From beloved Indigenous chef Nephi Craig, a searing personal and cultural reckoning about the power of food to heal intergenerational wounds When Nephi Craig enrolled in the culinary program at Scottsdale Community College, it was out of necessity--his DUI conviction had left him with three years’ probation with either full-time employment or education. He chose school, expecting little more than a means to an end. But what he encountered on his first day was a profound dissonance: not a single other Indigenous person in the room and European recipes that, beneath their French and Italian names, echoed the flavors of his own Apache roots. Calling to mind his roaming childhood on the White Mountain Apache and Navajo reservations, that moment sparked a lifelong pursuit, not just of culinary mastery, but also of cultural rediscovery. Craig began tracing the buried histories of Indigenous cultivars such as the acorn, the squash, and the cacao bean, each one a portal into the violent legacy of colonization. He was hungry to not only better understand the way this history embedded itself in Native foodways but to also build Indigenous food sovereignty and to reconnect people with this rich cuisine. His mission led him around the world, from high-end kitchens in Japan, Germany, and England, to Executive Chef roles across the US. All the while, though, Craig wrestled in the shadows of his alcoholism and substance abuse, entering one addiction treatment center after another in the hopes that he could get--and remain--sober. Unexpectedly, in the heat and rhythm of professional kitchens and in the collaborative energy of top fine dining restaurants, Craig found a lifeline. However, it wasn’t until he was faced with the difficult decision of choosing between a career in culinary prestige and one serving the Native communities at home that he found his true vocation. Interweaving personal reflection with searing cultural insight, Craig lays bare the ongoing traumas wrought by colonial violence, from systemic poverty and poor mental health to addiction and suicide within Native communities. At the same time, he offers a vision of hope: one where food is decolonized, history is honored, and healing is possible....

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Nephi Craig