Rooted in Community. Fueled by Fire. My Conversation on The Culture Show Podcast

My conversation on The Culture Show Podcast brought me back to the real starting point of my work. I grew up in a home where food looked different depending on the season of life we were in. Some days it was canned goods because that is what we had. Other days it was ceremony, where our tables were filled with the foods our people have relied on for generations. Three Sisters. Corn soup. Fry bread that represents survival and adaptation. Those moments taught me what nourishment really means.

My Mexican side of the family added another layer of community to that story. Food was never just for one household. It was for the neighbors, the single mom down the street, a cousin’s friend, or someone my grandmother had known forever. The table kept expanding, and the message was always the same. Everyone was welcome. That sense of community shaped me long before I stepped into a kitchen professionally.

On the podcast, I talked about my cookbook, Rooted in Fire, and what the word fire means to me. It is the fire we cook with. It is the ceremonial fire of my Potawatomi people. It is the drive that helped me push forward during the harder chapters of my life. That passion has stayed steady and continues to guide my work today. The rooted part of the title comes from my heritage and the community that raised me. That is my foundation.

We also talked about how complicated it felt growing up without seeing my culture reflected anywhere outside my own home. As a kid, you absorb so much from the world around you. When you rarely see your traditions represented, it can make you question their value. Now I hear from people who feel connected to my work and see themselves reflected in it. That has been the most meaningful part of this entire journey. The response reminds me why representation matters and why I continue to show up for Indigenous cuisine and storytelling.

I am grateful to The Culture Show Podcast for giving me space to share these parts of my story. Conversations like this are an important reminder of why I do the work I do. My goal is always to honor my roots, uplift Indigenous foodways, and help create more visibility for the communities that shaped me.

With gratitude,

Chef Pyet