A menu overhaul at Little Chief restaurant brings Indigenous culinary traditions to the forefront.
Bison sourced from the Tsuut’ina Nation is the star, presented in a unique and delicious way.
Photo Credit: Hetal Bulsara
Indigenous Food Stories: Little Chief’s Bison Program
When Tsuut’ina Nation Chief Roy Whitney stops by Little Chief restaurant at the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino, he wants the same thing every time: Saskatoon berry soup. The catch: it wasn’t on the menu.
“We asked ourselves, ‘Why not?’” says Little Chief’s Chef Brandon (Dash) Dashnay. “Many folks around here want traditional dishes, so we added it.”
The addition is part of a recent overhaul of the menu at Little Chief, which includes the addition of a chef’s tasting menu focused on Indigenous storytelling through fine dining. One of the features of the tasting menu is the bison charcuterie – the first offering of what will become an ongoing part of Little Chief’s bison program.
“We had the idea to take an animal from Tsuut’ina’s herd for the restaurant,” says Dashnay. “The Chief (Whitney) is super excited about it.”
Dashnay says the three-year-old animal was taken in the traditional way with an arrow directly to the heart along with a smudging ceremony and prayer.
The culinary team will use every possible bit of the animal over the following weeks and months. Because of the aging required for certain meat cuts, organ meats and hanger – and skirt-stake cuts were the first to become available, so the team set to work processing and curing. The result is a stunning charcuterie board, which features tongue pastrami, cured heart and a blood sausage served with a crispy salmon skin to add some crackle.
Other must-tries include the bread basket featuring bannock and fry bread with seasonal butters and the Cornish game hen pot pie, which is going on our “Favourite Things” list for 2024. It’s fantastic.
Little Chief Restaurant | Grey Eagle Resort | 3779 Grey Eagle Dr. S.W. | 587.390.1400 | greyeagleresortandcasino.ca/little-chief-restaurant
Read more Indigenous Food Stories: Chef Ian Gladue, Heather Morigeau and Chef Shane Chartrand.
