American Indian College Fund Hosts Indigenous Chefs and Raye Zaragoza to Support Native Scholars

Experience an Evening of Indigenous Food, Art, and Music that Funds the Next Generation of Native College Students

Denver, Colo., November 5, 2026 — Just in time for Giving Tuesday, scheduled this year for December 1, the popular American Indian College Fund’s (College Fund) Epicurean Award to Support Scholars (EATSS) event will return to the Twin Cities with culinary partner Indígena by Owamni, the acclaimed Minneapolis restaurant founded by Chef Sean Sherman, whose work focuses on Indigenous foods, ingredients, and foodways to carry out this culinary experience. 

The event will be hosted at the iconic Guthrie Theater at 818 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis. The night will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a multi-course dinner prepared by Indigenous celebrity chefs, including: 

• Crystal Wahpepah (Kickapoo Nation of Oklahoma) is the owner and executive chef of Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, a James Beard Emerging Chef finalist, the first Native chef on Chopped, and author of this year’s cookbook A Feather and a Fork. 

• Chef Anthony Bauer (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) is the owner of Traditional Fire Custom Cuisine. 

• Chef Nathan Davis (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) is a Le Cordon Bleu-educated founder of A’Wiisinin Food Truck. 

• Andrea Condes (Andean, Venezuela) is the Culinary Institute of America-trained founder of Four Directions Cuisine in Arvada, Colorado, who teaches culture and cuisine classes through St. Paul College. 

The evening will close at 8 p.m. with a Native art sale and a special concert with Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Raye Zaragoza. Of mixed Indigenous, Asian, and Latina heritage, Zaragoza first gained widespread recognition with “In the River,” her response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. Her music is shaped by identity, justice, community, and connection. She has performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk, toured nationally, appeared in the reimagined Broadway production of Peter Pan, and writes songs for Netflix’s animated series Spirit Rangers. Zaragoza will preview songs from her upcoming album scheduled for release in February. 

Proceeds from EATSS events provide direct support to Native students pursuing a higher education. Native students continue to face significant barriers to higher education, with U.S. Census data showing currently only 16% of American Indian and Alaska Native adults have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 33% nationally.  Demand for support continues to increase while funding gaps persist. EATSS brings people together so that the public can learn more about Indigenous cultures and see the broader impact of their support to these students. 

Brian Burthday, American Indian College Fund Student Ambassador, said, “I think it’s incredibly motivating to hear about the people that support the American Indian College Fund. It makes me want to give back even more. It makes me want to go back to my community and make people feel the way that I feel and how the people that support American Indian College Fund make me feel.” 

President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund, Cheryl Crazy Bull, said, “The College Fund’s EATSS events allow us to bring allies and Native scholars together to share Indigenous food, art, and stories. We welcome the public in Minneapolis to join us and learn what it means to support Native higher education.” 

Members of the press, please contact: 

Dina Horwedel, Senior Director of Public Education and Communications
American Indian College Fund
303-430-5350
dhorwedel@collegefund.org 

For event-related inquiries, please contact: 

Zac Hunter, Publicist
Thelemata
757-304-2279
zac@thelemata.com 

A ticket for dinner and the concert cost $155, $35 for the concert only. To purchase tickets please visit https://standwith.collegefund.org/twin-cities-eatss-2026/.  

About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 37 years. The College Fund’s tagline is “Education is the answer” and provided more than $26 million in scholarships and other student support for higher education in 2025-26. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $434 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of programs at the nation’s 34 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators. It earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit collegefund.org.  

Journalists—The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.