Updated
Updated · NPR · Jul 16
Apache Chef Nephi Craig Says Cooking for 7,800 Prisoners Saved His Life
Updated
Updated · NPR · Jul 16

Apache Chef Nephi Craig Says Cooking for 7,800 Prisoners Saved His Life

3 articles · Updated · NPR · Jul 16

Summary

  • Nephi Craig says Native food "saved his life," framing the Apache chef’s new memoir around recovery from addiction and a renewed connection to his heritage.
  • Our Knives Will Save Us traces how cooking became that lifeline, linking his personal struggle to Native American food traditions and identity.
  • Craig’s career spans both high-end restaurant kitchens and meals for 7,800 jail prisoners, underscoring the range of his work and the role food has played in it.

Insights

Can ancient food traditions be the key to healing modern addiction and trauma?
While chefs revive Native foods, is government policy hindering true food sovereignty?
How is ancestral food knowledge being adapted to solve today’s climate crisis?