roots through food. The idea he came up with — a destination restaurant on a reserve serving modern Indigenous dishes—reflected his new passion.
If you didn’t know Francis’ name, you will soon. His reality show Red Chef Revival, which is part cooking series and part historical documentary, is set to debut in early 2019. His cookbook, Cooking for Truth and Reconciliation, featuring Indigenous recipes, is due in the spring.
Francis has become an important voice in the conversation about honouring Canada’s culinary history, which goes back a lot further than 150 years.
Now 42, Francis moved back to Six Nations last year.
In his early thirties, he was living in London, Ont., raising a family and earning a living as an ironworker while watching a lot of Iron Chef in his off hours.
Francis enrolled in cooking school, graduated at the top of his class, and went on to hone his skills under some of Canada’s top culinary superstars, including David Lee and Victor Barry at Toronto’s fine dining restaurant Splendido.
Francis auditioned for the fourth season of Top Chef Canada in 2013. By then, his interest in traditional Indigenous cuisine had grown stronger. He finished third, but he sees it as a win. “Being on that show opened a lot of doors,” Francis says.
It also started a conversation about Indigenous culture, he adds, and it’s one he wants to continue. Francis considers food an accessible entry point into Canada’s relationship with Indigenous people as well as issues such as diabetes, obesity and food sovereignty. He wants diners to know that Canada’s culinary history is more dynamic and delicious than plain old bannock.
Since 2014, Francis’ catering company, 7th Fire, has been hosting pop up “Reconciliation dinners” across the country, where a mix of the First Nations and the foodies crowds enjoy modernized Indigenous plates like seal tartare and moose nose with wild rice and arugula. He says he hopes to one day serve those same dishes at a full-service restaurant on the Six Nations reservation. For now, Francis is pleased that the culinary cool kids are taking an interest in what he’s up to, but the diners he is most seeking approval from are the ones that came before him.
For Francis, that’s part of the goal.