Toasted Sister Podcast: Recent Episodes
Native Voice One - NV1
Toasted Sister is radio about Native American food because it came a long way. Traditional indigenous foodways were lost, found, redefined and modernized in the last few hundred years. And here it is today, in the hands of Native chefs and foodies who work to keep their traditional flavors and ingredients alive. I'm Andi Murphy and I'm talking to as many Indigenous foodies as I can.
In this episode, I talk with Native chefs and restauranteurs about balancing successful business with staying true to culture, community and the Native American Food Movement. Recorded live from the first Indigenous Foodways Festival that took place at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico in June 2026. Guests: Johnny Ortiz-Concha (Taos Pueblo), chef and creator of the Shed in New Mexico, Alexa Numkena-Anderson (Hopi, Yakama, Cree and Skokomish), chef and owner of Javelina Indigenous Dinning in Portland, Tina Archuleta (Jemez Pueblo), chef and owner of Itality Plant Based Foods in Albuquerque, Elena Terry (Ho-Chunk), chef and founder of Wild Bearies and executive chef of the forthcoming restaurant, Tall Grass at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, and Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo), chef and owner of Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, California and author “A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior.”
Throughout my lifetime, my mom has been sharing stories and bits and pieces of memories from her childhood in Los Angeles with me. From her youthful, innocent, perspective, east LA was a vibrant and safe place for her to grow up. She mentioned eating tacos on Olvera Street and that caught my attention because I had just read about Olvera Street in “American Tacos: A History and Guide” by José R. Ralat. Olvera Street is a pretty significant place in the history of Mexican food in LA and the United States; a bit of a controversial history, but an interesting history nonetheless. My mom’s memory of Olvera Street helped me form an itinerary for an adventure: to go back to Olvera Street to have those same tacos and to learn about Mexican and Indigenous food there, and back to downtown Los Angeles to learn more about the generations of Native people who moved to the city—by way of the Urban Relocation program—and created an urban Native community with its own vibe and culture. Heard: Kathy Murphy, my mom Dr. Alisha Murphy, my little sister Dr. Enrique Ochoa, professor of history and Latin American Studies at California State University Los AngelesDr. Sarah Portnoy, producer of “Abuelita’s Kitchen” and professor in the Departments of Latin American and Iberian Studies and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California specializing in Latinx food culture and food justicePamela Peters, Diné multimedia documentarian. Her film and video project is called the “Legacy of Exiled Ndnz” Mentioned: Las Anitas Un Solo Sol United American Indian Involvement King TacoEl Tepeyac Café Credits:Production, hosting, engineering by Andi MurphyPodcast intro and outro music by CW AyonEpisode music by Blue Dot Sessions “Cornicob”-Sugartree, “Sienna’s Regression”-Heringbone, “Sharp Lapel”-Transistor Radio, “The Queen of Cones”-Tarana, “Caravan 9”-The Caravan
Leah Prisque is responsible for Indigenous and community relations at Growcer, a cool Canadian company that turns shipping containers into farms. She helps expand this idea to Indigenous communities, some of which are extremely remote and located in food deserts. In this episode, Leah talks with economist for the Navajo Nation, Dr. Alisha Murphy, about how these farms work. Mentioned in the show: Growcer: https://www.thegrowcer.ca/ Bidii Baby Foods: https://www.bidiibabyfoods.org/ The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/ “The Knowing” by Tanya Talaga: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-knowing-tanya-talaga?variant=43103131074594 Native America Calling: https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/
I met Lamar Minthorn (Umatilla) of Tutuilla True during my first trip to Portland at the Northwestern Native Economic Summit. He’s an incredibly positive person and an obvious hard worker. In this episode you’ll learn about how one tribal fisherman found his way into the Columbia River to carve out a salmon fish business for himself.
In this episode, I talk with Ojibwe chef Bryce Stevenson who is also the owner of Miijim in La Pointe, Wisconsin, an island in Lake Superior. He’s also a pretty talented poet whose work is included in the zine “Heart Rations: Indigenous Food Poetry.” Bryce is a creative guy who also takes up carpentry work during the off season, a necessity for folks who work on an island like La Pointe. Nininjiin A poem by Bryce Stevenson as a bowl, hystericallyholding juice squeezedfresh from flesh, burntfestered, boiledweathered, leatheredskin until musclescooked within. Bonessplit, flavors grown nomodifier nor amplifierin need. Too hotmy hands to carryblistering dish, gravitygiven gift - re-roomthe hecatomb - a dayminus the hourssleep & work spentin the only roomin the house whereexistence is ensuredthrough the destructionof life - the results ofwhich, wasted.
The “Heart Rations: Indigenous Food Poetry” zine is out (has been out)! It’s a collection of poems about… you guessed it… Indigenous food. In this episode, I talk with a couple of folks whose work appears in the zine; Cliff Taylor (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska) poet, author and creator of “The Ponca Poet’s Podcast,” Rebecca Kinkade-Black (Diné), Albuquerque book seller, and Vicente Telles, an artist from the South Valley of Albuquerque.Other authors in the zine: Teresa Peterson (Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota/citizen of the Upper Sioux Community)Bryce Stevenson (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)Esper Rodriquez-Gaspardi (Chichimeca Mexican) Gabe Tegoseak (Iñupiaq) Geremy Clarion (Suqpiat American from the Native Village of Ouzinkie) Tina Deschenie (Diné and Tewa Hopi) MKirby-Nectar Nomad (Tortuga Pueblo and Mestiza) Alice Qannik Glenn (Iñupiaq) Venaya Yazzie (Diné) Nobian Henan (Shoshone, Cherokee and Diné)Other artists in the zine: Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Nation) Coen LaFever (Navajo, Santa Clara Pueblo and Northern Cheyenne)
I'm pretty glad I found out about Nikki Tsabetsaye (Zuni) and her knife sharpening skills via a post/ad that was shared across my way. She's a pretty awesome person and her family owns Major Market grocery store in Zuni, New Mexico. In this episode (recorded while she sharpens my knives), we talk about sharp knives, knife stories and injuries. Also, we hear a preview of a special episode by the Unpacked podcast by AFAR that's about Native tourism. Here's the link to that episode: https://link.chtbl.com/mlOXPdeX
In this episode I talk with Natalie Benally (Diné) about her film, “Indigenize the Plate” at a screening hosted by Tiny Grocer ABQ in Old Town Albuquerque. We talk about her journey to Peru for the film and how that inspired her to remember and revitalize traditional family ways of growing and eating. She’s the founder of Tse’Nato’, a digital storytelling company.
Cherokee chef Nico Albert Williams is just trying to make some corn soup. She’s the executive director of the Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness in Tulsa (grand opening Sept. 14) and the vocalist for a badass doom/sludge metal band, Medicine Horse (debut album drop Sept. 8). In this music-filled episode, Nico and I talk about storytelling in music, religious horror and how she pivoted from the restaurant chef life to community leader.
From the big city of Chicago, I bring you this episode featuring 2023 James Beard Award Best Chef of the Northeast, Sherry Pocknett (Wampanoag). We talk about her win, her battle with cancer and how her past shaped the chef she is today. Photo by Huge Galdones courtesy of the James Beard Foundation.
Things get a little switched up in this episode. This time, my sister, Alisha Murphy, economist for the Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development, takes over an interview with Victoria Largo, new owner of Victoria’s Pizza brick-and-mortar restaurant in Crownpoint, New Mexico, our Navajo Nation hometown. She talks about the real struggles and triumphs of operating a food business on the Navajo Nation. It’s inspiring to hear from this enthusiastic and strong entrepreneurial spirit!
In this episode, I talk with Becky Webster (Oneida Nation), or Rebecca M. Webster, as it’s written on her new book “In Defense of Sovereignty: Protecting the Oneida Nation’s Inherent Right to Self-Determination.” She does a lot of passion work and is a founder of Ukwakhwa: Our Foods, a farm and community learning, cooking, trading and growing space in Oneida, Wisconsin. We start with Oneida history, because, “hey, Oneidas aren’t from Wisconsin…” and move through the origins of the farm, the tribe’s food system and the process of winging it.
She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’s got a couple of hours to butcher a sheep and make three dishes over an open fire. The Miss Navajo Nation Pageant is one of the most unique contests that happens every year as part of the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, Arizona. In this episode, I talk with the former Miss Navajo, Niagara Rockbridge, and the new, current Miss Navajo, Valentina Clitso, about the importance of sheep butchering and Navajo foods. I also chat a little with the Navajo Nation president, Jonathan Nez, and the sheep butchering judges.
How can I say this without sounding egotistical? … This episode is about me; the creator, producer and host of this show. Yes! It is. In this episode, my sister, Alisha Murphy, interviews me and I get to share more about my mental health journey, important things I learned while producing this podcast and why vibes are important to me.
Live at the 4th Annual New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival, Sept. 24, 2022 In my first-ever live podcast recording, I talk with chef Ray Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo/Odawa), owner of Manko: Native American Fusion, Addie Lucero (Taos Pueblo), owner of Dancing Butterfly Naturals, and Andrea Garza (Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan) about the "Changing Culinary Narrative of Native America."
In this episode, I take you to the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s the largest annual conference focusing on Native economics. This year’s event included, for the first time, a panel series called “Food Sovereignty is Economic Sovereignty.” I went to every one of them and heard from economists, entrepreneurs and some of the heavy hitters in Native food. In this show, you’ll hear from Alisha Murphy, Navajo economist, Lance Morgan, lawyer and economist who is the president and CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., Aaron LaPointe, agribusiness manager for Ho-Chunk Farms, Heather Dawn Thompson, director of the office of tribal relations for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Tomie Peterson, regenerative economies specialist with the Intertribal Agriculture Council.
Mentioned in the show: 2022 4th annual New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival: https://navajoeconomy.org/
In this episode, I talk with Brett Maybee (Seneca) about corn, corn soup, corn wheels, radio stuff, music and then space-time. Brett is the host and producer of Gaënö', a weekly radio program about Native music. His work is fascinating and the passion he has for uplifting Native talent and intelligence on air is inspiring. Also mentioned in this show: Gaënö' (gaenomusic.fm), Native Voice One (NV1.org), NativeAmericaCalling.com
Millions of TV viewers watched chef Pyet DeSpain (Prairie Band Potawatomi, Mexican) beat out the competition on Gordon Ramsay’s new cooking show, “Next Level Chef” (March 2022). With her special brand of Indigenous fusion food, she was crowned the winner of season 1 and claimed a quarter-million dollar cash prize. She made waves in the media and took Indigenous food to a new level. In this episode, I talk with chef Pyet, a self-professed Toasted Sister fan, about the competition, her culinary journey and the types of men she will not date.
In this episode, I talk with Jacob Torres, a very proud New Mexican who, I think, has a very interesting life. He’s a technical and horticultural scientist at NASA and based at the NASA Kennedy Space Center and he's working on getting New Mexico green chiles on the next Mission to Mars. We talk about his work in agriculture and how hard work and taking advantage of opportunities got him where he is today, labs deep in green chile.
In this episode, I finally talk with Loretta Barrett Oden, Potawatomi chef whose kind of responsible for helping pave the way for a lot of the Native food work you see today. She was a restaurant owner, a long-time teacher of Indigenous foods and now she’s a culinary architect of the brand new First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, where I met her this month.
I’ve been really digging Native poetry lately and I thought I’d gather a few poems about food. In this short episode, Native writers recite food poems about foreign foods, frybread, seeds and ancestral wisdom. Voices are Tiffany Midge, Taté Walker, Donell Barlow and Rubi Orozco-Santos.
This is the death and food episode where I talk with Indigenous death doula, Chrystal Waban, about her work with Blackbird Medicines and the Indigenous Death Doula Collective and how food is connected to this very important journey for those who are dying, for those who are dead and for those they leave behind. Also in this episode are stories about death and food by: Dale Jones (Tulalip), Tipiziwin Tolman (Dakota and Lakota) and Melissa Baehr (Anishinaabe Ojibwe).
Do you know who picked the cabbage and celery you find at the grocery store? It might’ve been an Indigenous immigrant farmworker. In this episode, I visit with a couple of Indigenous immigrant farmworkers at Rio Grande Farm Park in Alamosa, Colorado to learn about their journey here and why they left Guatemala. I also speak with Dr. Giovanni Batz, social anthropologist focusing on Maya migration, displacement and diaspora, Guatemalan history, Indigenous movements and human rights, to learn more about why so many people migrate here; and why so many Indigenous people are displaced from their lands in Latin America.
Dr. Batz mentions Gofundme fundraisers for Hurricane Eta relief:
"Maya communities need help – Hurricane Eta"
"Urgent need for Maya people due to Hurricane Eta"
"Collection for Victims of Eta Hurricane in Nebaj"
Dr. Batz also suggests “Indigenous Communities on the Frontline as Two Climate Change-Fueled Hurricanes Slam Central America” from “Democracy Now!”
Thanksgiving is a lie. In this episode I talk with three Wampanoag women about Thanksgiving and how colonization effected their foodways. We’ll also talk about the awesome work they’re doing in their East coast communities to educate and revitalize Wampanoag food. Guests are chef Sherry Pocknett from Sly Fox Den Restaurant, Danielle Hill, educator and cultural consultant with Heron-Hill LLC., and Talia Landry, production coordinator for Mashpee TV.
There’s nothing like a good beer—for me that’s a cold, citrusy and bitter IPA—and for those who appreciate the brews from their local breweries, beer is more than alcohol. Craft beer is a whole vibe and culture. In this episode, I talk with the founders of Bow & Arrow Brewing Co., Shyla Sheppard (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara) and Missy Begay (Navajo), about starting from scratch, foraging for beer ingredients and their branding and aesthetic.
My favorite color is black. That also means I have a fascination with black-colored foods. Indigenous foods come in all kinds of colors including black. In this episode, chefs Tawnya Brant (Kanyen'kehá:ka), David Smoke-McCluskey (Mohawk) and Andrea Murdoch (Andean Native) and farmer, Cherilyn Yazzie (Diné) talk about the black foods in their kitchens and farms. Mentioned: Indigo-Show art show, September 26 + 27
This podcast episode is a 20-minute preview of “Indigenous Roots: Exploring the Crossroads of African American and Indigenous American Cuisine,” an online two-part event hosted by the Museum of Food and Drink on Aug. 5 and 6. Guest chefs, Yusuf Bin-Rella of Trade Roots Culinary Collective, Elena Terry (Ho-Chunk), executive chef and founder of Wild Bearies, and chef Dave Smoke-McCluskey (Mohawk), will speak about the ways in which both cuisines have influenced each other in the context of the social reasons that early African American and Native American cultures came together out of necessity. This necessity, in turn, created a beautiful cuisine that is now part of the American food lexicon and continues to evolve.
Where: Zoom
When: Talk on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Afro-Indigenous virtual food demonstration on Thursday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Tickets: $15 general admission for Aug. 5 panel discussion, $40 for the cooking demo on Aug. 6, and $45 for the panel and cooking demo.
Info: MOFAD.org
When I visited Paul Natrall (Suquamish) in his Mr. Bannock food truck in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, I wasn’t expecting to get a taste of some of the most delicious pizza I ever had. I did and that was also my first taste of bannock, an Indigenous flour-based bread (kind of like frybread). In this episode, I talk with chef Paul about bannock, how he got hooked on culinary arts and a new Indigenous group called Indigenous Culinary of Associated Nations.
More photos at ToastedSisterPodcast.com.
In this special episode, I talk with seven Indigenous people working in the food industry about how they are being affected by COVID-19. On the show: Nico Albert, executive chef of Duet Restaurant Crystal Wahpepah, owner of Wahpepah’s Kitchen Spring Alaska, owner of Sakari Farms Inez Cook, owner of Salmon n’ Bannock Zach Johnston, writer and editor at Uproxx Kelsey Ducheneaux, owner of DX Beef Michelle Crank, executive director of communications for Navajo Gaming Enterprise
In this special episode, I visit with Chef Maria Parra Cano in her food truck, Sana Sana. We share a nice, plant-based dinner and then we talk about labels, her mom’s recipes and food as medicine. Recipe below.
Verde smoothie 1 cup nopales, diced 1 cup pineapple, diced ¼ cup cilantro, diced 2 tablespoons chia seeds ½ cup water 1 cup raw spinach Agave and ice to taste
Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth. Drink raw or freeze like sherbert or popsicles.
sanasanafoods.com
In this special episode, I take you through the 4th annual Red Lake Nation Food Summit in Minnesota. Doug DesJarlait talks about walleye, Deb Smith talks about ancestral seeds, Veronica Kingbird-Bratvold talks about plant relatives, Dan Kimewon talks about corn and Kevin Finney talks about basket making.
March 2020: COVID-19 hit the fan and is affecting all in the restaurant industry, including Salmon n’ Bannock, the only Indigenous brick-and-mortar restaurant in Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. In this episode, I visit Salmon n’ Bannock and talk with Inez Cook, the owner, about her personal journey in the industry and how food around the world influences her palate.
Photo: Kass Cross
Alana Yazzie (Navajo) went from being wary of Facebook to becoming a lifestyle and food blogger with a big social media following. She goes by The Fancy Navajo and you can find her across all social media platforms cooking, gardening and modeling a signature, cheery aesthetic wherever she is in Native America.
Mentioned The Fancy Navajo: https://thefancynavajo.com/
IndigiPopX: https://www.indigipopx.com/
In this episode, I visit Spirit Lake Native Farms in Minnesota and one of its owners, Bruce Savage (Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe), for a tour through the wild rice processing plant. Included in this episode is a short ASMR session that’ll make you tingle.
Tour photos are at ToastedSisterPodcast.com
Mentioned: Bruce’s email address spiritlakesugar@yahoo.com Natives on a Budget Podcast: http://nativesonabudget.com/
In this special episode I talk with Benjamin Shendo (Cochiti and Jemez Pueblo) and Linus Yellowhorse (Tohono O’odham) from Gatherings Cafe at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. They’re a couple of chill dudes who just fell into the kitchen and turned a job into a passion for feeding Indigenous food to Minneapolis’ Native community. Vote for "Toasted Sister Podcast” in the Innovator category of the Local Hero Awards by Edible New Mexico magazine! https://www.ediblenm.com/local-hero-awards/ "What They Say," new album by CW Ayon: https://cwayon.bandcamp.com/album/what-they-say
In this episode I talk with Donell Barlow (Ottawa) about her new book, “Bigfoot and Lightning Bug,” a children’s book about Bigfoot and the environment. Donell is a chef, certified holistic health coach and the author of “Medicine Tracks: A Memoir.”
Mentioned: “Ancestral guided wellness: A way of life for our ancestors, a movement that could heal our bodies and the planet” by Donell Barlow in Indian Country Today
Books mentioned: “Indigenous Food Sovereignty in the United States: Restoring Culture Knowledge, Protecting Environments, and Regaining Health” by Devon Mihesuah and Elizabeth Hoover “Fresh Alaska Cookbook” by Rob Kinneen “Inventos Mios” by Rubi Orozco Santos “tawâw” by Shane M. Chartrand “Cooking with the Wolfman: Indigenous Fusion” by David Wolfman and Marlene Finn “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen” by Sean Sherman with Beth Dooley “Imminent Cuisine: Indigenous Food Futurisms” by Toasted Sister Podcast
Events mentioned: IndigiPopX Sneak Preview, Saturday, Nov. 9 in Albuquerque “Toasted Sister: A Talk on the Indigenous Food Movement with Andi Murphy of Toasted Sister Podcast” at Virginia Tech on Friday, Nov. 15
Alien Weaponry is a three-piece thrash metal band from New Zealand. The band members, Lewis de Jong (Maori), Henry de Jong (Maori) and Bobby Oblak (substitute bassist for Ethan Trembath), join me in the studio to talk about their U.S tour, the Indigenous history and stories in their music and their love for the Navajo Nation. Their big Window Rock, Arizona show is on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Navajo Sports Center.
We made a zine about Indigenous food futurisms! It includes 24-pages of all-original work by myself, Monica Braine, junior editor of “Imminent Cuisine,” and seven other Native artists, illustrators, comic book artists, chefs and writers. In this episode, we talk about food in Indigenous futurisms and the work in the zine.
Zine contributors: Elizabeth Lapensée (Anishinaabe/Metis/Irish), award-winning designer, writer, artist and researcher who creates and studies Indigenous-led media such as games and comics. Visit elizabethlapensee.com.
Donell Barlow (Ottawa), author of “Medicine Tracks- A Memoir” and the children’s book, “Bigfoot and Lightning Bug.” Donell is a certified holistic health coach. Visit donellbarlow.com for recipes and more information.
Kayla Shaggy (Diné/Anishinaabe), born in Shiprock, New Mexico, Kayla has been drawing comics since she could hold a pencil. To see more of her art and comics check out her website, kaylashaggy.gallery.
Tashia Hart (Anishinaabe), writer, artist and biologist from Red Lake, Minnesota. Learn more about her work at tashiahart.com.
Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva/Schottish), comic book artist and illustrator who has been making comics for over 15 years.
Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet/Cherokee), food activist focused on reteaching traditional foods through modern methods. She is the founder of Indigikitchen, indigikitchen.com.
Terry Fisher (Coushatta/Jena Band Choctaw/Alabama-Coushatta), halfway right. Inspired by an Indigenous worldview filled with creeps, monsters, pro wrestlers and degenerates.
I spoke to Cienan Muir (Yorta Yorta and Ngarrindjeri) at last year’s Indigenous Comic Con about kangaroo tail and I knew I had to collaborate with him for a future episode about Indigenous food in Australia. Well, this is the episode! While Cienan was in Albuquerque, I lured him into the studio to talk more about Indigenous foods in Australia, Native stories in pop culture and the upcoming Indigenous Comic Con Australia.
Germaine Simonson (Navajo) never operated a cash register before she took over ownership of Rocky Ridge Gas and Market, a grocery store in the middle of rural Navajo Nation, Arizona. This episode is about food entrepreneurship, making future plans and genuinely wanting to provide useful services for the Native community. Included is an interview with Jessica Stago, program director of business incubation for Change Labs. Produced with help from Alisha Murphy, my little sister and doctoral student focused on tribal economic development. More photos at ToastedSisterPodcast.com.
Do you know how much money you spend on food? If you’re like me, finding out that triple-digit number will make you sick. In this episode, Monica Braine (Natives on a Budget, Native America Calling) and I take a 31 Day No Eating Out Challenge that give us perspective into our spending and eating habits.
Chef Lawrence Garcia (Acoma and Navajo), executive chef at Sky City Casino, in New Mexico is skilled at making odd ingredients taste good together, which is a skill he needed for 505 Food Fights, a charitable event that brings together all kinds of chefs from Albuquerque. In this episode, I follow him and Diné chef Josh Nez through the tournament.
In this special episode I catch up with some awesome women at the 2nd Native Women’s Business Summit, a powerful event for Native women entrepreneurs to lift each other up, network and encourage business growth in Native America. The women in this episode see the importance of food in business and Native traditions. I speak with: Addie Lucero (Taos) — Dancing Butterfly Naturals Percilla Frizzell (Diné) — Sacred Generations Reyna Benteah (Zuni) — Ts’uyya Farm Kathy Sanchez (San Ildefonso) — Tewa Women United Shayai Lucero (Laguna and Acoma) — Earth and Sky Flora Designs and Gallery
No one really likes to be told what to do especially when it comes to food. Food is culture and to be told that that’s not good enough by outsiders, well, that makes us angry. In this episode Lynn Lane (Diné), community health nutritionist, and Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz (Tewa and Chicana), chef and holistic healer, are no longer gentle Indians.
The 2018 Southwest Native American Workshop on Bats gathered a couple dozen bat researchers and biologists from federal, state and tribal entities to talk about bat conservation ahead of the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in the Southwest. They also focused on where bats fit into Native culture. Voices in the episode: Lawrence Abeita (Isleta), wildlife biologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Dr. Ernie Valdez, research wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey Dr. Mike Medrano, chief of resource stewardship and science for the Guadalupe Mountains National Park Nelson Luna (Zuni), director of biology for the Pueblo of Zuni Timothy Smith (Mescalero Apache), biological technician for the Pueblo of Sandia Taylor Silva (Diné), Navajo Nation Department of Fish & Wildlife Roger Rodriguez, regional bat monitoring research assistant at Oregon State University
In this episode I talk with Brian Tatsukawa, culinary instructor at the Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint, New Mexico, and a few of his students about why a career in culinary arts is important and what challenges young students have cooking on the reservation.
I partnered up with Eater magazine to include Pueblo bread in their Guide to the Southwest. In the process of writing this article, I took a journey through some of the Pueblos in New Mexico to learn about Pueblo bread. This episode includes voices from bakers from Jemez, Taos, Zuni and Laguna Pueblos.
Link to "The Wondrous Bread of the Pueblo Nations" article: https://www.eater.com/2019/1/23/18183970/zuni-bread-pueblos-new-mexico
Visit the episode at ToastedSisterPodcast.com for more photos
In this episode, I talk with Curtis Basina (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians), owner of the Copper Crow Distillery in Wisconsin about stereotypes, vodka drinks and what repeal of prohibition could mean for tribes. Yes, I said “prohibition.” Did you know that up until December 2018 tribes were banned from operating distilleries on reservations? A law changed that so tribes are able to open distilleries if they want to.
For this special episode I take a road trip to El Paso, Texas where I learn more about Mexican food and the Indigenous food culture at this stretch of the border. You’ll hear from Rick Quezada, cultural preservation director at Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, Lorena Andrade, director of La Mujer Obrera and Rubi Orozco Santos, poet and public health educator. Photo: “The Equis” monument that stands over Cuidad Juárez near the border was made by Mexican sculpture Enrique Carbajal González. It symbolizes the intersection of Indigenous people of Mexico and the Spanish.
Native American Natural Foods makes Tanka Bars, the first brand of bison meat bars, experienced a couple of ups and downs in business since it started in 2006. But since competition from non-Native companies swept up all the investments and money in the last couple of years, Tanka Bar is left to restructure its brand. In this episode, I talk with Mark Tilsen, president and co-founder of Native American Natural Foods. The New Food Economy article: “Bison bars were supposed to restore Native communities and grass-based ranches. Then came Epic Provisions.”
In this special episode I report from the first Southwest Intertribal Food Summit in Taos, New Mexico. It was a two-day event filled with good food and knowledge sharing between Southwest Natives who are working in the food sovereignty movement. Visit ToastedSisterPodcast.com to see photos from this trip. In the episode: Lilian Hill from Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture Institute, Terrol Dew Johnson from the Tohono O’odham Community Action group, Tiana Suazo with the Taos County Economic Development Corporation, Julio Saqui, owner of Che’il Mayan Products, Taos governor, Gilbert Suazo Sr., Tammy Sandoval with Tiwa Kitchen and Rowen White with the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network.
In this special episode I hand the reins over to my real sister, Alisha Murphy (Diné). She went to the World Indigenous Business Forum in New Zealand and came back with some T-shirts for our parents, some keychains for her friends and some audio for me. Alisha made some new Maori friends and naturally talked about food with them. Hey, it runs in the family.
Towana Yepa (Jemez Pueblo) comes from a family of gardeners. She’s a business woman who owns and operates her own farm called Corn Pollen Trail Farms in Ponderosa, New Mexico. In this episode, she talks about her origins, the challenges of being an Indigenous woman farmer and filling a need for fresh options in her Native community. I also talk with Tina Archuleta (Jemez Pueblo), owner of Itality: Plant Based Wellness (rapper who goes by MagmaDawta), a health food business that also fills a need for fresh food in the same community.
Brit Reed (Choctaw) is a cook, culinary service provider for Tulalip Health Clinic in Washington and a member of the I-Collective. She’s sort of new to the world of Indigenous culinary arts but she’s well on her way to making changes in the Native community. In this program we talk about the role of Choctaw women and how food helps her connect to her culture as an adoptee.
In this episode, I hit the road and talk with some folks at the 6th annual Apache Harvest Festival at the Ndée Bikíyaa farm in Canyon Day, Arizona.
On this show: Onah Ditzer, farm education coordinator at Ndée Bikíyaa Rachel Beauty, Apache culture intern for the Yavapai Apache Nation Shalitha Peaches, distribution manager for Ndée Bikíyaa Nephi Craig, Café Gozhóó Andrea Batty Emery Hoffman, White Mountain Apache Tribe water resources Dezeray Garcia
The non-Indigenous owners of Aloha Poke Co., a Chicago-based restaurant, trademarked the words “Aloha Poke” and became the new face of cultural and food appropriation. In this episode, Dr. Kalama Niheu (Kanaka Maoli) talks about how a long history of cultural appropriation allows for this to continue to happen to Indigenous people, the problem with paradise and how the popularity of poke took this traditional food to interesting and scary places. Also: —Native America Calling Aug. 6 episode about trademarking Indigenous words and images featuring Dr. Niheu and Tasha Kahele. —A protest is planned for Aug. 15 at the Aloha Poke Co. location in Chicago.
Eric Richards (Navajo) has a business degree and originally had plans to get into the Native jewelry business. But fate took him straight to the kitchen and up the ranks. He’s the executive chef of the Twin Arrows Casino Resort near Flagstaff, Ariz. In this episode, I sit down with chef Richards at Zenith Steakhouse and we talk about the restaurant business at an Indian casino, future plans and Native American Beef. See photos from this visit at ToastedSisterPodcast.com.
If you talk with Diné chef Josh Nez for any amount of time, he’ll mention his daughters. They’re the reason why he cooks. He’ll also throw in some Navajo language translations for “corn,” “salt” or “grandma.” Nez is a cook at the Pueblo Harvest Café in Albuquerque who got his start as a dishwasher. In this episode, we talk about mutton, the first foods he ever cooked and the best way to prepare prairie dogs. Also: Utah Dine Bikeyah 4th annual Bears Ears Summer Gathering, July 20-22
Visit ToastedSisterPodcast.com to see pictures from this recording.
Vernon DeFoe (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) doesn’t have a glorious origin story. Like many chefs, his food journey starts at a fast food restaurant. But along the way he made a U-turn straight back to Indigenous food. He’s a chef de cuisine on The Sioux Chef team and the bassist for the crust punk band War//Plague. In this episode, Vernon talks about his great-grandmother’s cooking, what resistance looks like in the kitchen and the music of War//Plague.
Links: https://warplaguepunx.bandcamp.com/ http://sioux-chef.com/ https://www.facebook.com/warplaguepunx/
It’s Saguaro fruit harvest season and that means members of the Tohono O’odham Nation are out this weekend picking that sweet, sweet fruit from the tops of those iconic Arizona cactuses. In this episode, I talk with Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan, Ph.D student in American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona and Tohono O’odham history and culture teacher at the Tohono O’odham Community College, about this centuries-old traditional harvest. Visit ToastedSisterPodcast.com for photos from Jacelle. Visit the I'oligam Youth Alliance's Facebook page for more info.
Shane Chartrand (Enoch Cree) has a particular kind of style that’s currently being projected on the interior of his new restaurant, SC Restaurant, which opens on June 12. It’s sexy, it’s casual, it’s a little upscale and it’s fun. He’s an award-winning chef who beat out some other top chefs in Canada to take home the gold from the Gold Medal Plates Edmonton competition. In this program, Chartrand talks about reconnecting to his Cree heritage, wine and his upcoming cookbook, “Marrow: Progressive Indigenous Cuisine.”
Kristina Stanley (Anishinaabe) is the owner of Abaaso, a plant-based food company based in Madison, Wisconsin. She’s also a member of the I-Collective (Indigenous, Inspired, Innovative, Independent Collective). For this episode, I visit Kristina in the kitchen at the Food Justice Symposium in Colorado to talk about her business, learning about Indigenous foods and being a woman in this industry. Visit ToastedSisterPodcast.com to see photos from this visit.
In this special episode I hit the road and visit a sheep camp near Shiprock, N.M. to talk with a sheep herder family and Aretta Begay (Diné), director of Diné be’iiná, or Navajo Lifeway, a non-profit group dedicated to preserving and strengthening Navajo sheep culture. Please visit toastedsisterpodcast.com and the Toasted Sister facebook page for photos from sheep camp.
Also: Diné be’iiná will host their annual Sheep is Life Celebration on June 16 and 17, 2018 at Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona.
When Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet) was a young girl, she had a dream about cookies and her mom helped her bring them to real life. She still dreams about food and turns them into recipes, only now, she produces her own little cooking show called Indigikitchen. In this episode, Mariah talks about the Blackfeet diet and how sacrifices from her ancestors paid for her existence. Info: https://indigikitchen.com/
Anna Sattler (Yupik) is an urban hunter and gatherer provider who can make a mean salmon dip and lots of other Alaskan dishes. She’s a chef and creator of “Anna’s Alaska: Off The Eaten Path,” a yet-to-be-filmed TV show with a pilot episode in the works. In this episode, we talk about Pilot Bread crackers, subsistence hunting in Alaska and stealing food from mice.
Anna’s easy peasy salmon dip Ingredients: A couple of pressure cooked pint jars of half smoked salmon or kippered style frozen salmon Cream cheese A little mayonnaise A little sour cream Dill Chives Lemon juice Horseradish or finely chopped chile
Directions: Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork.
In February, I attended the 2018 New Mexico Organic Farmers Conference in Albuquerque and met up with some Native farmers who are doing some really awesome things in their Native communities. In this episode, we talk about traditional farming, resilience, soil health and preservation. Photo: The Resilience Garden at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center via Bettina Sandoval.
Voices: Bettina Sandoval (Taos Pueblo), cultural education specialist at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Nicholas Ashley and Shannon James, Diné farmers James Skeet (Diné) farmer and owner of Spirit Farm Akeemi Martinez (Diné), FVRX coordinator for the Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment program
If you like the Toasted Sister intro music, you’re going to enjoy this special, musical episode featuring CW Ayon, or Cooper Ayon. As a one-man-band, he sings, he plays guitar, a kick drum, the tambourine and a harmonica sometimes. It’s very impressive to watch him perform live at a bar, a festival or a restaurant. He’s pretty much the voice of Las Cruces, New Mexico, but he’s played all over the country and abroad. In this episode, I introduce you to him and his new bandmate, Felipe Toltecatl. Check out: cwayon.com cwayon.bandcamp.com facebook.com/cooper.ayon
Neftalí Duran (Mixteco) came to this country as a migrant worker so he’s particularly in-tuned with today’s conversations about borders and migration. In this episode, Neftalí talks about the importance of migrant workers in the American food system, food shaming and why we can’t talk about food sovereignty without talking about access to food first.
David Wolfman (Xaxli’p First Nation) started cooking when he was 9 years old. Now he’s a classically trained chef, educator and host of the TV show “Cooking with the Wolfman.” In this episode, he talks about his new cookbook, “Cooking with the Wolfman: Indigenous Fusion,” the history of his family and the Indigenous food movement in Canada.
(Ink & Paper/Jessica Sargent photos) In this special episode, I talk with four Indigenous chefs who attended the I-Collective’s (Indigenous, Inspired, Innovative, Independent Collective) Indigenous Harvest Pop Up dinner in New York. They talk about the dishes they prepared for the seven-course dinner and what inspires and motivates them when they cook.
Voices: Brit Reed (Choctaw), cook and student at Seattle Culinary Academy and founder of Food Sovereignty is Tribal Sovereignty Hillel Echo-Hawk (Pawnee and Athabaskan), cook at Joli and owner of Birch Basket Twila Cassadore (San Carlos Apache), cultural projects assistant with the San Carlos Apache Jessica Sargent (Akwesasne Mohawk), I-Collective photographer, owner of Ink and Paper Photo, administration of the Friends of the Akwesasne Freedom School
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At The Boot in Durham, North Carolina, chef Robert Kinneen (Tlingit) makes a lot of pasta and breaks down a pig and half a cow a month. It’s different than cooking porcupine, moose and walrus in Alaska. In this episode, Rob talks about moving and cooking in different restaurants, feeding President Obama and why truffle oil is an unrealistic ingredient to use in rural Alaska. Kinneen is the executive chef at The Boot and Happy Cardinal Catering.
An endless search for food, tainted cheese, killer pastries, feasting on the Death Star: that’s how Native comic book artists and illustrators incorporated food into their work. I talk with a bunch of “Indigenerds” at the Indigenous Comic Con 2. In the show: Arigon Starr, “Super Indian” Tatum Bowie and Damon Begay, “Spiral,” Interstellar Comix Jason EagleSpeaker, Eagle Speaker Publishing Jonathan Joss, actor and voice actor Gloria Begay, Diné Food Sovereignty Alliance Enoch Endwarrior, Reclaim Designs Maria Wolf Lopez, freelance comic book artist and illustrator Elroy Natachu Jr., artist, co-owner of Natachu Ink and Zuni cultural demonstrator and teacher Ryan Singer, Diné artist
In this special episode, four Indigenous chefs talk about what it’s like being female chefs in a culinary world currently dominated by men. Guests are Claudia Serrato (Purépecha), anthropologist, professor and chef, Andrea Murdoch (Venezuelan Andean Native), creator and owner of Four Directions Cuisine, Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz (Tewa, Tiwa, Mexican, Spanish), holistic healer and chef and Marlene Aguilar (Purépecha), community-based chef.
In this special episode, I travel to Taos, New Mexico to talk with a few Native chefs, some tribal leaders and farmers about the importance of eating the food that our ancestors ate. The Indigenous Food Experience was a first-time event put on by the Red Willow Farm at the Taos Pueblo.
You can’t talk about climate change in Native America without talking about food and how it’s affected by changes in water, land and temperature. Dr. Kyle Whyte (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), Timnick chair in the humanities and professor of philosophy and community sustainability at Michigan State University, spends a lot of time thinking about traditional Native food and how tribes are trying to protect it. In this episode, Dr. Whyte talks about Indigenous science, the importance of water, wild rice and the upcoming Nibi and Manoomin Symposium (Oct. 10-11 in Mahnomen, MN).
(The strawberry video mentioned in the episode: “Reclaiming the Honorable Harvest: Robin Kimmerer at TEDxSitka”)
At age 5, Claudia Serrato (Purépecha) started cooking plant-based foods. Today, her passion is exploring raw foods, sweet flavors and making desserts with delicious combinations of Indigenous ingredients from all over Turtle Island. She’s an anthropologist, professor and chef who embraces words like “intimacy” and “Indigenous love” to describe the experience of ancestral foods. In this episode, Claudia talks about prenatal nutrition, being a woman in the kitchen and her project, Decolonial Food For Thought.
Chef David Ruiz is the executive chef at the Pueblo Harvest Cafe in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque and co-owner and founder of 505 Food Fights. While the goal of this podcast is to elevate Native voices, I wanted to feature David Ruiz because he’s the executive chef of this Native restaurant. There aren’t many Native restaurants out there and some Native people criticize the fact that a non-Native is running this Native restaurant. So in this podcast extra we talk about the new menu at the cafe, his process for learning about Native food and the work he does to help the community.
Freddie Bitsoie (Diné) is the executive chef of Mitsitam Cafe inside the National Museum of the American Indian where he uses his imagination and knowledge of history to bring Indigenous flavors to the museum experience. He studied anthropology in college but took a different route when he noticed everything he thought about was food. In this episode, Freddie talks about his culinary upbringing, the challenges of working in Indian casino restaurants and his thoughts on fusion and new Native cuisine.
Before food gets to your table it’s grown and cared for by someone. And that someone could be a Native farmer or tribal food producer. Dan Cornelius (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) is a technical assistance specialist in the Great Lakes region of the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) and manager of the Mobile Farmers Market. He and the IAC are working to reconnect trade routes by promoting foods produced by tribes and individual producers.
Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz (Tewa, Tiwa, Mexican, Spanish) is a holistic healer and chef (kitchencurandera.com). She learned about traditional food and plant medicine from her relatives and from growing up in the Southwest desert. In her work, she exposes people to the delicious bounty of the desert and bridges eastern medicine with Southwestern medicine. In this episode, she talks about her love and respect for plants, green chile and what she’s doing to help spread food knowledge in Native America through the new Northern American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS.org) organization.
Since he was 13 years old, Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota) was in the kitchen. The skills he learned over the years helped him rise above the ranks in culinary school to become one of many most awesome Native American chefs. He’s the owner of The Sioux Chef, an Indigenous catering and education group. He and the crew have some exciting things coming up, including launching a nonprofit organization called North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS.org).
Our grandmothers' recipes are amazing. For Ben Jacobs (Osage), owner of Tocabe, his family’s frybread recipe helped him create a beautiful restaurant that showcases Native food in Denver. Although he doesn’t consider himself to be a chef, he’s become a voice in the Native food world. In this episode, Ben talks about the struggles of starting a Native restaurant, the meaning behind the restaurant’s aesthetics and how Natives like “Mambo No. 5” too.
When white people steal Native images, stories and fashions and then claim them as their own, it’s called appropriation. When they steal Indigenous recipes, well, that means we’re no longer gentle Indians on Toasted Sister. In this episode, I’m joined by Neftalí Duran (Mixteco) Oaxaca chef, Erica Scott-Pacheco (Lenape), social justice fundraiser, Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota), owner of The Sioux Chef and Karlos Baca (Tewa, Diné, Ute) chef and forager, and we discuss appropriation in the kitchen and how it affects Indigenous culture and people.
After the Gold King Mine spill in 2015, Navajo agriculture in the Four Corners area took a turn for the worse. Two years later, Brandon Francis (Navajo), Four Corners farmer and research lab technician at the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center in Farmington, New Mexico, is using his science skills to boost Navajo farmers’ confidence in the soil and water. In this episode, Brandon talks about the difficulty of farming in Navajo country, being industrious and Bigfoot.
The Toasted Sister podcast is Natives talking about food, even if it’s Natives who aren’t particularly “foodies” talking about food. In this episode I talk with my friend and coworker, Monica Braine (Assiniboine, Hunkpapa Lakota) and James Simermeyer (Coharie, Navajo descent) about our odd food habits, weird food combinations, frybread and what a ceramic knife says about how Native cooking and attitudes have changed over time.
In this podcast extra, I bring my sister, Alisha Murphy (Navajo), into the studio to talk about our upbringing, poor man's food, the power of food memories and how our relationship with Mexican food changed.
Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo and Sac and Fox) loves her urban Native community in Oakland, California. As the owner of a successful Native catering business called Wahpepah’s Kitchen, she shows her love with food and by sharing food stories. In this episode, Crystal talks about her love for catering, the need for more Native flavors in the Bay Area (and everywhere else) and why she got chopped on the Food Network TV show “Chopped.” Hint: there was too much rotten fishy flavor in her dish.
Donell Barlow (Ottawa), certified holistic health coach, was raised on processed food and meatloaf. But now, she’s focused on Indigenous food, urban Native youth and updating her sleeve of tattoos. She’s the host of Dance Jam Kitchen and creator of one of my favorite meatloaf recipes.
E7: Brian Yazzie — “Constantly working” When you love something, it consumes you. When asked what he does outside of the kitchen, Brian Yazzie (Diné), chef de cuisine at The Sioux Chef, said he’s thinking about being the kitchen. In this episode, Brian talks about becoming a chef, decolonizing his cooking and what’s next for him and The Sioux Chef crew.
In this podcast extra, I talk with David Manuel (Anishinaabe), foods coordinator for the Red Lake Food Initiative. He's been busy tapping maple trees for that sweet, sweet sap. He's also a beekeeper.
Dr. Elizabeth Hoover (Mohawk and Mi’kmaq) travels around asking Native people what their definition of food sovereignty is. It’s actually a great many things to different tribes. Native communities lost certain parts, or all of their food sovereignty, but the people are starting to take steps to revitalize their own definitions of food sovereignty.
Seeds carry tribal stories, history and nourishment for Native bodies. That’s why seeds are crucial to Indigenous food sovereignty. Rowen White (Akwesasne Mohawk), seed keeper, founder and director of Sierra Seeds Cooperative and national project coordinator for the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network, is out to plant a new crop of Native seed stewards.
Once, Monica Braine (Assiniboine, Hunkpapa Lakota) ate a whole large pizza by herself. She has an eating disorder and she’s on a journey to love food. We don’t often talk about this side of food where it creates a hellish nightmare for those struggling with food addiction. But in this episode, Monica, a Native journalist, talks about the struggle to take control and treat her disorder.
He learned classical French cooking from the best and became an esteemed chef. These days, humble chef, Nephi Craig (White Mountain Apache, Diné), is between kitchens and looking to truly feed his Native community by starting up a new cafe on the White Mountain Apache reservation in Arizona. In this episode, I talk with Craig about the resurgence of Native food, decolonization and breaking away from the mainstream food and wine culture.
With no Indigenous teachers or elders to learn about traditional foods from, Andrea Murdoch largely taught herself. And now, she can’t stop the learning process. She’s trained in pastry arts, but crossed over to full-on Indigenous food. Murdoch, Indigenous from the Andes, is the creator and owner of Four Directions MKE in Wisconsin (soon to move to Colorado).
The Toasted Sister Podcast is radio about Native American food because it has come a long way. Traditional, indigenous foodways were lost, found, redefined and modernized in the last few hundred years. And here it is today, in the hands of Native chefs and foodies who work to keep their traditional flavors and ingredients alive. In this first episode, I talk with chef Karlos Baca (Tewa, Diné, Ute) about foraging, being a judgy eater and how Native food and people are defined in mainstream media.
Check out Taste of Native Cuisine on Facebook.