“The most irresponsible thing I could do as an entrepreneur is fail." —Dana Thompson

Native foodways have been an integral part of various indigenous cultures for centuries. However, due to the economic and health crises affecting native communities, access to traditional foods has become more difficult. This has resulted in a lack of culturally relevant food options contributing to the overall health disparities across the continent.

Re-establishing native cultures and making traditional foods more accessible through noble initiatives such as community gardens, farmers markets, and educational programs is an essential step towards addressing these issues and promoting greater equity for indigenous peoples.

The Sioux Chef, co-owned by Dana Thompson is helping to bridge the gap between traditional culture and accessibility. Through their commitment to equity, they help indigenous people reclaim their heritage while also providing affordable, tasty, and nutritious meal options. By understanding the importance of food in indigenous culture, they are also able to create a platform where everyone can experience the richness of native cuisine.

Listen in as Justine and Dana talk about how to create a company that champions the indigenous community, how to build an authentic brand, the benefits of involving the community in business building, the importance of continuity in branding, and the key to making good decisions.

Meet Dana:

As co-owner of the company The Sioux Chef, Dana Thompson, lineal descendant of the Wahpeton-Sisseton and Mdewakanton Dakota tribes and lifetime Minnesota native, has been working within the food sovereignty movement for the past six years. Within that time, she has traveled extensively throughout tribal communities engaging in critical ways to improve food access. Last year Dana jointly founded the non-profit NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) for which she is acting Executive Director. Through this entity, she will focus her expertise on addressing and treating ancestral trauma through decolonized perspectives of honoring and leveraging Indigenous wisdom.

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Episode Highlights:

00:48 Inside The Sioux Chef

05:03 Relationships Create Success

09:21 Building the Community

11:17 Continuity in Branding

14:24 How to Make Good Decisions