Luce Fellow and Indigikitchen Founder Makes the Finals of ‘Chopped’

Last week, First Nations 2022 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow Mariah Gladstone (Blackfeet, Cherokee) competed in the Food Network’s first-ever Indigenous-inspired episode of “Chopped.” Gladstone and three other Native chefs tried to out-cook one another for $10,000 in three rounds – appetizer, main dish, and dessert. In the entree round, she made bison steak strips with sweet potato and lima bean fritters, and judge Sean Sherman, the “Sioux Chef,” said the bison was seared perfectly. Gladstone advanced to the final dessert round, baking a sweet potato muffin with pemmican and saskatoon sauce, but lost the championship in a close decision. Her goal for competing was to “elevate a platform for Indigenous foods and teaching.” She concluded, “I am able to walk away with that even without winning.”