September 17 – 19, 2026
World-class Chefs, innovative cuisine, a spectacular setting, reconnecting with friends, and the beauty of a summer evening by the Rideau Canal…
Chef Ginger Auger (Ginger’s Bannock House)
Ginger is a Métis/Cree iskwew and CEO Founder of Ginger’s Bannock House; an indigenous catering company located in Fort McMurray. She specializes in indigenous infusion food and story.
She has been cooking with her mother since she was 6 years old. Making food from scratch and growing up in poverty.
Her story of healing and the red road are integral elements of the company. She was homeless and in addictions when she started Ginger’s Bannock House. The company gave her vision to start a healing journey. Ginger employs mostly indigenous on the road to recovery, healing or independence. Or people who are overcoming trauma. Her business has won many awards including Chamber of Commerce Indigenous Business of the Year 2022, Top 50 people under Fifty 2022, 2023 YMM Indigenous Business, the Best Donut of Fort McMurray 2022 and 2023 and The Alberta Chamber of Commerce Indigenous Business of the Year, 2022-2024 Indigenous Business of the year Fort McMurray.
Her future is focused on food security, culture, reconciliation and story.
She continually gives back to the community through volunteering and food donations.
She believe it takes a community to make a difference.
Chef Kenton Leier (National Arts Centre)
Executive Chef Kenton Leier brings enthusiasm, passion, and creativity to the kitchens at Canada’s National Arts Centre.
He is a second-generation chef, born and raised in Saskatoon, in the heart of the prairies. His culinary philosophy relies on the use of sustainable and locally sourced ingredients of the highest quality and letting their inherent qualities stand out in his dishes.
Chef Leier led teams in Ottawa’s finest hotel kitchens before moving to the NAC in 2017. He has cooked for celebrities, politicians and dignitaries, won numerous medals nationally and internationally and taught young cooks at Ottawa’s Algonquin College.
He is committed to promoting growth and excellence in his team at the NAC and leads them in their mission to represent the best in Canadian cuisine.
BISON CARPACCIO
fire-grilled bison — pickled blueberries — blueberry reduction
squash puree — spruce oil — shaved parmesan
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PICKEREL
brown butter and sage fried Ontario Pickerel — potato wild rice croquettes
harvest vegetables — crisp sage — cranberry and thyme emulsion
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BANNOCK
bannock bread pudding with sumac — Saskatoon berry compote — maple chantilly
*vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options available at checkout
Music (Sept. 17 & 19): Gwenifer Raymond
Wales-born, Brighton-based instrumentalist Gwenifer Raymond is a celebrated champion of the finger-picked guitar. She has drawn international acclaim for her repurposing of Mississippi blues and John Fahey’s intricate Americana to embody her roots in rural South Wales and her interests in folk horror and the avant-garde, inventing a new form dubbed Welsh Primitive. The Guardian has described her as a “profound talent” whilst The Observer has praised her “awe-inspiring technique and intense musicality”, and Uncut Magazine has championed her “fast-developing talents as a composer of eerie menace.”
Gwenifer Raymond released her critically acclaimed third studio album, Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark, in September 2025 (2025, We Are Busy Bodies), which has been preceded by Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain (2020, Tompkins Square), a Welsh Music Prize Nominee, and You Were Never Much of a Dancer (2018, Tompkins Square).
Music (Sept. 18): Jobi Riccio
Jobi Riccio is an artist known for her vulnerable vocal delivery, compelling live performances, and her powerfully intimate yet universal lyricism. Riccio is stepping into her next chapter with Face The Feeling, her forthcoming album on Yep Roc Records due May 15. An “Emerging Act of the Year” nominee from the Americana Music Association, Riccio first broke through with her 2023 debut Whiplash, a coming-of-age record rooted in folk and country traditions. On Face The Feeling, she pushes far beyond those foundations, embracing a bolder, electric, indie-rock-driven sound that mirrors the album’s emotional depth.
Where Whiplash captured the restless search for escape, Face The Feeling finds Riccio choosing to stay, confronting grief, rage, self-doubt, desire, and devotion head-on. Written between Colorado and Nashville and co-produced with longtime collaborators Isaiah Beard and Jesse Timm, the album balances light and dark, restraint and release, as Riccio leans into discomfort as a path toward growth. Songs like “Pilar, NM,” “Wildfire Season,” and “Doesn’t Matter” reveal an artist willing to sit inside complicated feelings rather than outrun them.
Having performed at the Grand Ole Opry, made her national television debut on CBS Saturday Morning, and toured with Lucius, Jason Isbell, and Iron & Wine, Riccio arrives at Face The Feeling with clarity and confidence. The result is her most expansive work yet: a fearless excavation of self and a declaration of artistic evolution.
