Serving Tradition: Red River Métis Business Supports Wildfire Evacuees
Red River Métis Tradition Meets Community Crisis Response
During one of the most challenging wildfire seasons in Manitoba's history, local communities and businesses stepped up to support those forced from their homes. Anthony Faraci, founder of Faraci Foods and The Bannock Factory, teamed up with the Manitoba Métis Federation and World Central Kitchen to provide more than just hot meals—they provided a taste of home.
By setting up mobile kitchens at the Manitoba Métis Federation facility on McGregor Street in Winnipeg, the team worked around the clock to offer familiar, traditional comfort to evacuees arriving for essential supplies.
Below is the full transcript of Anthony Faraci sharing the heart behind this community relief effort.
"My name is Anthony Faraci, I'm the owner of Faraci Foods and The Bannock Factory. We have a product called Bannock in a Box that's pre-baked, packaged, and frozen.
Yeah, bannock is a staple to a lot of Métis families. Very rarely do you make just one itty-bitty piece for yourself. You're—you're making one tray, or in some cases, ten trays. I think that tying into the Métis culture, it's—it's a community food.
There is a sense of community, whether it be business or family or health or friends or, you know, organizations like the World Central Kitchen that definitely come together in a time like this.
In Manitoba this summer, we've experienced one of the worst wildfire seasons, and thousands of families forced to leave their homes. We're here with The Bannock Factory at the Métis Federation on McGregor, serving comforting, hot, Métis-familiar meals to the folks coming down while they grab their supplies—whether it be toiletries or, you know, an extra shirt or a new pair of shoes—to provide them a little piece of home, I guess. That's the—the smallest thing we could do.
But again, jumping back into the bannock, it's—maybe it's a familiar taste. Maybe that bite or that smell brings them back to their campfire in their backyard or sitting in grandma's kitchen. So for us, it's, um, I guess it's more than just like a bread or just a meal. To a lot of folks, it's tradition. And I think it's, you know, it's a memory to a lot of these folks.
We're showing up, not even just ourselves, but my team and the World Central team. You got them directing and finding local chefs and restaurants and food trucks to do what they do best, to provide something so simple and comforting in, like, these uncertain times."
https://www.mmf.mb.ca/videos/serving-tradition-red-river-metis-business-supports-wildfire-evacuees
Bringing Métis Heritage to the Table
At The Bannock Factory, our mission is rooted in heritage-based storytelling and preserving the traditional food practices of the Red River Métis. Whether we are deploying our mobile commercial kitchens for emergency relief services, catering community events, or supplying wholesale distribution across Canada, our focus remains on community, quality, and culture.