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Wild Onion Co-op Teams With American Indian Center on Fall Fest
- Bob Benenson
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Celebrate American Indian Heritage Month at the Market on November 16
I have written before about my strong interest in American Indian issues. So I was delighted to learn Friday that Wild Onion Market co-op in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood will partner with the American Indian Center of Chicago on a Fall Festival.
The event will be held Sunday, November 16, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the market located at 7007 N. Clark St. Admission is free, with donations accepted for community programs.
I'm cutting right to the market's press release for details:
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Wild Onion Market Presents “Beyond the Gifts of the Three Sisters” – A Celebration of Community, Culture, and American Indian Heritage Month
Chicago, IL – Sunday, November 16, 2025 | 2 p.m.–5 p.m.
Wild Onion Market, in partnership with the American Indian Center of Chicago, invites the city to a vibrant fall festival that honors the Indigenous roots of the region and the timeless bounty of the “Three Sisters” — corn, beans, and squash.
The event, titled “Beyond the Gifts of the Three Sisters,” will transform the Wild Onion Market into a living showcase of food, art and storytelling on Sunday, November 16, 2025, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 7007 N Clark St., Chicago, IL.
What to Expect
● Culinary Highlights – Renowned Indigenous chef Jessica Walks First (Executive Chef & Owner of Ketapanen Kitchen) will prepare a series of seasonal dishes that reinterpret the classic flavors of the Three Sisters. Guests can taste contemporary takes on American Indian cuisine, all crafted with locally‑sourced, organic ingredients.
● Hands‑On Workshops – Join artisans for two sessions of native craftwork. Beadwork and corn-husk dolls will be made as you learn the significance of both traditions.
● Community Dialog and Storytelling — Storyteller Ronnie Preston will share stories of traditions, community and food in the American Indian Diaspora. This will be followed by a panel made of Chef Walks First, David Spencer, President of the American Indian Center, and Ronnie Preston discussing the importance of community and communion with food.
Why This Matters
November marks American Indian Heritage Month, a time to recognize the contributions, resilience, and ongoing vitality of Indigenous peoples across the United States. By centering the Three Sisters—a cornerstone of Indigenous agriculture and cosmology—this festival underscores the interdependence of people, land, and nourishment. It also highlights Wild Onion Market’s commitment to amplifying under‑represented voices and supporting local, sustainable food systems.
About Wild Onion Market | https://wildonionmarket.com
Opened in 2024, Wild Onion Market is a community‑owned grocery cooperative located in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. The market champions locally‑grown, organic, and ethically sourced foods while providing a platform for small‑scale producers, artisans, and cultural entrepreneurs. With a mission to “grow together,” Wild Onion Market offers fresh produce, pantry staples, and a rotating roster of pop‑up kitchens that celebrate the diverse culinary traditions of Chicago’s neighborhoods.
About the American Indian Center of Chicago | https://aicchicago.org/
The American Indian Center (AIC) is the nation’s oldest urban Native American organization, dedicated to preserving and sharing Indigenous cultures, languages, and arts. Through educational programs, health services, and cultural events, AIC serves as a gathering place for over 30 tribal nations residing in the Chicago metropolitan area. Its partnership with Wild Onion Market exemplifies a shared vision of community empowerment, cultural revitalization, and sustainable stewardship of the land.
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On topic, I also want to you to know about an important book about American Indian foodways that is scheduled for release on Tuesday (November 11).
The book is Turtle Island, by Chef Sean Sherman. Known as The Sioux Chef, Sean was already well-established as a leading authority on American Indian food when he opened his renowned, James Beard Award-winning Owamni restaurant in Minneapolis. He also leads the NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) non-profit and its Indigenous Food Lab.
Here is how publisher Penguin Random House describes the book:
Uncover the stories behind the foods that have linked the natural environments, traditions, and histories of Indigenous peoples across North America for millennia through more than 100 ancestral and modern recipes from three-time James Beard Award–winning Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman.
Growing up on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation, Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman understood that his people’s food was rich in flavor, heritage, and connection to the land. It was in the midst of a successful restaurant career mainly cooking European cuisines that he realized the lack of understanding about Native American foodways—a revelation that sent him on a journey to learn more about how Indigenous communities have preserved and evolved their cuisines through the centuries.
Now a leading figure in the Indigenous food movement, he shares in Turtle Island the unique and diverse Native foodways of North America through both traditional and modern recipes made with ingredients that have nourished Indigenous peoples physically, spiritually, and culturally for generations.
Organized by region, this book delves into the rich culinary landscapes of Turtle Island—as many Indigenous cultures call this continent. Learn to eat with the seasons, consume meat and fish nose-to-tail, focus on plant-forward dishes, and discover how to better feed yourself. Alongside delicious recipes like Smoked Bison Ribeye, Wild-Rice Crusted Walleye Cakes, Charred Rainbow Trout with Grilled Ramps, Sweet Potato Soup with Dried Venison and Chile Oil, Sunflower Seed “Risotto,” and Sweet Corn Pudding with Woodland Berry Sauce (and so much more), you’ll see the inspiring Indigenous food scene through Sean’s eyes.
Exemplifying how Native foodways can teach us all to connect with the natural world around us, Turtle Island features rich narrative histories and spotlights the communities producing, gathering, and cooking these foods, including remarkable stories of ingenuity and adaptation that capture the resilience of Indigenous communities.
Sean Sherman is truly one of my heroes, and I had the privilege of listening to hime (and chatting briefly) at Farm Aid's Farmer Forum held in Minneapolis on September 18. Click the button below to read our story about the panel discussion.