The (R)evolution of Indigenous Food Systems of North America

SDG Alignment

Oglala Lakota Chef Sean Sherman, founder of The Sioux Chef, is decolonizing our food system. From growing up on Pine Ridge to an epiphany on a beach in Mexico, Chef Sean Sherman shares his journey of discovering, reviving and reimagining Native cuisine.

 About the Speaker

A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, Chef Sean Sherman was born and raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Cooking in kitchens across the United States and Mexico for over 30 years, Chef Sean is renowned nationally and internationally in the culinary movement of Indigenous foods. His primary focus is the revitalization and evolution of Indigenous foods systems throughout North America. His extensive studies on the foundations of Indigenous food systems have led to his deep understanding of what is needed to showcase Native American cuisine in today’s world.

In 2014, Chef Sean opened the business, The Sioux Chef, designed to provide catering and food education in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area. He and his business partner, Dana Thompson, also designed and opened the Tatanka Truck, which featured 100% pre-contact foods of the Dakota and Minnesota territories.

Today, The Sioux Chef team continues with their mission to help educate and make Indigenous foods more accessible to as many communities as possible through their recently founded non-profit arm, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS). Through this entity, Chef Sean sees this vision as even more relevant due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Educating the world on the importance of localizing food systems is critical and Chef Sean and his team believe that the work of NĀTIFS will expedite this mission. Learn more at www.natifs.org.