Chef Sean Sherman
A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, Chef Sean Sherman was born and raised on the Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation, as his parents and grandparents were before him. His focus is on
the revitalization and evolution of Indigenous foods systems throughout North America. His
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. Through his
activism and advocacy, Sean is helping to reclaim and celebrate the rich culinary heritage of
Indigenous communities around the world.
Sean has dedicated his career to supporting and promoting Indigenous food systems and
Native food sovereignty. His goal is to make Indigenous foods more accessible to as many
communities as possible through the non-profit North American Traditional Indigenous
Food Systems (NĀTIFS) and its Indigenous Food Lab professional Indigenous kitchen and
training center. Working to address the economic and health crises affecting Native
communities by re-establishing Native foodways, NĀTIFS imagines a new North American
food system that generates wealth and improves health in Native communities through
food-related enterprises.
After a long career as a chef in Minneapolis, Sherman realized in a vibrant food scene that
celebrated exotic flavors and far-flung cooking styles, nothing represented the land they
were currently on, or what the people indigenous to the area ate. After some research, he
found this was true across the country: there were no Native American restaurants
anywhere throughout most of North America. Traditional foodways had been almost
entirely wiped off the map.
This set him on a journey to discover what his direct ancestors were eating, storing,
growing, harvesting, foraging, trading, and sharing just a few generations earlier. While
spending time in Mexico, he observed how many Indigenous groups had retained
traditional cooking techniques — using clay grills and fire, growing corn and drying and
pounding it into meal, and gathering ingredients from the surrounding desert, forest or
plains. He was inspired to research and reclaim the traditional cooking methods of his own
ancestors, as well as the “lost” knowledge of other dispossessed Indigenous people across
North America.
In 2017, Sean and his team presented the first decolonized dinner at the James Beard
House in Manhattan. His first book, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, received the James
Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2018, and the 2019 Leadership Award from
the James Beard Foundation. In 2021, Sean opened Minnesota’s first full service Indigenous
restaurant, Owamni, which received the 2022 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.
Sean has just been named one of the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2023.
Chef Sherman has had the opportunity to build deep connections locally and internationally
with tribal communities, academic institutions, culinary leaders, and thought leaders. He’s
witnessed varying degrees of Indigenous food knowledge across many communities and
has seen a need for change everywhere. Through speaking engagements, community
dinners, and culinary classes, along with social media, his first cookbook, the nonprofit
NATIFS and the Indigenous Food Lab, he is working to influence many of these
communities directly to effect change.
Sean serves on the boards of the BIPOC Foodways Alliance, Dream of Wild Health, Seed
Savers Exchange, and Wholesome Crave.
For more visit his website seansherman.com
Chef Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota, addresses the audience during the USDA Indigenous Food Sovereignty Resources at White House Tribal Youth Forum at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services headquarter in Washington D.C., on Nov. 14, 2022. Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh, FNS Deputy Under Secretary Stacy Dean, and USDA Office of Tribal Relations Director Heather Dawn Thompson led a cooking demonstration and conversation about Indigenous food sovereignty for tribal youth as part of the White House Tribal Youth Summit, a pre-event to the Nov. 30-Dec. 1 White House Tribal Leaders Summit. This event featured a cooking demonstrations by award-winning Native American chefs and restaurateurs Sean Sherman and Crystal Wahpepah, followed by a sampling of these dishes and conversation about Food Sovereignty. The daylong form was hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This event ties into the USDA Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative, which promotes traditional food ways, Indian Country food and agriculture markets, and Indigenous health through foods tailored to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) dietary needs. Learn about new cooking videos, recipes, foraging guides, and other resources to promote Indigenous food ways at: https://www.usda.gov/tribalrelations/usda-programs-and-services/usda-indigenous-food-sovereignty-initiative. (USDA photos by Christophe D. Paul)
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