CityState : Business
Award-Winning Cuisine
Indigenous chef Sherry Pocknett wins a James Beard Award for Best Chef : Northeast . By Jamie Coelho
One of Rhode Island ’ s own recently won the title for Best Chef : Northeast for the 2023 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards . Sherry Pocknett , a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe , owns Sly Fox Den Too in Charlestown , a restaurant that specializes in Indigenous cuisine and culture .
The James Beard Foundation awards are often called “ the Oscars of the food world .” This is the first time that an Indigenous woman has won a James Beard Award ; she was one of five finalists for the Best Chef : Northeast award category . The only Rhode Islanders to ever win James Beard Foundation ’ s Best Chef : Northeast title were Al Forno ’ s Johanne Killeen and the late George Germon in 1993 .
Pocknett attended the awards , which were held in Chicago , in person with her daughter , Jade Pocknett-Galvin , wearing her traditional regalia for good luck .
“ It feels amazing that finally we are getting the recognition that I think people want to know about . They are curious and people want to try the food ,” she says .
She is honored that Indigenous cuisine is being recognized on a national level . The United States was first inhabited by Native people , yet the cuisine isn ’ t widely known . “ A lot of people ask me , ‘ What is Native American food ?’” she says . “ What is Indigenous food ? It means to eat where you ’ re at . It means harvested by the season .”
Foraged , fished and hunted foods are served at her restaurant , which Pocknett runs alongside her two daughters , Jade and Cheyenne Pocknett-Galvin . Some of the ingredients on the menu include venison , rabbit , quahogs , local fish , foraged herbs and vegetables and more . Specialties include chef Sherry ’ s corn cakes made from both yellow and white flint cornmeal ( also known as johnny cakes ) that nestle everything from eggs to stew ; quahog chowder , which is a Mashpee Wampanoag recipe made with quahog clams , potatoes , onions and ground black peppercorn in a broth ; Indian fry bread is served with nearly everything , and there are specials like turtle soup with fiddleheads , skate wing , smoked salmon , housemade sausage and more . Poached eggs come with a choice of home fries or nausamp , which are yellow corn grits . “ Three Sisters ” rice is another of chef Sherry ’ s specialties , made with corn , squash , beans and wild rice . Everything is cooked with vegan-friendly sunflower oil instead of butter .
Pocknett is currently battling breast cancer , so her daughters are helping to run the restaurant , which has been open since June 2021 . She recently completed chemotherapy and surgery . She hopes to get back to the restaurant after she recuperates , so that she can continue doing what she loves . She also plans to release a cookbook by Christmas , titled Bounty of the Seasons . slyfoxdenrestaurant . com
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF SLY FOX DEN TOO / PHOTOGRAPH BY ELIESA JOHNSON OF THE RESTAURANT PROJECT .
22 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2023