The Indigenous Foodways Festival celebrates and honors the vibrant, living culinary traditions and ancestral knowledge of Indigenous peoples across the Southwest. Through storytelling, demonstration, hands-on classes, art, and shared food, the festival uplifts Indigenous voices, fostering connection, understanding, and community. Our mission is to create a space where tradition and innovation come together to showcase how Indigenous foodways sustain culture, identity, land stewardship, and future generations.
Presenter spotlight
Chef Pyet DeSpain, Author of Rooted in Fire
Pyet—short for her inherited Native American name, Pyetwetmokwe—is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and an award-winning global private chef. She made history as the first winner of Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef and was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 25 Private Chefs in Los Angeles. Her work is centered on uplifting Indigenous foodways within the culinary industry while advocating for a more sustainable and sovereign food system for Indigenous peoples.
Presenter spotlight
Chef Alexa Numkena-Anderson, Javelina
Chef Alexa Numkena-Anderson weaves together her Yakama, Hopi, and Mexican Indigenous roots to impart a culinary experience rooted in tradition, storytelling, and community. After a year and a half of operating pop-ups, she opened her first brick-and-mortar location in May 2025 in NE Portland, Oregon. Javelina is Portland’s first Indigenous restaurant.
Presenter spotlight
Chef Elena Terry, Wild Bearies
Elena Terry is the Executive Chef/Founder of Wild Bearies and the Executive Chef of Tall Grass at MMoCA and she is a member of the Ho-Chunk tribe from Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Elena is a butcher and wild game specialist and loves open fire cooking. You can see Elena on BBQ Brawl, Chopped, Top Chef, Family Dinner, and Breaking Bread.
Presenter Spotlight
Chef Ray Naranjo, Manko Native American Cuisine
Chef Ray is tribal member of Santa Clara Pueblo and has earned attention among Santa Fe's top creative chefs. Ray has been a chef since his teens, graduating from Scottsdale Culinary InstituteÂ
Experience Indigenous foodways in motion.
Taste, learn, and celebrate at this first-of-its-kind festival in New Mexico—spend the day immersed in Indigenous food, art, and culture through tastings, conversations, and hands-on learning. Meet chefs and farmers shaping the future of food and explore a vibrant marketplace.Â
Festival Starts in
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Sponsors
