Indigenous Toronto chef to appear on new TV show

An Indigenous chef from Toronto known for representing his community through his food will soon appear on a new TV show.

Pow Wow Chow is a documentary series that will follow two Indigenous chefs, Shawn Adler and Bob Chiblow, as they bring their food to events across Ontario. It’s supposed to show the realities of how they work with their crews on their food trucks as they navigate powwow events.

Shawn Adler is well known in Toronto for his restaurant Pow Wow Cafe in Kensington Market, which ended up closing in May 2023. The spot served Indian tacos made with puffy fry bread, also topping the fry bread with poached eggs for their legendary brunch and serving other brunch items like pancakes. They were also known for selling their scone dogs during events, and Adler also runs Eugenia-based Flying Chestnut Kitchen.

Though Pow Wow Cafe has been gone for almost a year, Adler has not slowed down in the slightest. He’s appeared on other TV shows like Wall of Chefs and has appeared at tons of events.

Bob Chiblow has been travelling the powwow trail and doing catering with his wife Rhonda for over 20 years, and they’ve served crowds of thousands. They’re especially known for their fish fry, and they also do bison, beef, elk, wild rice stir fry and bannock. Chiblow also teaches workshops on all aspects of Anishinabek food services to fledgling entrepreneurs.

Two seasons, each with 13 episodes, have already been filmed, and they’re hoping to shoot more. Pow Wow Chow will air on ATPN, premiering on May 7 at 7:30 p.m.