New Food Order: Revitalizing Pre-colonial Indigenous Food Systems With Chef Sean Sherman

In the 15th episode, New Food Order examines how to utilize the knowledge of Indigenous peoples to create a better food system.

There’s a growing need, now more than ever, to rebuild community-based food systems to ensure food sovereignty and address climate crisis challenges. Much can be done by employing indigenous ways.

“Indigenous peoples across the globe have the blueprint to live sustainably, [especially] with their plant knowledge,” says Chef Sean Sherman whose restaurant, Owamni, a full-service indigenous restaurant in Minneapolis, won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant in 2022.

Sherman knows more than most. Born and raised on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Sherman began working in restaurants as a dishwasher at age 13. He’s now the executive chef and founder of The Sioux Chef, a catering company indigenous food education business and the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS) which operates the Indigenous Food Lab, a professional Indigenous kitchen and training center. He’s also a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe.