As we enter a season where food seems perpetually on the mind, we couldn’t resist following up our 2016 Library Salon Series by highlighting Minneapolis chef and business leader Sean Sherman’s latest endeavor. The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen is his recently published guide to regional indigenous cuisine. Co-authored with Minnesotan food writer Beth Dooley, the book invites readers to reassess what it means to be an American chef committed to local food systems.

The book opens with a generous account of Sherman’s pathway from his childhood on the Pine Ridge Reservation to his founding of The Sioux Chef, a company dedicated to spreading the word about indigenous cuisine. Sprinkled among the recipes are anecdotes from Sherman, along with introductions to ingredients not found in most kitchens. His mentions of the extensive trade between pre-colonial nations that brought corn north from Mexico and of squash seeds sewn into the clothing of ancestors forced into migration particularly resonated with me. The charming idea that our food tells our stories gains weight in these passages.

The recipes themselves will give Midwestern cooks new ideas for treasured favorites (think squash, wild rice, and trout), while introducing overlooked – but readily accessible – ingredients. Not eating your backyard dandelion greens? Never heard of timpsula? According to Sherman, you’ve been missing out.

Though some recipes require wild-foraged or difficult-to-source ingredients, all are easy to follow and invite re-interpretation. In fact, for a cookbook that is rooted in extensive, collaborative efforts to recover historic Native American foodways, the end result is surprisingly on-trend.

“Why isn’t the original indigenous diet all the rage today?” asks Sherman. “It’s hyperlocal, ultra-seasonal, uber-healthy.” It’s a good point, and with his book now out and a restaurant in the works, Sean Sherman is poised to lead indigenous cuisine's comeback.