#LindorkFest 2021: Join my Virtual Indigenous Cooking Classes with Pei Pei Chei Ow

Each year, I engage in a long celebration of my birthday, lol. For some time it was a Birthday Week, then a few years ago, it became a Birthday Month—mainly for logistical reasons, my husband Mike often works out-of-town shifts, so he would not be there for my actual birthday week and thus, it needed to be two weeks, or sometimes three weeks, and at that point, you might as well make it a month, yes? LOL.

Fully recognizing this type of extended celebration is just a touch overindulgent, lol, a few years ago I also started tying more charitable acts to my Birthday Month, like rounding up friends to volunteer for different organizations, including one of my favourite things to do (but can’t do yet this year due to the pandemic), cook a meal for families at the Ronald McDonald House.

Last year during the first summer of the pandemic, I launched the #AdoptAShopYEG initiative as part of my Birthday Month, calling on the community to spend money to support 50 local businesses hard hit by the pandemic. I knew for this year’s Birthday Month, I wanted to do something again with the community. 

As a settler who has only in recent years begun learning about systemic racism, and the extent of atrocities that occurred against Indigenous people in this country, I’ve defined personal acts of reconciliation I’m doing to acknowledge and attempt to make right the harm that has been done. 

One of those acts includes pledging to spend money intentionally supporting local Indigenous businesses, such as artists and restaurants. I wanted to incorporate that act with this year’s Birthday Month, by rallying community support for Edmonton Indigenous catering company Pei Pei Chei Ow.

Pei Pei Chei Ow, (pronounced “pe-pe-s-chew”) is a catering company founded by Scott Jonathan Iserhoff. The name means “robin” in Omushkegowin (Swampy Cree) language and was given to Scott by his Moshom Louis Shisheesh in his childhood.

About Pei Pei Chei Ow:

Inspired by the land, life and seasons that surround us, Indigenous ways of cooking outdoors and by the Indigenous way of Mino-Pimatisiwin, Pei Pei Chei Ow explores the concept of Indigenous food in today’s society, as well as the impact of colonialism on the Indigenous food system and contemporary culture.

Using a variety of both traditional and Western ingredients, Pei Pei Chei Ow caters to public and private events, as well as hosts specialty dinners, educational events and food experiences that tell a story. Apart from elaborate and customized menus, a general catering menu is available for order year round.

I recently met with Scott and learned more about Pei Pei Chei Ow as part of a Travel Alberta project (stay tuned for that!) but when I learned Pei Pei Chei Ow offers virtual  Indigenous cooking classes, I was really excited about the idea of bringing the community together to attend these classes, learn about Indigenous food, culture and history, and support Scott as a local, Indigenous business owner and chef.