Indigenous Food Lab
 Indigenous Food Lab, Grand Opening | |
| Founded | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Sean Sherman |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Location | |
The Indigenous Food Lab is a project of the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), established in 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded by Oglala Lakota Sioux chef Sean Sherman, the organization aims to create Indigenous-controlled food systems through a professional kitchen, education, and training centers focused on the revitalization of pre-colonial American cuisine.
The Indigenous Food Lab serves as a hub for culinary education, agricultural practices, seed saving, and cultural programming, supporting Indigenous tribal communities in developing food enterprises and promoting food sovereignty. Its culinary philosophy emphasizes ingredients indigenous to the Americas while excluding post-colonial foods.
History
[edit]The Indigenous Food Lab is a project of the nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS) that was established in 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1][2] Indigenous Food Labs was founded to create Indigenous-controlled food systems.[3] The organization was founded by Oglala Lakota Sioux chef Sean Sherman, and operates as a professional Indigenous kitchen, education and training center focusing on cultural and nutritional revitalization through pre-colonial American cuisine.[1][2][4]
The organization addresses what Sherman identified as a lack of Native American cuisine representation in urban centers.[3] Their main facility was designed to serve as a learning hub for Indigenous agriculture, seed saving, ethnobotany, outdoor and indoor cooking techniques, and food preservation, with the goal of supporting tribal communities in developing their own food enterprises while addressing food sovereignty issues.[2][5] Sherman envisioned expanding the model across North America, aiming to represent local Indigenous food cultures from every region in the Americas. They wanted to offer cultural programming such as pottery and language classes, though initial opening plans were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][2] While initially planned for in-person instruction, the pandemic led to a shift toward online education during that time.[5]
The Indigenous Food Lab's culinary philosophy centers on ingredients indigenous to the Americas, sourcing products such as bison from South Dakota's Cheyenne River Buffalo Company, corn from New Mexico's Ute Mountain region, and wild rice from Minnesota's Red Lake Nation. Their approach explicitly excludes post-colonial ingredients including pork, chicken, beef, dairy, and wheat, emphasizing unprocessed, additive-free foods.[1] The project's scope extends beyond regional Midwestern cuisine to encompass Indigenous food traditions from across North America, from the Southwest to Alaska and Mexico.[5]
Beyond food service, the organization maintains a market selling tribal community products and offers educational programming through Indigenous cooking classes.[1]
In May 2023, Sean Sherman announced an Indigenous Food Lab location at Minneapolis's Midtown Global Market. This location opened in June 2023 and comprises a counter-service restaurant, retail space, and planned community food education facilities. Sherman was also named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2023.[3]
The organization is the first Indigenous food lab in the United States. As of 2023, Montana State University developed the United States' second Indigenous Food Lab, housed in a $29 million facility with a "state-of-the-art" kitchen. The Montana facility, developed in consultation with Sherman, focuses on recipe development, cooking workshops, feeding Native American students, and producing educational cooking videos for social media.[6]
The Indigenous Food Lab announced its participation in the 2024 Minnesota State Fair with two new menu items, bison meatballs incorporating wild rice and cranberries with wóžapi sauce, and sweet potato dumplings topped with a seed mix. These items were accompanied by their Nixtamal bowls. The menu also featured an optional garnish of sumac and chili-seasoned crickets.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Colvin, Chandra (August 15, 2024). "Indigenous Food Lab to debut new menu items at the Minnesota State Fair". MPR News. Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Tennant, Zoe (June 12, 2020). "Chef calls Indigenous Food Lab 'a necessity for our future'". CBC News. Archived from the original on March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Hassanzadeh, Erin (May 18, 2023). "Owamni founder Sean Sherman has sights set on new project opening next month". CBS News. Archived from the original on March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ "How Indigenous leaders are changing the future of food". CBC News. June 11, 2020. Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c Wigdahl, Heidi (August 20, 2020). "Indigenous Food Lab finds home at Midtown Global Market". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
- ^ Robbins, Jim (December 11, 2023). "With bison herds and ancestral seeds, Indigenous communities embrace food sovereignty". KTOO. Archived from the original on March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.