Guests dining at a new restaurant in Owen Sound, Ont., are served cedar tea with house-smoked trout canapé before embarking on a 12-course tasting menu of progressive Indigenous cuisine.

This dining experience does not include substitutions or alcohol; Naagan offers non-alcoholic beverage pairings instead of wine or cocktails with each course.

Chef and owner Zach Keeshig is Ojibway Chippewas from the Nawash Unceded First Nation on the Cape Croker reserve. He said his decision to make his restaurant strictly alcohol-free came out of respect for his culture and people.

He wants his customers to “appreciate all the effort and time we put into preparing the meal.”

“We have hunters hunting for geese and we collect supplies; we buy fish directly from local fishermen,” he said.

“We grow these things and put a lot of effort into food and space and things like that, and I didn’t want the alcohol to confuse and cloud people’s minds about what we’re trying to do here.”

Keeshig said he first started offering non-alcoholic drink pairings with a tasting menu at pop-ups around Owen Sound, about 150 kilometers northwest of Toronto.

He wanted to go beyond fizzy cocktails and learned how to make healing teas, juices, kombucha and ginger beer. To flavor them, she combines local and seasonal ingredients such as blueberries, nettles or rose hips.

These drinks take weeks to prepare, she said, and ingredients in Indigenous-inspired tonics have health benefits, like the vitamin C in cedar tea and rose hips or the probiotics in kombucha.

“A lot of these ingredients may seem strange, but ultimately, this ingredient has to taste good, too,” he said.

“We’re always thinking about flavor and medicinal benefits.”

More soft drink options are changing the industry

His restaurant is one of the few in Canada embracing a growing sober and curious trend.

Global marketing and research company NielsenIQ, reported a 24% increase On soft drink sales in Canada between June 2023 and June 2024.

Anishinaabe food stylist Megan Powell of the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Reservation said she thinks the restaurant is a great idea.

“I think just being able to forage for food and gather food from the ground is such a special thing and it’s something that’s been lost, and I think it’s absolutely incredible for him to be able to do that so gracefully,” Powell said.

In an industry where alcohol is often prioritized, he said he has seen a growth in non-alcoholic options for restaurant customers.

“You don’t have to go out and buy soda or soda anymore,” he said.

“(Zach) takes it up a level in that sense and connects our Indigenous culture.”

He said restaurants like Naagan are more inclusive of people who don’t drink, such as breastfeeding and pregnant women.

“For a long time, I think there were a lot of people who didn’t want to go and have a drink, but there was pressure to go and have a drink,” he said.

“Now that it’s an option and the options are out there, people are more likely to get out.”

Charlee Roy, 34, has bookings at Naagan for next month.

“I’m very excited because there’s nothing like this in Owen Sound,” he said.

“I don’t drink alcohol, so it’s perfect for me.”

WATCH | Making cedar tea with Chef Zach Keeshig

Naagan opens in Owen Sound Ont.

Zach Keeshig, chef and owner of Naagan in Owen Sound, Ontario, said he’s been wanting to open a restaurant with a non-alcoholic beverage menu for a while, and first started experimenting with teas and natural ferments at his pop-ups. She showed CBC Indigenous reporter Candace Maracle how she makes naturally sweetened cedar tea, which all her guests can have to start their meal.

As a mother of six-year-old twin boys, she said she doesn’t feel like she’s missed out on anything because of her decision to get sober and has seen the damage alcohol can do.

“I always do great with them, and I think it’s healthy for them to see that their mom and dad don’t drink too.”

Since the pandemic, he said, many of his friends have embraced the sober curious movement.

“People were starting to find their roots, the things that really matter, the connections to people and nature, and just generally finding out who they really are without drugs and alcohol,” he said.