Rooted in Fire: Creative Indigenous Cuisine with Pyet DeSpain

NOTE: iphone and ipad users, CLICK HERE to register for class.

What’s on the Menu:
Wojape Meatballs with Barbecue Sauce
Roasted Sage and Maple Sweet Potatoes
Blackberry and Mezcal Cocktail

This holiday season, join us for a cooking class that you’ll come away from with much more than just recipes. In this livestream class with Pyet DeSpain, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribe and author of the cookbook “Rooted in Fire,” you’ll also leave with deeper appreciation for the cultural wisdom, sustainability and intention behind Indigenous foodways. A careful practitioner of fusion cuisine, Pyet will encourage you to draw on traditional indigenous flavors like blackberry, sage and maple, to make modern dishes that include a punchy mezcal cocktail and the best batch of roasted sweet potatoes you’ve ever had. The star of this show is Pyet’s barbecue meatballs, which she’ll make with bison—though you are welcome to use chicken or turkey instead—as she explains the cultural and spiritual significance of bison to Plains Indigenous people. You’ll also learn to make a barbecue sauce that combines berries—whether they’re easy-to-get blueberries or lucky-to-find chokecherries, gooseberries or brambleberries—with a complex combination of fresh herbs and three sources of umami richness. As we cook together, you’ll appreciate how Indigenous cuisine is creatively evolving and how cooking can be an act of reconnection.

Get 10% off Pyet’s book, “Rooted in Fire,” with code MILK2025 here: https://portersquarebooks.com/book/9780063304079

About Pyet: Pyet (an abbreviation of her inherited Native American name, Pyetwetmokwe, meaning something loud coming over the mountains towards you) is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribe, an award winning and global private chef, and the first winner of Gordon Ramsay’s groundbreaking cooking competition series, Next Level Chef. In 2021, Entrepreneur Magazine named her one of the Top 25 best private chefs in Los Angeles. Her life’s work is dedicated to Indigenous fusion cuisine, where she combines the food of her heritage, both Native American and Mexican. Pyet’s passion is to uplift Indigenous culture and traditions via storytelling, traveling, and cooking. Originally from the Osage Indian Reservation and Kansas City, Kansas, she now resides in Los Angeles.

Thank you to the 2025 Annual Sponsors of the Cooking School, who make our livestream events possible:

• Coccinella, whose Oleavia Extra-Virgin Olive Oils are made with olives that are harvested early, hand-picked and cold-pressed to ensure impeccable flavor. Use code MILK STREET to get 20% off your first order: https://www.coccinellastore.com/oleavia-evoo
• Copper, which makes battery-equipped induction ranges that power premium cooking experiences and store renewable energy — without the need for complex, expensive electrical upgrades. Learn more: t.ly/cU1pO
• Vermicular. With 80+ years of Japanese craftsmanship and heating innovation, they craft thoughtfully designed cast iron cookware that inspires chefs of all levels. Use code COOKLIGHT for 10% off their products at the Milk Street Store: t.ly/mu01T
• Work Sharp, which makes sharpening products that are fast, easy to use and work every time. Find their products on the Milk Street Store and use code SHARPSMART for 10% off: t.ly/SSsSz
• Wulf’s Fish and Savenor’s Market. Together, Wulf’s and Savenor’s provide premium seafood and gourmet meat to chefs and home cooks across the country. Use code MILKSTREET for 20% off orders from Wulf’s (t.ly/REVSO) and Savenor’s (t.ly/CRwjA).
  

If you have any questions about this class, please don't hesitate to get in touch via cookingschool@177milkstreet.com.

This event has limited spots and you must register in advance via Eventbrite in order to attend. One sign-up covers one device. Payments for Milk Street livestream events are non-refundable. If you find yourself unable to attend, you may transfer the ticket to someone else, but we are unable to refund fees and all payments are final.

Closed Captioning is available for all Milk Street virtual events.

Immediately after registering, you will get a confirmation email that contains the Zoom meeting log-in information. One week prior to the class (or within 48 hours, if you register less than one week in advance), you will receive instructions on how to prepare ingredients and equipment in order to cook along, if you choose.

After class, you will receive a recording of the event, as links to any additional recipes and resources that may come up. NOTE:The recording link is only available online for one month following each event. If you’d like to have access to the recording for longer than that, you'll need to save the recording locally by clicking on “download” on the top right corner of the recording page.

Proceeds from livestream cooking classes and workshops support Milk Street's non-profit work with The Big Sisters Association of Great Boston, The Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester, FoodCorps and other partners.

Bonus: All attendees of this class will receive a one-time 20% off coupon to the Milk Street Store after class.