The solely film-local approach in Season 6 may have been precipitated by the pandemic, but the duo are adamant there is no shortage of stories to be told closer to home. “We’ve travelled all around the world over the last six seasons, but what many people don’t realize is that each tribe brings its own unique culture and food to the table,” says co-host and producer Napoleon. “Filming in Canada gives us the chance to delve into inter-tribalism, multiculturalism and Indigenous diversity, all while connecting everything back to delicious food wherever we go.”
As a luminary of the budding Indigenous culinary movement in Canada, Napoleon is keen to leverage the recent upswing in global interest in precontact-inspired cuisine in Canada. “There are a lot of Indigenous chefs emerging, and they’re all getting attention because Canada hasn’t really had a cuisine of its own. Hamburgers and poutine and hot dogs and maple syrup — there’s not a whole lot there,” he says. “Almost every major city in Canada now has an Indigenous food outlet, so it’s pretty encouraging to see that emerging.”
The enthusiasm behind an exclusively Canadian season is shared by Hayes, who, after over a decade in this country, continues to be dazzled by the accessibility Canada offers to its chefs. “The coolest thing about the Canadian food scene is that anyone can go out and ethically, legally and relatively easily harvest their own wild food and wild fish and pick wild mushrooms or wild berries if they so wish. That, for me, is very, very exciting,” he says, adding that hunting and foraging are not so convenient or accessible in most parts of the world. “Certainly where I come from in the U.K., it’s very expensive. I think it is very exciting that, if they want to, people [in Canada] can get involved at a fairly low cost.”