A Q&A with Sean Sherman and Dana Thompson of Owamni
Owamni
We had a few questions for the hottest- and most thought provoking- restaurant in Minneapolis. Luckily, Co-Owners of Owamni, Dana Thompson and Sean Sherman, were kind enough to answer our questions.
Owamni co-owners, Sean Sherman and Dana Thompson. Photo credit: Heidi Ehalt.
Owamni utilizes cooking techniques and ingredients that don’t fit into the French-technique style that most cooks in American learn. What was the training process for your staff like?
Our non-profit entity, NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) and its Indigenous Food Lab (www.natifs.org), has been in operation for many years. A big part of the mission of NATIFS is to provide this kind of training. As such, training was relatively easy — Chef Sean Sherman created the menu and then worked with existing staff at the IFL and new staff at Owamni to fine-tune those recipes and also work on training, sourcing, plating, etc. It was the perfect partnership. — Dana Thompson
How do you balance confronting the history of colonialism in the US and locally with the joy of sharing food?
When we examine how our society has adapted the modern, popular diet, we can see it has very little to do with this land space that we're on right now today. It is a Westernized diet. When we're looking at these Indigenous diets, they reflect so much of the diversity of natural flora, plants, trees, and vegetation. Part of removing colonial thought from food systems is to bring awareness to people who don't really have a sense of Indigenous foods or Indigenous culture and history. We aim to think about the land space, and how Indigenous peoples who have been here for thousands of generations created the blueprints to live sustainably and utilize the knowledge of their regions.
Food is such a cultural identifier. It is passed down family lines from people very dear and very special to them. Because of the history of colonization, Indigenous people were forced away from their culture, including food. We're finally at a generation right now where we can really start to identify the value of the lessons of our ancestors and apply them to today’s world. We can see a better path forward. Through food we’re able to understand and reclaim so many deep meaningful stories. It's a direct connection to our ancestors.
We’ll be giving guests a taste of true Minnesota flavors while showing how Indigenous history can be weaved into the fabric of a city itself. — Sean Sherman
You are working with a lot of ingredients that aren’t sold by regular restaurant suppliers. What networks are you tapping into in order to be able to showcase these ingredients?
We have been working on building relationships with Indigenous suppliers for many years, starting in 2014 with our catering company and our pop-up dinner series. We continue to build those relationships and seek our additional vendors as our goal is to support Indigenous food producers.
We are constantly looking for more people that produce these ingredients — looking for more Indigenous food producers allows us to drive wealth back into tribal communities, which is an another important mission of NATIFS and The Sioux Chef. — Dana
How are you hoping that your neighbors in and around the Mill District receive Owamni?
We hope they take advantage of the convenience of the location but also utilize the location to learn more about the space on which it stands and the history of that land and the many Indigenous plants and ingredients native to that land. Owamni is about amazing food and the experience of enjoying that food — but it’s also about learning about the food, the ingredients, and the natural world right around us in the Mill District.
The restaurant's location at Owamniyomni (the Dakota name for St. Anthony Falls) is a sacred site of peace and well-being for the Dakota and Anishinaabe people. Along with the restaurant, Owamni by The Sioux Chef will honor this heritage with special events and educational opportunities designed to elevate Indigenous voices as part of its larger mission to promote Native American cultures, honor plants and natural resources, and foster a vibrant Indigenous food movement. — Dana
Finally, would you share with us how to pronounce Owamni?
OH-WAHM-KNEE