YYC EXP Progressive Indigenous Dinner Experience at Deane House
Deane House hosts a progressive Indigenous culinary experience tcelebrating traditional Indigenous cuisine re-imagined. Every bite and sip will tell a story when Deane House Executive Chef John Beddoes welcomes two of Canada’s leading Indigenous Chefs: Shane Chartrand (Top Chef Canada 2025 competitor and cookbook author from Enoch Cree Nation, AB) and Zach Keeshig of Naagan, Owen Sound, ON (known for its 12-course tasting experience and organic, locally sourced Ojibwa-inspired menu) to Deane House and its historical grounds on the confluence of Calgary’s two rivers. Award-winning filmmaker Cowboy Smithx, Blackfoot from Piikani & Kainai tribes of Southern Alberta, will be our guest emcee and storyteller for the evening.
Traditional Indigenous culture has deep roots in community and partnering with the land. This thoughtfully curated multi-course dinner will share locally sourced ingredients inspired by the visiting chefs’ Indigenous heritage and what the land around us has to offer, prepared using modern techniques. Each course will be expertly paired with beverages from Indigenous-owned producers.
Guests will also take home a copy of Chef Shartrand's Cookbook: Tawaw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine, will have a chance to meet both Chef Chartrand and Chef Keeshig, and have his book personally signed during the event. This is a celebration of Indigenous creativity in culinary arts not to be missed.
About Shane Chartrand, Chef-Owner, Paper Birch, Edmonton
Growing up on his family’s acreage in Central Alberta, Chartrand learned how to grow and respect food from his father of the Métis Nation and his mother, a member of the Mi’kmaw Nation and Irish-Canadian descent. He later relocated to Edmonton to pursue culinary training, where his strong work ethic and passion for cooking found him honing his craft in some of the best restaurants around. As a fierce competitor, Chef Chartrand has earned gold at the Canadian Gold Medal Plates Championships—becoming the first Indigenous chef to do so—and appeared on popular food shows, including Top Chef Canada, Iron Chef Canada, Chopped Canada, Fridge Wars, and Wall of Chefs. He also co-authored the award-winning cookbook tawâw: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine in 2019, a celebration of his heritage and innovative culinary style.
About Zach Keeshig, Chef-Owner of Naagan, Owen Sound, ON
Born in Wiarton and raised in Owen Sound, Zach knew he wanted to become a chef at the age of 17 after a part-time job in a restaurant. He studied at Georgian College for Culinary Arts and then apprenticed under Chef Tim Johnston. Continuing to build on his culinary education, he worked in various restaurants across Ontario with many top chefs in Canada. His time in the kitchens of Michael Stadtländer’s Eigensinn Farm (9th Best Restaurant in the World 2002), Restaurant Pearl Morrissette (1 Michelin Star, 1 green star), Canoe (Michelin recommended), Enigma (1 Michelin Star), Langdon Hall (Michelin recommended) and Aska (2 Michelin star), has helped him fuse his Ojibwa background with modern culinary techniques.
About John Beddoes, Deane House, Calgary
John Beddoes was born and raised in Vancouver and started his cooking career at the national award-winning Pear Tree Restaurant before moving to Calgary to expand his culinary expertise. He led the kitchen teams at Calgary’s acclaimed Notable and Model Milk before joining Deane House in 2022, where he is currently Executive Chef. John has always had a passion for local, seasonal food and has strong connections with the Alberta farming community, utilizing the best possible seasonal ingredients. At Deane House, John and the entire kitchen and service teams make conscious decisions on how to source, prepare, and serve food in a way that lessens their impact on the environment and honours the land.
In the spirit of reconciliation, YYC EXP acknowledges we live, work, and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Otipemisiwak Métis Government in Alberta, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
We acknowledge Indigenous peoples as the original caretakers of the lands and waterways on which we work, create, gather, and live. We honour and recognize the recorded and unrecorded Indigenous nations that have, are, and will continue to inhabit this land. YYC EXP is committed to a continuous process of education and dismantling colonial approaches while celebrating the varied foodways and cultural traditions of Indigenous communities. We are committed to fostering meaningful relationships with these communities and supporting a diversity of Indigenous practices, foodways, and cultural expressions. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work and create on this land.
$135 per person