Chef Simon Brown will join traditional medicine maker Felicia Ruiz and Mark Ford of Partnership with Native Americans in a candid discussion about ‘What is Food?’. The conversation will be an exploration of how cultural practices around food and eating have shifted, where we now view food as a commodity, and how we can seize the opportunity to practice mindfulness, gratitude and camaraderie. 

The Sunday Benefit Brunch will be the featured event of Sunday, brought to you by Flintco and BlakeSt. With a performance by the Cherokee Indian Baptist Choir, guests will be invited to dine on delicious food prepared by BlakeSt’s Executive Chef, Simon Brown, listen to live music and learn about the work of Partnership With Native Americans, their new campaign, and food sovereignty. During the brunch, guests are encouraged to explore the silent auction with a number of items up for grabs. As the only paid-ticket event of the celebration, all proceeds from the event will benefit Partnership With Native Americans and their on-going work to help build strong, self-sufficient Native American Communities.

In this discussion, Mark Ford of Partnership with Native Americans and medicine maker Felicia Ruiz will highlight the history of food as medicine in Native cultures and how colonization affected Native American health and diet. Mark and Felicia will also discuss the modern movement of Native communities to return to traditional and ancestral foods and ways that the food sovereignty is being practiced today in Indian Country. In addition to the presentation, there will also be food samples available at the end!