We’re excited to share that we now carry “Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America,” the newest cookbook from Sean Sherman.
The book features more than 150 recipes that reflect both ancestral knowledge and modern Indigenous cooking. It explores how food connects to land, culture and history across Indigenous communities throughout North America. More than a cookbook, it offers a deeper look at the stories and traditions behind the ingredients.
As author Robin Wall Kimmerer, known for “Braiding Sweetgrass ” and “The Serviceberry,” writes, “I’ve been completely seduced by Sean Sherman’s new book. This is so much more than enticing recipes and gorgeous photos.”
Sherman, an Oglala Lakota chef, was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and began working in restaurants at a young age after his family moved to South Dakota. He built his career in kitchens across the Midwest, eventually becoming an executive chef in Minneapolis in his mid-20s.
It was during that time that he began to question why Indigenous foods were missing from the broader culinary scene. That realization led him to research the traditional foods of his ancestors, from foraged plants to preparation methods that had been passed down for generations but were no longer widely practiced.
His work grew into The Sioux Chef, a company focused on Indigenous ingredients, as well as broader efforts to revitalize Native food systems, support tribal producers and reconnect communities with traditional knowledge.
We had the opportunity to speak with Sherman as part of our Interview with an Indigenous Chef series. In that conversation, he shared how his path started in restaurant kitchens but shifted when he realized he did not even know his own heritage foods. That moment pushed him to learn what his Lakota ancestors were growing, harvesting and preparing, and to rebuild that knowledge.
He also spoke about why this work matters. Improving access to traditional foods, he explained, is directly tied to health, cultural well-being and community resilience.
If you’re familiar with Sherman’s work, you may already know his first cookbook, “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen,” which we also offer at SweetGrass Trading Company. Both books highlight the importance of Indigenous foodways and the role they continue to play today.
You can read our full interview with Sean Sherman here. We’re honored to carry “Turtle Island” and to support Indigenous chefs, knowledge and storytelling.