Holiday Recipes Start Here
Nov 16th Podcast
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Part 3 -Celebration of Native American Recipes
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On the November 16th – in the Part 3 episode, we wrap up with a “Celebration of Native American Recipes”, circling back to the roots of Thanksgiving. We’ll explore a few time-honored dishes that honor Indigenous heritage, weaving in stories of sustainability and cultural reverence to feed your spirit with a deeper appreciation of history.
We will chat with Pyet DeSpain, a proud member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribe, an award winning and global private chef, and the first winner of Gordon Ramsay’s cooking competition series, Next Level Chef. She was also named as one of the Top 25 best private chefs in Los Angeles by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2021. Her approach to food is a fusion blend of identity, history, and the drive to keep ancestral traditions alive through everyday cooking. Her recently released book is Rooted in Fire, a Celebration of Native American and Mexican Cooking
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Pyet DeSpain Author
Photo Credit – Maya Guice/Courtesy of Pyet DeSpain
Pyet is short for her inherited Native American name, Pyetwetmokwe. As a proud member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and with deep roots in her Mexican heritage, Pyet’s work reflects the balance of both cultures. Her approach to food is deeply personal — a blend of identity, history, and the drive to keep ancestral traditions alive through everyday cooking.
Courtesy of Pyet DeSpain
Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native American and Mexican Cooking is a tribute to her dual heritage—a gorgeously crafted celebration of the diversity of food and the stories, traditions, culture, and profound philosophies of Indigenous people that season each meal. Pyet shows you how to incorporate a delicious range of key ingredients—from venison, dandelion greens, to sunchokes, bison, and native berries—into more than sixty fusion dishes. Family and friends will be excited to gather around the table to enjoy sweet and savory foods.
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Three Sisters Salad
A vibrant salad filled with beans, corn, and zucchini that’s filled with traditional flavors
Courtesy of Pyet DeSpain
About the Recipe: Pyet’s recipes, filled with black beans, golden corn, and sliced zucchini, is flavored with a bit of onion, fresh thyme leaves, and a touch of salt and pepper. When she was young, she instantly fell in love with this festive salad.
Story from Rooted in Fire by Pyet DeSpain
Pyet said, “When I lived on the Osage Nation Reservation as a kid, I loved watching the grandmas and aunties cook big pots of beans, squash, and rice outdoors over an open flame during the ceremonial powwows and then place their labor of love on long tables for all to enjoy during the supper break.”
pdf for Copy of Recipe – Three Sisters Salad
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Wojape (Sweet Berry Sauce)
A perfectly balanced sweet/ tart berry sauce to spoon over grilled or braised meat or skewers.
Courtesy of Pyet DeSpain
About the Recipe: Wojape is a perfect balance of sweet and tart berries, reducing to a luscious blueberry-like sauce that amplifies the fruit’s natural flavors. The Native American tribes harvested berries and cooked them into a sauce as a nice remembrance of their ancestral way of life. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or chokecherries are often used as the berry mixture.
Story from Rooted in Fire by Pyet DeSpain
Pyet said, “The first time I saw wojape was while browsing the different dishes on the table of one of our potlucks in Kansas. I peered into a large slow cooker with a ladle and discovered a soup-like blue sauce that left me a little puzzled. My mom leaned over and whispered, ‘It’s called wojape’…a traditional food from my tribe.”
pdf for Copy of Recipe – Wojape (Sweet Berry Sauce)
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Honey and Habanero Roasted Butternut Squash
A spicy, sweet butter caramelizes over golden squash.
Courtesy of Pyet DeSpain
About the Recipe: Prepare a butter sauce, adding honey, habanero pepper, cumin, and paprika with just a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Prepare your squash for roasting and pour this delicious mixture over it. You will be rewarded with a caramelized sweet, tender squash that to serve as a side dish.
Story from Rooted in Fire by Pyet DeSpain
Tasting this dish during a trip to Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico, “They cut that baby (squash) open, drizzled it with honey, sprinkled some salt and cilantro, and added a squeeze of lime. It was the most unctuous, velvety bite of squash I have ever had in my life…”
pdf for Copy of Recipe – Honey and Habanero Roasted Butternut Squash
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