- Details
- By Jenna Kunze
Minnesota’s first full service Indigenous restaurant, Owanmi, was named Best New Restaurant in the James Beard Awards of 2022.
The restaurant, opened by business partners Chef Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota) and Dana Thompson (descendant of the Wahpeton-Sisseton and Mdewakanton Dakota) in 2021, only serves pre-European contact foods. Eliminated from the menu are colonial ingredients, including: wheat, dairy, cane sugar, pork, and chicken.
At the Chicago award ceremony on June 13, Sherman said the win is an encouragement for all Native people that “we’re still here.”
“We’re putting health on the table, we’re putting culture on the table, and we’re putting our stories on the table,” Sherman said. “We hope that one day we can find Native American restaurants in every single city.”
For Sherman, this new honor isn’t his first brush up with the prestigious culinary award: His first cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indiegnous Kitchen, received the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2018. The following year, he won a leadership award. Sherman was also a finalist for Best Chef in the Midwest region, but lost to chef Dane Baldwin of Milwaukee.
In another nod to Indigeous culinary movement, Native Chef Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo Nation of Oklahoma) was named a finalist for ‘Emerging Chef.’ Wahpepah is the founder of Oakland, Calif.-based Wahpepah's Kitchen that focuses on reclaiming Native foods and educating people about their health benefits. The Emerging Chef award went to Edgar Rico of Nixta Taqueria in Austin, Tex.
More Stories Like This
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian Changes Name to Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations MuseumQ&A: Sicangu Lakota Filmmaker Yvonne Russo on Her New Hulu Series, 'Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae'
Third Annual Tribal Museums Day Centers Diverse Histories, Cultures & Lifeways
Tommy Orange's "Wandering Stars" Makes TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 List
Barbie Honors Maria Tallchief, America’s First Prima Ballerina, with Inspiring Women Doll for Native American Heritage Month
Support Independent Indigenous Journalism That Holds Power to Account
With the election now decided, Native News Online is recommitting to our core mission: rigorous oversight of federal Indian policy and its impact on tribal communities.
The previous Trump administration’s record on Indian Country — from the reduction of sacred sites to aggressive energy development on tribal lands — demands heightened vigilance as we enter this new term. Our Indigenous-centered newsroom will provide unflinching coverage of policies affecting tribal sovereignty, sacred site protection, MMIR issues, water rights, Indian health, and economic sovereignty.
This critical watchdog journalism requires resources. Your support, in any amount, helps maintain our independent, Native-serving news coverage. Every contribution helps keep our news free for all of our relatives. Please donate today to ensure Native News Online can thrive and deliver impactful, independent journalism.
