Student cooks up Indigenous restaurant idea to change local food scene

March 21, 2018

Indigenous food has little representation in Canada’s hospitality industry, but International Business Management alumnus and current Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Management and Leadership) student Brandon Pitawanakwat has a plan to change that.

Pitawanakwat and his mom want to start and run a restaurant called Crowned Eagle, focusing on Native American cuisine with dine-in and catering services.

Mentor Chef David Wolfman, host of Aboriginal Fusion: Traditional Foods with a Modern Twist on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, will support the development of their menu.

As part of efforts to secure funding, Pitawanakwat pitched his business idea to a panel of judges at Georgian’s exC!te Competition hosted by the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre. He won first place.

Recently, he initiated a crowdfunding campaign to capture interest and investment to enable him to launch.

Pitawanakwat aims to bring Indigenous cuisine to Barrie as a way to share traditions and history with the community via delicious food.