Commercial café on Commercial Drive ordered closed over sanitary violations

Indigenous Kitchen, a café on Commercial Drive that marketed itself as Indigenous-owned and operated, has been ordered closed by Vancouver Coastal Health due to unsanitary conditions.

Inez Cook, owner of nearby Salmon N' Bannock bistro, discovered the problem after seeing online posters featuring items like bannock and ice cream bars made with indigenous fruits. She decided to check the café herself and was shocked by what she found.

"Everything was literally rotten, mouldy, freezer burnt, absolutely deplorable. You would not feed it to anyone," Cook told CityNews. "I held it up and asked if he would be happy if he paid for this?"

In a follow-up statement, Indigenous Kitchen clarified that the business is not actually Indigenous-owned but works with indigenous food creators. Cook said the misrepresentation is especially damaging during National Indigenous Month and the FIFA World Cup, when tourists are flooding Vancouver.

"We only have one shot. This guy is trying to make money off National Indigenous Month and FIFA, trying to do a quick cash grab against our culture using subpar products; it is completely insulting," Cook said. She hopes if the business reopens, it will do so under a different name and stop claiming any connection to Indigenous identity.

As of Friday, June 19, the closure order was posted on the café's door. CityNews reached out to Indigenous Kitchen but did not receive a response.