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Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab - Chef in Residence - Book Talk

Humboldt State University Native American Forum

The Rou Dalagurr: Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute’s Chef-in-Residence is excited to welcome our 2025/2026 Chef in Residence, Chef Crystal Wahpepah! Chef Crystal Wahpepah of Wahpepah’s Kitchen, will be returning to the lab April 8th and 9th. During her visit, Crystal will offer workshops for Cal Poly Humboldt students and staff, in addition to hosting a Book Talk highlighting her newly published book: A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior.

Chef Crystal Wahpepah, an enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, has long been a warrior for Indigenous food sovereignty. She is the creative tour de force behind the inventive, healthy, and delicious dishes served at her restaurant, Wahpepah’s Kitchen, in Oakland, California—the first Native woman-owned restaurant in Northern California. Crystal understands the deep and powerful role that food holds in our lives and uses it as a bridge to connect others with Native issues that are important to her and Wahpepah’s Kitchen. By acknowledging the Indigenous inhabitants of the land upon which we currently live, she reasserts the legacy of Native foodways. Through this connection, Crystal is then able to educate others on the health benefits of Indigenous foods through the knowledge that has been passed to her. Her cookbook, A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior, is forthcoming from Rodale-Penguin and Random House Books in Spring 2026.

A Feather and a Fork uplifts the importance of Indigenous foodways through 125 unique dishes that showcase cultural connection to land and food. Recipes include: Three Sisters Veggie Bowls, Sweet Blue Cornbread with Huckleberry Compote, Indigenous Popcorn Balls with Edible Flowers, and Bison Roast with Chokeberry Rub. Check out Crystal’s website here: wahpepahskitchen.com.

“It is such an exciting opportunity to host Chef Crystal Wahpepah, premier Indigenous chef, at our university to learn from her and be in community. This is one of many exciting opportunities that the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & TEK Institute are bringing to our Humboldt community.” - Dr. Kaitlin Reed, Department Chair, Native American Studies

The Rou Dalagurr: Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute’s Chef-in-Residence program is an annual fellowship where Indigenous Chefs are invited to the Food Sovereignty Lab to share their knowledge, host cooking workshops and presentations, and work directly with our students and community members. The primary goal of this program is to give our students, youth, community, and tribal elders opportunities to learn from Indigenous Chefs. We love to work with each Chef to make the programming their own, to think about new and creative ways to engage with the lab and to bring new ideas to the table.

Book Talk - Event Details:
- Date: April 9th, 2026
- Time: 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
- Location: Native American Forum,Cal Poly Humboldt, Union and E 16th Streets, Arcata
- Refreshments provided
- First 25 attendees will get a chance to win a free book!
- Copies of her book will be for sale at the event

Find out more info on our website: humboldt.edu/food-sovereignty/chef-residence

Check us out on Facebook @FoodSovereigntyLab and on Instagram @humboldtnas.

DATES/TIMES

WHERE

• Humboldt State University Native American Forum

PRICE

• Free