Chef Zach Keeshig’s Owen Sound restaurant Naagan has been named one of the top new restaurants in the country.
Naagan is listed as number 9 in the ‘Canada’s 100 Best’ new restaurants list.
It ranked 9th in new restaurants and 92nd overall.
Keeshig says, “For being open six months in our new space and making the list is pretty incredible. Also being the only representative of Anishinaabe or being indigenous being there is also great too.”
Keeshig started Naagan as pop-up restaurant in the Owen Sound Farmers Market. He notes, the listing is a long time coming, explaining, “We’ve always been associated with the 100 Best, we’ve been invited to cook there. I’ve won a few awards through them, but we were never on the list until we got the brick and mortar.”
He explains what the new restaurant is about saying, “We’re trying to give people an experience. We serve 12 courses, 12 to 13 offerings for only 17 guests. We want it to feel very intimate when people are coming to eat. I want people to feel like I went out and picked these mushrooms and went to my garden, and had this deer shot for you, just for tonight, the aesthetic and the atmosphere that was created, I hope that’s what people are feeling and eager to come try what we’re doing.”
Naagan is wrapping up some renovations following their winter hours and will reopen in June four nights a week from Thursday to Sundays. “We only do dinner service. It’s reservation only for only 17 guests and dinner service usually starts about 6:30 and goes to about 93:0 or so,” says Keeshig.
He says the 100 Best ranking has created even more interest in Naagan and notes they’ll have a new menu for June when they open for spring and summer service.
Keeshig says it puts a great spotlight on Owen Sound “We’re so far away from the city where that type of stuff is more accessible, to even be named on something like that, being two and a half hours from Toronto— where the food writers have to travel it makes it even more special for us and putting Owen Sound on the map and indigenous food– it’s been a life goal and I’m glad that we’re finally here.”
He adds, “It’s time for us to lock in and hopefully next year we’ll be in a higher position up on the list.”
Keeshig also offers some outdoor experiences. “We’re taking groups of people out for a foraging walk down at Harrison Park to identify wild edible plants and things like that.” He and his team have built a little dining room in the woods from natural elements. “We’re cooking people a dish out in the woods and they get one of our beverages. So we’re starting that actually this weekend. That will be going until probably the end of June,” says Keeshig.
He notes they’ll also be doing quite a few pop-ups throughout the summer including a sweetgrass ice cream pop up.
To keep up with the latest from Zach Keeshig and Naagan, check out or Instagram at chefzachkeeshig, Facebook at Naagan by Zach Keeshig or Naagan.ca
