Sean Sherman of ‘The Sioux Chef’ and ‘Owamni’ wins 2023 Julia Child Award

Sean Sherman of “The Sioux Chef” won the Julia Child Award for 2023, the Foundation announced.

Sherman is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe and, through his work as a chef, focuses on the revitalization and evolution of Indigenous food systems throughout North America. He is the founder and CEO of The Sioux Chef and Minneapolis restaurant Owamni.

The Julia Child Foundation shared that Sherman has dedicated his career to supporting and promoting Indigenous food systems and Native food sovereignty. He is working to make Indigenous foods more accessible to as many communities as possible through North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS), the non-profit he founded. The non-profit also works to address the economic and health crises affecting Native communities by re-establishing Native foodways, the Julia Child Foundation said.

Sherman’s first book, “The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen,” received the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook in 2018. The James Beard Foundation also awarded him the 2019 Leadership Award.

Sherman opened Owamni, Minnesota’s first full-service Indigenous restaurant, in 2021, the Julia Child Foundation said. The restaurant was awarded the 2022 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in America.

Sherman was also recently named one of the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2023.