MINNEAPOLIS — These are life-changing times for Twin Cities restauranteur, chef and food activist Sean Sherman.
His Owanmi by the Sioux Chef won a 2022 James Beard Award for Best Restaurant, and he and partner Dana Thompson have drawn attention for their non-profit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS), which educates other Indigenous individuals and organizations interested in Native food culture and food sovereignty.
As a measure of his growing impact and influence, consider Sherman's latest honor: He was just named to TIME Magazine's annual list of the most influential people in the world.
“I am thrilled to accept this honor on behalf of my ancestors, who lived in balance with the natural world,” Sherman said after learning of his place on Time's list. “For generations, they nourished themselves with the bounty of the land where we lived, and we thrived. The foodways that sustained our Indigenous ancestors have the potential to rebalance and heal our bodies, weave connections within our communities, and bring harmony to our relationship with the planet. The cultural knowledge our ancestors left behind is a gift to us, one I am committed to recovering and sharing for the benefit of generations to come.”
Sherman, a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe, established the first NĀTIFS Indigenous Food Lab in Minneapolis to provide culinary training, development and support for other Native entrepreneurs. The venture aims to improve health and increase wealth in tribal communities.
He also published The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, which won the James Beard Award for Best New Cookbook in 2018. The cookbook showcases Chef Sean’s philosophy on reclaiming Indigenous foods in a modern context. Sherman also won the prestigious James Beard Leadership Award in 2019.
The TIME 100 list is in its 20th year of recognizing the impact, innovation and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals. The full list can be seen on the TIME website.
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