Feeding America will host virtual events in November featuring Chef Pyet DeSpain and Ben Jacobs, two prominent Native leaders, to recognize National Native American Heritage Month. The events offer an opportunity to explore and raise awareness about incorporating Indigenous ingredients in everyday cooking and share resources to advance Native and Indigenous food systems.
“The events will focus on the importance of food sovereignty in Native and Tribal communities by featuring leaders who are doing important work within communities to advocate for greater access to foods that are healthy, nutritious and culturally connected to Native American communities,” said Mark Ford, Feeding America Director of Native/Tribal Partnerships.
DeSpain’s program will be a cooking demonstration followed by a Q&A session.
“Pyet uses her platform as an award-winning chef to work with Tribal communities to spotlight the importance and uniqueness of each Tribe’s ancestral and cultural food,” said Ford.
Jacobs will join Feeding America for a conversation about Indigenous Foodways.
“Ben’s work with local food banks and Tribal food pantries to supply them with foods that are grown and sourced by Indigenous food producers supports greater food sovereignty and greater access to culturally connected foods,” said Ford.
Feeding America is committed to working alongside and learning from Native and Tribal communities facing hunger to ensure everyone has access to the food and resources they need to thrive. Feeding America has provided over $100 million in grants to network member food banks to support communities of color, including Native and Tribal communities, as well as rural communities disproportionately impacted by food insecurity. For more information on Feeding America’s work with Native American communities please visit https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/native-american.
Speaker bios:
- Pyet is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribe. She is an award winning and global private chef. She is the first winner of Gordon Ramsay's new groundbreaking TV show, Next Level Chef, on Fox. In 2021, Pyet was named Top 25 best private chefs in Los Angeles by Entrepreneur Magazine. Her life's work is dedicated to Indigenous Fusion Cuisine, where she combines the food of her heritage - both Native American and Mexican. Pyet's passion is to uplift indigenous culture and traditions via storytelling, traveling, and cooking. Pyet spent part of her childhood on the Osage Indian Reservation, the remaining years of her life have been spent in Kansas City, KS. She relocated to Los Angeles, CA to promote wellness and nutrition through food. Pyet started a personal chef business 'Pyet's Plate' in 2015, to promote passion for wellness, nutrition and quality of food to the public.
- Ben is a member of the Osage Nation of northeast Oklahoma. He is co-founder of Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery and Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace based in Denver Colorado. Tocabe’s marketplace is an online resource helping further advance the Native and Indigenous food system and support the development of a Native specific supply chain. The marketplace is designed as a multifaceted concept supporting both the Native and Indigenous food system along with generating a cyclical economic driver for tribal communities maintaining economic development. For over a decade on a national level Ben has worked with the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations advocating for feeding Native peoples while supporting how best to incorporate local and traditional ingredients in collaboration with commodity ingredients to support better individual health and nutrition. In 2023 Ben was appointed to a council seat on the President’s Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition. Along with his seat on the President’s Council, in 2024 Ben was appointed to the USDA’s Tribal Advisory Committee.
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About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on X.com.