Eat the News in Bites: Local Food Community News, April 2021
Every 13th of the month, we’ll recap some of what’s happening in the local food community and how you can get involved. Some of it might make you joyous, some of it might make you pissed, but all of it shows the resilience of Minnesota food folks working toward a regenerative future that nourishes all people, all beings, and the entirety of our living planet.
What’s in this edition?
Asian American chefs collaborate to combat anti-Asian violence
Shared Ground Farmers’ Co-op feeds Minnesota families through Food for the People CSA
Author Diane Wilson releases novel that celebrates Indigenous seed histories
The Sioux Chef prepares to launch new restaurant, Owamni
New bill in MN House increases state funding for BIPOC emerging farmers
Asian American Chefs band together to fight anti-asian hate
Asian restaurants have been mainstays in American cities for hundreds of years. Currently, there are almost 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the US. But the acceptance that we’ve offered to Asian American food has not necessarily extended to Asian American people. Racism against the AAPI community has existed unaddressed for many years, and 2020 saw a disturbing uptick in anti-Asian hate crimes throughout the US. Faced with this reality, a group of Asian American Minneapolis chefs and bartenders have come together to launch Minnesota Rice. The collaboration will celebrate the chefs’ Asian American heritage, showcase their favorite dishes, and raise awareness of the growing racism against the AAPI community. Some of the Twin Cities most celebrated chefs are contributing instructional cooking videos to the Minnesota Rice project. Participating chefs and bartenders include: Ann Kim of Young Joni, Christina Nguyen of Hai Hai, Yia Vang of Union Hmong Kitchen, John Ng and Lina Goh of ZenBox Izakaya, Ann Ahmed of Lat14, Dustin Nguyen of Tres Leches, and Jonathan Janssen of Brother Justus. A Minnesota Rice ticket gives access to seven cooking videos and written recipes from these chefs, released throughout the month of May. All proceeds go to the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), a network dedicated to empowering the Minnesota Asian American community.
join in
Learn more about Minnesota Rice and read bios of the participating chefs here. Purchase a ticket here.
Need a new apron for the chef in your life? Purchase a Craftmade MN Rice apron and 50% of proceeds will go to CAAL. Check out the aprons here.
Learn more about rising anti-AAPI hate crimes from Stop AAPI Hate and find resources here.
Learn more about the Coalition of Asian American Leaders on their website, and support their work by donating or signing up to volunteer here.
Stay updated on CAAL’s work by following them on social media: @CAALMN on Twitter and Instagram
Shared Ground Co-op prepares for 2021 Food for the People CSA
In early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest increased food insecurity around the Twin Cities, Shared Ground Farmers’ Cooperative launched the Food for the People CSA program. Shared Ground Farmers’ Cooperative is a collective of seven, primarily minority-owned, farms in the Twin Cities area. The co-op serves as a marketing and distribution hub for the farmer-owners, allowing them to establish fair-paying markets for their sustainably-grown produce. When the events of 2020 threw a wrench in the local food market, the owners of Shared Ground Co-op realized they had an opportunity to help the local community while also supporting their own farmers. In partnership with Divine Natural Ancestry, they launched the Food for the People CSA program to provide fresh, nutrient-dense food to community members who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. They aggregated produce from partner farmers to provide eighteen-week CSA shares to food-insecure folks, free of charge. They fed a total of 63 BIPOC and working-class families around the Twin Cities, while also providing their farmers with a consistent, well-paying outlet for their products throughout a tumultuous year. The Food for the People program was funded through donations and through proceeds from Shared Ground’s other yearly CSA. With enough support, they are hoping to distribute 100 shares during the 2021 season, and expand to offer more on-farm classes and community gardening resources.
Join In
Support Food for the People while also getting your own delicious collection of produce by signing up for a Solidarity Share through Shared Ground’s CSA program. You can also tack a Food for the People donation onto any share type. Sign up here.
Unable to purchase a full CSA share? Donate directly to the Food for the People program through their GoFundMe or through the Shared Ground Co-op website.
You can also pitch in by volunteering. Read about Shared Ground’s volunteer positions here and sign up here.
Follow Shared Ground Farmers’ Coop and Divine Natural Ancestry on social media to stay up to date on the Food for the People program:
Shared Ground Farmers’ Cooperative: @sharedgroundfarmerscoop on Instagram and Facebook
Divine Natural Ancestry: @divinenaturalancestry on Instagram
Author Diane Wilson’s new novel celebrates indigenous seed stories
Diane Wilson has been working in food sovereignty for over twenty years, beginning as a Dream of Wild Health volunteer and then director, and most recently as the executive director of the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance. NAFSA is a national coalition working to restore Indigenous food systems through a variety of projects, including the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network. As an author, Diane uses her storytelling gift to share Dakota traditions and celebrate the earth, the plants, and the animals that nurture us. Her fascination with seed histories and Indigenous food traditions shines through in all her work, including her new book, The Seed Keeper. Her first novel, The Seed Keeper follows multiple generations of a Dakota family and their indelible connection to the seeds of their ancestors. Diane recently joined the hosts of the podcast Native Lights to discuss her inspiration for the book, the importance of storytelling, and the power of seeds. Listen to the interview here.
join in
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is a weekly podcast and radio program that shares stories from Native communities around Minnesota. Check out all of the episodes here. The program is a project of Minnesota Native News and produced by Ampers.
Grab your own copy of The Seed Keeper from local publisher Milkweed Books or Native-owned Minneapolis bookstore Birchbark Books. While you’re at it, pick up Diane Wilson’s other award-winning books, Spirit Car: Journey to a Dakota Past and Beloved Child: A Dakota Way of Life.
Check out Diane’s website for information on her upcoming projects and speaking events.
Support the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance by donating here. Watch this video to learn more about the Indigenous Seed Keepers Network and check out the NAFSA website for information on all their programs.
Keep up-to-date on future work from these groups by following them on social media:
Diane Wilson: @DianeWilsonWords on Facebook
Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance: @nativefoodalliance on Instagram and Facebook
MinnesotaNative News: @mnnativenews on Instagram and Facebook
The Sioux Chef gets ready to launch new restaurant
Chef Sean Sherman and Dana Thompson, co-owners of The Sioux Chef, have made it their goal to decolonize the food system by revitalizing traditional Indigenous foodways. Sean started The Sioux Chef in 2014 as a catering and educational business. He has received international recognition for his culinary skills, community advocacy, and Native foods-focused cookbook, The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen. In recent years, the Sioux Chef team has expanded their food access and culinary training work through their non-profit NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) and the new Indigenous Food Lab. This spring, The Sioux Chef team is opening their first restaurant, Owamni, on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. Owamni, which means “falling water” in Dakota, will be the centerpiece of the new Water Works Pavilion near St. Anthony Falls. The restaurant will feature local traditional ingredients— foods that were staples of regional cooking long before white colonizers entered the Upper Midwest. Along with the restaurant, The Sioux Chef will host cultural and educational events at the Water Works Pavilion, with a focus on elevating Indigenous voices.
join in
Want to learn more about Owamni by The Sioux Chef and the Water Works Pavilion? The Minneapolis Parks Foundation is hosting a presentation with Sean and Dana, during which they will talk about their plans for the restaurant and its role in the Indigenous food movement. The free event will take place online from 7-8 pm on April 29th. Check out the event info and sign up here.
Check out The Sioux Chef’s website and sign up for their newsletter here.
Support NATIFS by donating here.
Follow along on social media for updates on Owamni and all of The Sioux Chef’s work:
The Sioux Chef: @siouxchef on Instagram, @the_sioux_chef on Twitter
NATIFS: @natifs_org on Instagram and Twitter
Owamni by The Sioux Chef: @owamni on Instagram and Twitter
Indigenous Food Lab: @indigenousfoodlab on Instagram, @indi_food_lab on Twitter
NATIFS and Dream of Wild Health are hosting their second virtual discussion on indigenous food sovereignty this month. “Indigenous Food Sovereignty: Experts, Allies, and Everyone in Between” will take place on April 28th from 1-2 pm. Learn more and register here.
New bill will bolster funding for new and immigrant farmers
Starting a farm in Minnesota is tough--if the unpredictable weather doesn’t stop you, the cost of land and equipment likely will. For immigrants and people of color, these barriers to farming are often insurmountable. Centuries of racist farm policies have barred BIPOC farmers from accessing the resources needed to start a farm. Having grown up in the Twin Cities Hmong farming community, Minnesota State Representative Samantha Vang (DFL-Brooklyn Center) knows just how inaccessible and inequitable farming can be. Rep. Vang’s new emerging farmers bill aims to combat these injustices. The bill, which was recently introduced into the MN House of Representatives, will establish a new state-level emerging farmers office and increase funding of grants for BIPOC emerging farmers. The bill also includes $1 million in grants for the Hmong American Farmers Association and the Latino Economic Development Center, to support and expand their beginning farmer programs.
Join in
Read the details of HF2298 here.
Contact your representatives to express your support for the bill.
About Lydia Fermanich
Lydia's relationship with the food system is grounded in communications and environmental stewardship. She has worked in training new sustainable farmers, food access, urban gardening, and energy efficiency. Lydia is also an avid cross-country skier and outdoor recreationist.