Smoked Whitefi sh and White Bean Spread

from Edible Indy Fall 2018 | No. 30

Revitalizing Indigenous Cuisine: A conversation with Sean Sherman founder of The Sioux Chef

A: Absolutely. It’s really getting people to embrace the regional diversity that we have right here in North America, and understanding that we have all this unique food—vegetable and animal protein, cooking techniques—all over the place.

There is so much to embrace, and it could really create a better sense of regional North American food everywhere.

Q: So do you hope that this will reach more people than just Native American peoples?

A: There is a pretty diverse crowd that gets it, that North America has to accept and understand its indigenous roots to really grow. We’ve had the opportunity to travel to Europe, work with Noma, the Nordic Food Lab, chefs in France, Slow Food University, Yale, Brown, the Smithsonian, the CIA, James Beard Institute and things like that.

Q: What would you say is your ideal utopian vision for America?

A: I think for a utopian vision it’s really about embracing a lot of that knowledge and applying it to wherever we are. So things like landscaping with a purpose, to produce food and medicine directly around you. Utilizing a lot more natural medicines, too. Because all of these plants have amazing medicinal properties that the indigenous people know very well, and getting away from pharmaceuticals as the answer for everything. Embracing our regional biodiversity, bringing those regions together, and making it easier for all of us to connect with our land no matter where we are. Because if we are going to produce enough food for the future, with the population continuing to climb, we really have to approach how wasteful we are as a society and come up with ways to get resourceful with the stuff that’s around us. There are a lot of lessons within indigenous communities and histories that we can apply for those pieces.

Q: So, if you had to give advice to the average Midwesterner on what they could do to start getting more in touch with the land they stand on, what would you say?

A: (Laughter) “The average”? Well, part of it we really tried to spell out well with the cookbook. To give people a nice overview and some simple recipes that utilize plants that are probably in their backyard. I think that is a good starting place for anyone who is looking to live more sustainably and with a deeper knowledge of their area. For more information about Chef Sean Sherman, his mission and how to grow your relationship with North American food, check out his James Beard Award–winning cookbook: The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen. Available now at bookstores near you, or online at Sioux-Chef.com

Francisca Figueroa was born in Indianapolis. She graduated from Indiana University with degrees in global food systems and Italian. She lives in Bloomington where she works as an artist and president of the nonprofit organization Journey Circle.

photography: Sean Sherman Here are two simple staple recipes from The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, perfect for parties or an easy healthy snack.