When I arrived in Toronto, I was excited for the endless possibilities the city had to offer. I didn’t realize one of them would be the possibility of forgetting who I was.
Some people start to badmouth their own country. Some start to forget where they came from and who they were before. Some restrict certain foods to fit into a society that decided being “Canadian” meant being something smaller than what you actually are. That’s when food became a nuisance and parts of myself slowly started to feel hollow.
As I got to explore Toronto, I started to notice a pattern. Cultures pushed into specific neighborhoods. Communities made invisible along streets that were supposed to belong to everyone. Some people stick to home cooking because the smells feel too loud for a world that wants them quieter. Some stop cooking their own food altogether because somewhere along the way, they forgot why it mattered. I watched a coworker resign herself to cooking at home because there was nowhere in this city that felt like hers. I watched a friend struggle to find a single restaurant that reminded her of where she came from. That’s not multiculturalism. That’s erasure wearing a friendly face.
Food should be a source of joy. That’s what I felt the first time I tried poutine. Standing in a plaza beside my school, not trying to be anything other than someone tasting something new for the first time. At that moment I realized I didn’t have to choose. Food guides discovery, unity and community. It’s the compass that reminds us of who we are, while making room for who we’re becoming.
The Seven Fires Table
In college, my capstone project asked me to build a Canadian-based business from the ground up. What started as a Niagara tour package quietly became something more personal. An immersive culinary experience rooted in the authentic cooking and living traditions of First Nations communities across Canada. My professor didn’t just pass it. She pulled me aside and told me to keep going.
The name comes from the Seven Fires Prophecy, an Anishinaabe teaching about connection, harmony, and finding your own path forward. When I found it, something clicked. It wasn’t just a name for a project. It was a name for everything I’d been trying to say.
This blog is for the people who don’t know where to belong. For the ones cooking at home because the city hasn’t made room for them yet. For the ones who grew up embarrassed by their lunch box and are only now realizing what was actually in it. The more we open our perspectives to each other’s stories, the more we grow, not just as food lovers but as people. That’s the ripple effect this table is built on.
At this table, you don’t have to choose. Bring your whole self. Your roots are welcome here.
Learn more about Seven Fires Prophecy
