What would it take to rebuild our food system from the ground up, one rooted in community, sustainability, and ancestral knowledge?

That is the work chef Sean Sherman has dedicated his career to.

A member of the Oglala Lakota tribe and founder of the nonprofit NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems), Sherman is on a mission to make Indigenous cuisine visible, viable, and vital to America’s culinary future. In this conversation, Sherman explains what “decolonizing your diet” really means, and why this work goes far beyond the plate.

We talk about food as a tool for sovereignty, the economic power of restaurants, and how every chef can be more intentional in how they source, educate, and serve. If you care about food, equity, or the land beneath your feet, this episode is essential listening.

Takeaways

• Use restaurants as job engines and cultural tools
• Rethink where your food dollars go, and whom they empower
• Source Indigenous ingredients to expand flavor and equity
• Normalize healthful food as delicious and dignified
• Center community in sustainability, not just product labels
• Understand colonization’s role in modern food systems
• Support local producers before leaning on certification
• Break away from default Sysco-style supply chains
• Build spaces that teach, heal, and feed
• Recognize how restaurant choices can reclaim narratives

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