Sean Sherman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 
Sherman in 2021
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| Born | 1974 (age 50–51) Pine Ridge, South Dakota, U.S. |
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| Cooking style | Indigenous cuisine |
| Education | Black Hills State University |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Award(s) won
James Beard Foundation Awards:
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Sean Sherman (born 1974) is a famous chef from the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe. He is known for his work with Indigenous cuisine, which focuses on foods native to North America. Sherman is also a cookbook author and a forager, meaning he finds wild food.
He started a business called The Sioux Chef to teach people about Indigenous food. He also created a non-profit group called North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS). Sherman has won several important awards, including a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award. His cookbook, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, won the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2018. In 2022, his restaurant, Owamni, was named Best New Restaurant.
Contents
Early Life and Discoveries
Sean Sherman was born in 1974. He grew up on his grandparents' ranch in South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge reservation. From a young age, he learned to hunt and gather wild plants. His grandparents spoke the Lakota language.
As a child, he often ate government-provided foods like cereal and canned hash. He later decided he wanted to change this and bring back traditional foods. He went to Black Hills State University.
Starting His Culinary Journey
Sherman began working in restaurants at age 13, first washing dishes. He quickly moved up to cooking. He also spent a summer working for the US Forest Service, learning to identify plants.
After working in many restaurants in Minneapolis, he felt tired of the usual cooking styles. He took a trip to Mexico. There, he saw how the Huichol people kept their old traditions through art and food. This made him realize he wanted to learn about his own ancestors' food heritage. He wondered what his people ate before Europeans came to North America.
Building a New Food Movement
In 2014, Sherman started The Sioux Chef. This business teaches about Indigenous food and offers catering. In 2015, he launched a food truck called Tatanka Truck. It served dishes like bison wild rice and teas made from cedar and maple.
He then created a non-profit organization, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS), in 2017. This group works to help Indigenous food systems grow.
His cookbook, The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen, came out in 2017. To write it, he talked to older community members and looked through old records. The book's recipes do not use dairy, wheat, beef, pork, or cane sugar. This is because these ingredients were brought to North America by European settlers. Sherman says his recipes are "hyperlocal" (using local ingredients), "ultraseasonal" (using foods in season), and "uber-healthy."
In 2019, Sherman received a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award. This award honors people who are working to make the food world better.
In 2021, he opened his restaurant, Owamni, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Owamni serves dishes made only with ingredients that were found in North America before European colonization. In 2022, Owamni won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.
The New York Times newspaper has called his cooking style "colorful and elegant." In 2023, Sherman was named one of the TIME 100 Most Influential People.
Sherman's Food Philosophy
Sean Sherman decided to stop using ingredients that are not native to North America. He realized that the traditional foods of his Oglala people were not well-known in American cooking. He believes that Indigenous cuisine is not just a passing trend. He says, "This is not a trend. It's a way of life."
He explained that his goal is not to cook exactly like people did in 1491. Instead, he wants to use old knowledge and make it work for today's world.
Sherman and some other Native American chefs have different views on frybread. Frybread is often seen as a traditional Native American food. However, Sherman calls it "everything that isn't Native American food." He explains that it was created out of need, using flour, sugar, and lard provided by the government. These ingredients were given because Native people were moved to lands where they could not grow their usual foods like corn and beans. While frybread shows strength and survival, some chefs also see it as a reminder of difficult times.
Personal Life
Sean Sherman lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has one son.
Awards
- 2018 James Beard Best American Cookbook
- 2019 James Beard Leadership Award
- 2022 James Beard Best New Restaurant
- 2023 Julia Child Award
Books
See also
