American Indian College Fund to Feature Five Indigenous Celebrity Chefs and the Indigo Girls at Culinary Music Event
EATSS to Benefit and Elevate the Voices of Native American College Students
October 24, 2023, Denver, Colo.—Native American allies in the music, theater, and advertising industries are joining forces with the American Indian College Fund for its EATSS event (Epicurean Award to Support Scholars) to celebrate Native American Heritage Month in Minneapolis on November 8. The College Fund’s Indigenous culinary and musical event will feature the dynamic musical duo, The Indigo Girls, and Indigenous cuisine created by five Native celebrity chefs at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at the Guthrie at 818 South 2nd Street in Minneapolis.
Attendees will also be treated to a public premier of the College Fund’s new public service announcement, “Move Aside,” created in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy Portland, the first campaign since the passing of longtime ally and agency co-founder David Kennedy. The campaign shines a light on the growing number of Native Americans with college degrees (more than 300,000), while celebrating the Indigenous experience.
Native graduates will speak about how attendees can serve as allies for Native students and their communities; why allies are integral in Native students’ education journeys; and how allies can help make room for Native graduates to succeed in their careers. Tickets are $150 (and are limited in number and selling fast), which includes preferred concert seating at the Indigo Girls concert held directly after the culinary event. You can also purchase concert-only tickets for $100.
The following Indigenous celebrity chefs will serve their favorite creations to guests:
Andrea Murdoch (Andean-Venezuela) – Owner and Executive Chef of Four Directions Cuisine. Murdoch is a recipient of the prestigious James Beard award who combines her Indigenous identity with her professional training.
Anthony Bauer (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) – Economic and Workforce Specialist with the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission and owner of Traditional Fire Custom Cuisine. Bauer has over 25 years of experience and enjoys giving traditional ingredients a modern twist.
Brian Yazzie (Diné/Navajo) – Chef and food justice activist who founded the Intertribal Foodways catering company. His career is devoted to the betterment of tribal communities, wellness, and health.
Neftalí Durán (originally from Oaxaca, Mexico) – Co-founder of the I-Collective, an Indigenous collective that promotes a healthy food system valuing people, traditional knowledge, and planet over profit. He is working towards an equitable food system and building a network of Indigenous food leaders.
Pyet DeSpain – An award-winning traveling, private chef who became the first winner of Gordon Ramsey’s Next Level Chef on Fox. Her life’s work is dedicated to Indigenous fusion cuisine.
Journalists interested in interviewing chefs, Native graduates or the Indigo Girls can contact Dina Horwedel at dhorwedel@collegefund.org or 303-430-5350.
About the American Indian College Fund — The American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for 34 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and provided $17.4 million in scholarships and other direct student support to American Indian students in 2022-23. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $319 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation’s 35 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 and is one of the nation’s top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org.
Journalists—The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund.
