Spotlight: The Native Seed Pod - Indigenous Food Warriors with Chef Crystal Wahpepah

“If you want to talk about the Indigenous Food Warrior, that's what we all are.  We're here to protect. We're here to give. We're here to heal.” - Chef Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo) 

How Indigenous people show up in the kitchen is how they will show up for community, so the responsibility and care in creating food for others is taken very seriously, from the recipes created to the sourcing of ingredients. 

Our latest Spotlight comes from the amazing team behind The Native Seed Pod. In this episode, we get to hear a fast-moving conversation between guest host Sara Moncada (Yaqui) with Indigenous chef Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo), who is the owner of Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, California. Crystal received the Indigenous Artist Activist Award and has been inducted into the Native American Almanac for being one of the first Native American women to own a catering business. In 2016, she was the first Native American Chef to compete in The Food Network’s show, Chopped, and in 2022, she was a finalist for a prestigious James Beard Award in the category of “Emerging Chef.” Crystal and Sara talk about Native foods, how they carry their shared work of educating the next generation on preserving Indigenous food systems, and what it means to be an Indigenous Food Warrior. In addition to hosting this episode of The Native Seed Pod, Sara is also the current CEO of The Cultural Conservancy, which is the home of The Native Seed Pod, as well as a grantee of Nia Tero. 

The Native Seed Pod has just started their fourth season, so catch up on their episodes on their website or on your favorite podcast platform. 

Special thanks to the vibrant team behind The Native Seed Pod: Mateo Hinojosa, Melissa K. Nelson, Sara Moncada, Raven K. Marshall, and more. 

Learn more:  

• Learn more about and listen to more episodes of The Native Seed Pod 
• Learn more about Crystal Wahpepah and Wahpepah’s Kitchen 
• Learn more about The Cultural Conservancy, home to The Native Seed Pod 

Seedcast is a production of Nia Tero, a global nonprofit which supports Indigenous land guardianship around the world through policy, partnership, and storytelling initiatives.

Enjoy the Seedcast podcast on the Nia Tero website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

Keep up with Seedcast on Instagram and use the hashtag #Seedcast.