How this traditional soup is healing an Abenaki community ‘one bean at a time’

Jacques T. Watso wants Café Masko to be a cultural culinary experience for his community.

Watso is from Odanak, an Abenaki community about 50 kilometres south of Trois-Rivières, Que. He opened the new café, named after his daughter, earlier this month. 

They serve coffee, bannock, berries and cedar drinks, and daily specials made with venison — but the star of the menu is his sagamité, a hearty comfort soup made of beans, hominy corn and vegetables. 

The café also sells other Indigenous food products, such as coffee Kanesatake and non-alcoholic beer from Kahnawà:ke. 

“The main purpose is to have a place where the community can come and have a coffee and chit chat and have some wholesome traditional food,” Watso said about opening the new café.

“It’s not only about Indian tacos … there’s so much to discover within each of our communities.”

Family recipes

Watso, who is an elected councillor to the Abenaki Council of Odanak, started his soup brand Sagamité Watso during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While everyone else was learning to make bread, he was working on Abenaki soup recipes passed down from generation to generation.

“I went back to my pots and pans and I started cooking my recipes that I learned from my family,” he said.

“It relieves the stress from the politics that I do in my other life. And it’s really heartwarming to share food.”

His soup features nine varieties of beans, hominy corn, spices and dehydrated vegetables. He packages the dried ingredients so the soup can be cooked by adding the package to a pot of boiling water. 

He started out distributing jars around his community, but now makes about 120 litres of soup a week for local markets. He also packages between 200 and 300 jars and bags that are sold online, at local grocery stores and to other First Nations entrepreneurs across Quebec.

The soup brand is a finalist in this year’s Pow Wow Pitch, a competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs, after winning the food and drink category.

“This is where I’m supposed be, to be doing this,” said Watso.

“It really uplifts my spirit to see them enjoying the soup. That’s the big reward.… We’re healing our community one bean at a time.”

Making Abenaki food accessible

Caroline Odjick said Watso is making Abenaki and other First Nations food more accessible year-round.

“I love the idea that we now have a restaurant in the community that serves traditional food,” said Odjick, who is a member of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and works in Odanak at Kiuna College.

“I appreciate that all the products offered are local or come from First Nations businesses.”

For Watso’s cousin Helen Watso, the soup brings back memories.

“I’ve grown up on Indian soup. We always had that at my grandmother’s,” she said.

“He’s bringing it back. So, it’s nice for the younger ones that know less about the culture.”