American Indian College Fund to Host Twin Cities Food Event Featuring Five Indigenous Celebrity Chefs

October 31, 2022, Denver, Colo.-- Can you imagine a world without chocolate, blueberries, or guacamole? Neither can we. Yet the foods we take for granted were unknown outside the western hemisphere before 1492—because they are native to the western hemisphere.

Imagine no peanut butter on a PBJ sandwich. Fajitas with no peppers. Or imagine trying to enjoy the current fall season without any gourds for pies, loaves, or lattes. There would also be no cranberry or walnuts in muffins and no raging controversy about pineapple on pizza. Indigenous foods have added delicious and nutritious dimensions to cuisine for nearly six centuries—yet if you want to try high-end Indigenous cuisine prepared by Native chefs, it is difficult to find—until now.

On November 10, 2022, 5:30 p.m. at the Waiting Room at Union Depot, 214 4th Street East, Saint Paul, Minn. the American Indian College Fund will introduce its guests to Indigenous cuisine at its EATSS event (Epicurean Award to Support Scholars). Attendees will also hear from Native scholars about how food sovereignty can help erase hunger and counter the diseases that persistently plague Native people. Catering will be provided by The Sioux Chef. Tickets are $85.

The following Indigenous celebrity chefs will serve their favorite creations to guests:

• Andrea Murdoch (Andean-Venezuela) – Owner and Executive Chef of Four Directions Cuisine

• Bradley Dry (Cherokee) – a private chef who prepares meals for special events including powwows, Folklorama, and the cast/crew of Reservation Dogs

• Freddie Bitsoie (Diné) – Owner of FJBits Concepts and former Executive Chef of Mitsitam Native Foods Café

• Ben Jacobs (Osage Nation) – Co-founder of Tocabe, An American Indian Eatery

• Anthony Bauer (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) – Food Service Director at United Tribes Technical Colleges, a tribal college, and owner of Traditional Fire Custom Cuisine

About the American Indian College Fund—The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 33 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer" and provided $14.45 million in scholarships and other direct student support to American Indian students in 2021-22. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $284 million in scholarships, program, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit http://www.collegefund.org.