Bannock and Bison on National Indigenous Peoples Day
Published: June 22, 2026
Each year, Civeo’s Corporate Chef, Ray Burke, has the responsibility – and pleasure – to create a special theme menu to celebrate National Indigenous People’s Day.
A tradition that is now in its 14th year, the menu is thoughtfully prepared as a way to share Indigenous culture with guests and staff across each of Civeo’s Canadian properties.
“Most of the dishes are inspired by Indigenous food sources on the prairies, but I do try and pull in some inspiration from across Canada,” Burke said. “And we always switch it up each year.”
Traditional Indigenous food sources vary from region to region and include game, seafood, fowl, plants, root vegetables, and berries. This year, menu selections include foods and dishes spanning traditions across the country, from Coast Salish Salmon Chowder inspired by the West Coast to fiddleheads, traditional to Quebec and the Maritimes.
Mohawk Corn Soup, a new addition to the menu, is a traditional dish of Mohawk Nation, part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in Ontario. The slow-cooked, thick soup, made with dried white corn (or hominy) is more than just a meal, carrying cultural, ceremonial, and community significance.
“Recipes for this soup—and for many Indigenous dishes—are passed down for generations, Burke said. “So, making them is like a way of connecting to our past, and to our ancestors.”
As a Métis growing up in the Cold Lake, Alberta area with Métis and Cree grandparents, Burke remembers that cuisine often meant getting creative with whatever they could find in the kitchen at the time.
“We had something called Hamburger soup. It was hamburger, macaroni, and whatever else you had in the fridge,” he said. “Our mothers and grandmothers knew how to turn these basic foods into something wonderful.”
Today, Burke remembers those meals and the lessons they imparted when he and the Civeo team build their special menus for National Indigenous Peoples Day. Simpler foods such as Bannock, wild rice, and roast root vegetables will always be a staple. But the celebratory nature of this menu also allows for a few fancier ingredients. Over the years, they’ve served up such varied game as rabbit, elk, and venison, but it’s Alberta bison meat that is often the star of the menu, with short ribs, ground, steaks, and stew served in years past.
“My personal favourite – and a lot of others’ too – has got to be the bison burger,” Burke said. “It’s always a winner.”
