Indígena by Owamni opens Tuesday, expanding chef Sean Sherman's vision for Indigenous cuisine

Indígena by Owamni, chef Sean Sherman's expanded vision for bringing Indigenous cuisine to Minneapolis, is hosting a soft opening Tuesday, with its full launch set for July 4.

The restaurant represents a new chapter for Sherman, who first opened Owamni in 2021 along the Mississippi River. Their new spot, inside the Guthrie Theater, helps them host even more guests. 

"We're just excited to see this all manifest and come together," Sherman said.

Sherman also wanted to expand the culinary envelope with Indígena, not just focusing on Native America but on Indigenous peoples from across the Americas in general. It's part of the reason, he said, of changing the restaurant's name to a Spanish word.

"We just wanted to be a lot more open to the Indigenous diaspora of the Americas," he said.

Sherman traveled to Mexico and South America to bring different Indigenous flavors and foods to the menu. 

The menu features bison and elk, oysters on ice and cocktails. Cocktail ingredients are also derived from foods native to the Americas, which means there's no dairy or cane sugar.

Since Sherman opened Owamni, he's been featured featured in the New York Times and won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.