Update: thank you everyone for a fantastic turnout! We’re so grateful to be in community with you all. Please enjoy these photos from our time together! Many thanks to Valerie Jean and Mateo Alzate González for documenting.
Our top five winners! From left to right: Andrea Pierce, 5th place; Konstance Patton, 4th place; Anawake Deer In Water, 3rd place; Jaike Spotted Wolf, 2nd place; and Tony Smigel in 1st place! Many thanks to all our contestants for their delicious soups and congrats to our winners!
A room full of new and old friends and family.
Jesse Deer In Water as our emcee!
Thank you to our panel of judges: Sue Franklin, Kirby Shoote, Wanda Hess, Lorna Aikens, and Lorena Jaquier pictured here.
Guest speaker Yebishawn Old Shield sharing about manoomin and traditional food ways.
Jesse with long time friend of CRAFT, Mark Farris, the winner of this year’s quilt raffle! Our quilts are made by Grandmother Jessie Collins and are exquisitie.
We're very proud of this continuing tradition with NAIA (North American Indian Association) in Detroit as we prepare for our FOURTH annual manoomin (wild rice) soup cook-off. Last year was an amazing hit! NAIA was packed with community members and contestants with their excellent manoomin soups. Check it out!
Manoomin is the name for wild rice in Anishinaabemowin and the Anishinabek Confederacy of the Three Fires located in Michigan continues to have a significant relationship to wild rice. It is a central part of the diet for the people of the land, as well as a part of the Migration Story:
“In the Third Fire, the Anishinaabe will find the path to their chosen ground, a land in the west to which they must move their families. This will be the land where food grows on water.”
Every year, we have been honored to welcome an Indigenous guest speaker to share their work with us. This year, we are welcoming back Yebishawn Old Shield!
Hi, I’m Yebishawn Old Shield, self employed who loves Indigenous food ways. I help Anishinbek to gain knowledge to bring awareness of the beauty of Indigenous food ways. I’ve spent years working with Potawatomi communities and try hard to be the best steward to Mother Earth. When I’m not working, you can find me at a powwow or in my garden.
In true Indigenous style, we will be having fabulous raffle drawings throughout the day, leading up to the exciting announcement of this year’s winners! Below we have our top three from the 2025 Cook-Off and the lucky raffle winner of a quilt handmade by our own Grandmother Jessie Collins:
Here are last year's top 3: First place, Nathan Harris, Sr.; Second place, Tony Smigiel; and Third place, David Pitawanakwat. (Photo by Mateo Alzate.)
Grandmother Jessie’s quilts are absolute mastercrafts, you don’t want to miss out on the chance to win one!
