Toronto’s most prominent food emporium for Indigenous cuisine in the city has announced it is closing down its Bloor Street West location. NishDish made the announcement via Instagram today.
“We want to say CHI-MIIGWECH to our community for showing so much love and support during 3 amazing years at our first-ever storefront….. Now we need your help through this transitional phase to find a new home,” the post read, in part.
When it first opened, the restaurant spearheaded a resurgence in First Nations cuisine in Toronto thanks to the creative cooking of Anishinawbe chef Johl Whiteduck Ringuette. Dishes included, for example, the likes of Venison stew with roasted root veg flavoured with sage and juniper as well as dishes made with game meats such as elk.
The restaurant is making an appeal to the public via GoFundMe for funding to continue the NishDish vision of “Indigenous food sovereignty,” and locking down a new location. Donations, according to the page, will go towards “overhead costs and diversification of our products.”
Further information on the fundraising page set up by NishDish indicates the restaurant is not just a place for good and unique cuisine but has also gone to great lengths to benefit the greater community.
For instance, NishDish explains that a number of community projects have grown out of the restaurant including the Indigenous Harvesters and Artisans Market, as well as the Red Urban Nation Artists Collective’s Indigenous Murals project.
In addition, the restaurant helped in the creation of two community not-for-profit organizations: “Ojibiikaan Indigenous Cultural Network and TIBA Toronto Indigenous Business Association as well as a number of Miinikaan community gardens.”
Clearly, the restaurant has made a positive impact that goes beyond the already great work in introducing traditional First Nations food to the city.
“Your prayers, your thoughts, your kind words, your support, your financial donations, all go to supporting NishDish. All of these projects are interconnected to Indigenous Food Sovereignty, culture and ceremony because one is not without the other!”
So far, since the campaign launched on May 5 it has raised almost $5,000 towards its goal of $80,000.
