10/16/2026
A Wampanoag chef changed the record books of American food.
Chef Sherry Pocknett, a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, made history when she won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast. The James Beard Awards are often called “the Oscars of the food world,” and Pocknett became the first Indigenous woman to receive this major chef honor.
Pocknett opened Sly Fox Den Too in Charlestown, Rhode Island, in 2021. The restaurant was named for her late father, Mashpee Wampanoag Chief Sly Fox, Vernon Pocknett, and specialized in Eastern Woodland Indigenous cuisine. It later closed in January 2025.
Her food is rooted in family knowledge, seasonal harvesting, and Wampanoag lifeways. Pocknett grew up on Cape Cod in a family of cooks, bakers, hunters, fishers, and food gatherers. Her family operated The Flume Restaurant in Mashpee for decades, and she later worked as a caterer for tribal events, including the annual powwow, as well as food and beverage director at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.
At Sly Fox Den Too, her menu featured foods connected to land and water, including quahog chowder, venison, smoked fish, corn cakes, fry bread, and dishes inspired by the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash. These foods carry long histories across Indigenous communities, where cuisine is tied to place, season, language, family, and responsibility to the natural world.
During her acceptance speech in Chicago, Pocknett spoke openly about her cancer treatment and called the honor “unbelievable.” She accepted the award in traditional eastern regalia, bringing national attention to Indigenous chefs and Northeast Native food traditions.
What Indigenous food traditions or family recipes have helped keep your community’s history alive?
Sources: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Wikimedia Foundation, WSHU, Slyfoxdenrestaurant, CBC
