Major ice cream company collaborating on flavour that’s never been done before with Ontario Indigenous chef

Chapman’s is collaborating with local Indigenous chef Zach Keeshig and media company Seeing Red to create an entirely new flavour using a traditional ingredient that’s never been incorporated into ice cream before.

“Had a pretty cool opportunity come up to collaborate with Chapman’s Ice Cream, Canada’s largest independent ice cream manufacturer using 100 per cent Canadian dairy,” reads a social media post from Zach Keeshig.

“We will be creating an ice cream for a special Indigenous fashion show happening in September in Toronto. It was very pleasing to see the precision, extreme cleanliness/dedication and overall work atmosphere, it surprised the hell out of me.”

The new flavour is a fresh sweetgrass ice cream sweetened with Indigenous harvested maple syrup. It’s called Wiingashk, the Ojibway word for sweetgrass, and is supposed to taste a little like a floral version of vanilla, balanced out by the sweetness of the maple syrup.

Keeshig is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation at Cape Croker Reserve and owner of Indigenous restaurant Naagan in Owen Sound. He’s known for blending traditional Indigenous cooking techniques and ingredients like wild game and foraged foods with modern gastronomy. Having worked in various top kitchens, Keeshig promotes Indigenous food sovereignty and culture through his cooking.

The flavour was created for the Rezilience All Indigenous Fashion Show happening at Casa Loma this fall.