A restaurant with a name such as Owamni is evocative of images of exotic food and the exciting prospect of discovery that can be part of dining out.
Owamni is the name of the James Beard award-winning restaurant that is the talk of the food world these days. It has the promise of discovery, but the cuisine is not new.
Sean Sherman, chef, restaurateur and Indigenous food advocate, has taken the lead in raising awareness of native foodways. Sherman presented at the 2022 University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium in early October on “The (R)evolution of Indigenous Food Systems of North America.”
A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe, Sherman was born and raised in Pine Ridge, S.D. Cooking in kitchens across the U.S. and Mexico for more than 30 years, Sherman is renowned internationally in the culinary movement of Indigenous foods, focusing on the revitalization and evolution of Indigenous food systems throughout North America and showcasing Native American cuisine in today’s world.
Sherman spoke as part of the fall Honors Colloquium “Just Good Food,” which was presented in person and streamed live. The chef further shared his passion and his heritage in an interview.
For over 25 years, the contention I have made is that we all ate the same thing once upon a time. The turnover is related to the empanada, the samosa and the knish.
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GUEST SPEAKER: Sean Sherman, chef, restaurateur, Indigenous food advocate and owner of Owamni restaurant in Minnesota, spoke recently about “The (R)evolution of Indigenous Food Systems of North America” as part of the 2022 Honors Colloquium at the University of Rhode Island.
COURTESY NANCY BUNDT[/caption]
Sherman sees things as more complicated. In 2017, he and his team presented the first decolonized dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in Manhattan, N.Y. His first book, “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen,” received a James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook and was chosen as one of the top 10 cookbooks of the year by the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Smithsonian magazine.
Last year, Sherman opened Owamni, Minnesota’s first full-service Indigenous restaurant, which received the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant this past June. Although his company in Minneapolis is named The Sioux Chef, do not refer to Sean Sherman as “the Sioux chef.” He is Lakota. The reference to the particular native tribe is much more instructive.
As Sherman pointed out in our interview, when we use terms such as Native American or even Indigenous, we are referring to people who lived anywhere from the Arctic Circle to Mexico. Each tribe had its own foodways. The common thread is nature. All found food and prepared food from what was on the land or, in the case of the Narragansett, from the sea.
The chef is an ambassador for the exciting and interesting cuisine that an award-winning artisan creates seemingly without effort. He is an advocate for more Indigenous restaurants to open.
Here in our region, we have always had so much to make our food wholesome and delicious. Honey, maple, fruits, herbs, the bounty of the land.
We discussed a soup on Sherman’s menu that was made from chokecherries – an extremely tart cherry that is indigenous to the Great Plains where Sherman grew up. It reminded me of a chilled blueberry soup that was created by the chef at the Waybury Inn in Vermont. He explained that his soup, which was also chilled, was an homage to his grandmother who made it often when he was a little boy using chokecherries that were all around their home. We can all relate to that imagery.
The URI Honors Colloquium is the university’s premier lecture series, hosted by the university’s Honors Program and open to the public. This year’s free lecture series is bringing several experts to South Kingstown and online on Tuesday evenings through Dec. 13.
“Dining Out With Bruce Newbury” is broadcast locally on WADK 101.1 FM and 1540 AM and on radio throughout New England. Contact Bruce at bruce@brucenewbury.com.
