The indigenous activist chef dedicated to reviving and spreading Native American cuisine is Sean Sherman. Through the NATIFS association and the restaurant "Owamni," it became the James Beard Foundation's Best New Restaurant in 2022, just one year after its opening.
Born in 1974 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Sean Sherman grew up on his parents' farm with the freedom to roam the prairies, hunting pheasants and ducks, and foraging for chokeberries that his grandmother would later use to make a sauce whose fragrance Sean still remembers.
The reality of the reservation was not as idyllic: the gastronomic landscape was dominated by the smells of government-provided industrial foods. Dependence on these supplies has adversely affected the health of indigenous people, which still compares unfavorably to that of white Americans.
Sean's culinary journey began at the age of 13 when he left the reservation to work as a dishwasher in various restaurants in Minneapolis. Over the years, he moved from one restaurant to another, and after getting married and becoming a father in 2001, he landed his first chef role in an Italian-Spanish restaurant, but Native cuisine remained outside the gastronomic conversation. At the age of thirty, he experienced burnout and went to Mexico, where he realized he wanted to explore the depth of Lakota cuisine, forgotten but rich in history and traditions. "I tried to discover how people lived before the arrival of Europeans, with which animals, plants, and seeds, and what of all this still exists."
In 2015, he opened the "Tatanka Truck," a food truck serving indigenous dishes on the streets of Minneapolis. Sean also founded NATIFS, the North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, a nonprofit organization to promote Native cuisine. Through the association, he established a training center, a laboratory, and a market where indigenous products could be purchased; similar facilities will open in other states, including Alaska and Minnesota.
In 2017, Sean contributed to the creation of "The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen," awarded as the best cookbook, but the turning point came in 2021. Still in Minneapolis, after the unrest following George Floyd's killing and the pandemic, he opened "Owamni." The restaurant celebrates Native American cuisine with the goal of reconnecting people with indigenous culture, offering authentic dishes without compromise. He sources ingredients first from local natives, then nationally, and only then considers other suppliers. Whenever possible, he buys alcohol and coffee from Bipoc companies founded by indigenous and non-white individuals. In 2022, "Owamni" was also named the "Best New Restaurant" by the James Beard Foundation.
