Ha’me’, the fine dining restaurant at the Kwa’lilas Hotel in Port Hardy, wholly owned by the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw First Nation, officially relaunched on Friday, June 20, with a cultural blessing and ceremonial event celebrating Indigenous food, identity, and self determination.
Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw hereditary chiefs Willie Walkus and Gary Walkus welcomed everyone to the special event, with Gary explaining the Nations would be blessing the restaurant in their traditional way so they are able to "go into the restaurant with open hearts."
Cyrus Singh, CEO of K’awat’si Economic Development Corporation, was next to speak. He thanked everyone for coming out, saying he wanted to "express my appreciation for the knowledge keepers and those who are here."
"Ultimately, this is really about the Nations," Singh added. "This is another step forward in relaunching a wonderful place for people to experience the food, the hospitality of these nations, and their community... I truly believe that this is an avenue to begin to understand and to engage with the community in a good way, a way that also reflects who they are."
Elected chief Leslie Walkus was invited up to speak after Singh.
"Thank you everybody for joining us," Leslie said to the crowd, noting the Nations were pleased to be able to "celebrate the official opening of our very beautiful restaurant, which is a part of our tourism strategy. It allows us an opportunity to share our story and share our culture. For me, there's a lot of pride in our company and the way we operate... We don't receive a lot of support from the provincial or federal government, so it makes it that much more special. I asked for some numbers this morning and our company as a whole, only 2.5 per cent of our funding comes from any form of government funding."
Leslie added the Nations "do business the traditional way, because there's not a lot of support for our nations. I think that's a testament to our elders, the strength of our people... Given everything that we've gone through, we're still able to take steps forward when it comes to tourism... So I just want to say thank you for joining us, and I hope you enjoy the food."
After the speeches, the relaunch of Ha’me’ featured a cultural blessing, a ceremony led by Elders, singers, and drummers, followed by some delicious food.
Ha’me’ offers a West Coast–inspired culinary experience grounded in traditional knowledge. The menu features sustainably sourced seafood, wild game, and ingredients from the surrounding Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw territory. Every dish has a symbolic connection with and tells a story about the land and people, blending cultural tradition with culinary artistry.
Ha’me’ is located inside the Kwa’lilas Hotel in Port Hardy, and is open Friday–Sunday, 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Reserve via OpenTable: opentable.ca/r/hame-port-hardy
- with file from KEDC
