Jessica Pamonicutt is the owner and executive chef of the catering and pop-up business Ketapanen Kitchen. Image: Provided.
She launched Ketapanen Kitchen in November 2021, and she has big plans for its future. “Ketapanen” is a Menominee expression of love, and she learned at a young age to incorporate it into cooking. So many people, Pamonicutt says, don’t realize that many of the foods they eat were core ingredients in native diets before European settlers disrupted them. Some are prominently featured on her menu: bison, wild rice, nuts, berries, corn, several fruits, herbs, squashes, beans, turkey, venison, and shrimp.
Much like there is a story behind the name of her business, Pamonicutt says there are many stories behind native foods.One such food is frybread, which is a flat, fried bread that was born out of the forced displacement of Native American peoples to reservations in the 19th century. Different variations of frybread have emerged in the decades since, but their origins are the same.
Pamonicutt wants to share that history through food. One of her larger goals is to have an education initiative as part of her business. She’s been working with organizations like, the Field Museum, and the University of Illinois Chicago to put on educational programs about indigenous foods. For example, in one recent virtual workshop, she asked educators to make a plate from fifteen options using what they thought were indigenous foods.
ketapanenkitch That’s so true-we have plenty of diverse food here in Chicago, but we have little to no representation of any Native American food. I’m happy more attention is being given to it.