East Tennessee State University will celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month on Tuesday, Nov. 10, with a special visit from renowned Indigenous chef Nephi Craig, featuring opportunities to explore Indigenous food, culture and traditions.
ETSU will host two interactive sessions with Chef Craig in the D.P. Culp Student Center. The day's programming will include opportunities to sample Indigenous food prepared by Sodexo staff under Craig's direction, as well as conversations about his culinary journey and the connections between food, health and cultural heritage.
At 11:30 a.m., Craig will join students in the Culp ballroom for an interactive conversation and lunch experience. Students will have the opportunity to engage with the chef, learn about Indigenous food traditions and sample the dishes prepared for the occasion.
Later that evening, at 7 p.m., Craig will participate in an interview-style conversation open to the campus community and the public. The discussion will explore his journey as an Indigenous chef, his work connecting communities through food, and his approach to health, nutrition and cultural preservation. He will also discuss his new book, “Our Knives Will Save Us: Dispatches from a White Mountain Apache Chef.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event through the ETSU Bookstore.
His latest book explores his experiences as a White Mountain Apache chef and the relationships between food, identity, history and Indigenous communities. The book was selected as an Apple Books Staff Favorite for July 2026 and recognized by The New York Times as a nonfiction book readers would enjoy that summer.
Craig is an enrolled member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and is half Navajo. With 28 years of culinary experience in the United States and abroad, he has dedicated his career to researching and advancing Indigenous cuisine. He is the founder of the Native American Culinary Association, a network that provides education, training and resources to support Indigenous food traditions and practitioners.
Beyond the kitchen, Craig is a leader in the Indigenous Food Sovereignty movement and a pioneer of restorative Indigenous food practices, which use traditional foodways and agriculture to support community wellness, cultural revitalization and recovery. He was featured in the 2020 James Beard Award-winning documentary "Gather,” which explores Indigenous food sovereignty.
ETSU's National Indigenous Peoples Heritage Month celebration offers the campus community an opportunity to learn from an accomplished Indigenous culinary leader while exploring the significance of food as a connection to culture, history, health and community.
