Serving Up Tradition

Across the U.S., chef Sean Sherman found restaurants serving food from many different cultures: Mexican, Japanese, Indian, and more. But there was one thing he struggled to find—Native American restaurants. That’s why Sherman opened the Indigenous Food Lab in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in August 2020. Today it’s a training center that teaches people how to make traditional Indigenous food. It also has a market for Native-made goods and meals.

Sherman is a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation. It’s one of 574 Indigenous Nations across the U.S. Each Nation has its own food traditions based on its local plants and animals. “In every single region across North America, Indigenous food is unique,” says Sherman.

Chef Sean Sherman has traveled across the U.S. He found restaurants serving food from different cultures, such as Mexican, Japanese, and Indian. But he struggled to find Native American restaurants. That’s why Sherman created the Indigenous Food Lab in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in August 2020. The lab teaches people how to make traditional Indigenous food. It also has a market for Native-made goods and meals.

Sherman is part of the Oglala Lakota Nation. It’s one of 574 Indigenous Nations across the U.S. Each Nation has unique food. Their food is based on local plants and animals. “In every single region across North America, Indigenous food is unique,” says Sherman.

But those traditions are threatened. In the 1800s, the U.S. government forced many Native Americans off their land and onto reservations. They lost access to their traditional food sources, which included certain crops and wild animals. European foods, such as dairy products, wheat flour, and cane sugar, changed their traditional diet as well. This had a terrible impact on the health and culture of many Indigenous people.

Sherman wants to make sure his ancestors’ food traditions aren’t lost. Rediscovering, preserving, and sharing Native American cuisine is a group effort. Indigenous farmers collect and preserve seeds from plants and teach others how to grow them. The crops are then used by Sherman and other chefs—and in classes at the Indigenous Food Lab. Sherman plans to open more labs like it in other cities to teach both cooking and how to grow and find ingredients in their backyards. “Then you can experience firsthand all of this cultural diversity,” says Sherman.

But these traditional foods are threatened. The U.S. government forced many Native Americans onto reservations in the 1800s. They lost access to many crops and wild animals. Dairy products, wheat flour, and cane sugar changed their diet as well. These ingredients were new to Native Americans and brought by Europeans. The health and culture of many Indigenous people was harmed by these changes.

Sherman wants to teach how to make his ancestors’ recipes. It’s a group effort to learn, teach, and make Native American recipes. Native farmers collect seeds from plants. They teach people how to grow them. The crops are used by Sherman and other chefs. Classes at the Indigenous Food Lab use these crops, too. Sherman plans to open more labs like it. He wants to teach both cooking and how to grow and find ingredients in their backyards. “Then you can experience firsthand all of this cultural diversity,” says Sherman.