Wisconsin Life

speaking Ho-Chunk

Hainipi (Good morning), Hocak raasra Hahemaaniwinga (my Hocak name is Walks in the dark

night

) hingaire egi maixete raasra Elena Terry. (and my English name is Elena Terry) I'm a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. I think, as a chef, it's my responsibility to kind of be the last voice of these ingredients and to showcase them in a way that they'll be appreciated and highlight their natural flavors. Also, to have good feelings when you're in the kitchen because all of that gets transferred into the food and to treat your ingredients with the highest amount of respect and care because they gave their life to nourish you. Ooh, looks perfect! Especially when you're cooking, you have all of your senses stimulated and you're creating memories as you go. So, you know the smell, you know the texture and the feel and what you want it to feel like. Beautiful! So, the name of the dish we'll be making today is 'SassSquash.'

laughs

And although it isn't a traditional dish, it incorporates a lot of the ingredients that are from Wisconsin. And my favorite ingredient, which is squash, I think is really underutilized, and so, it's a good way to showcase what the flavor development of that can be. I blend the squash and the maple for sweetness, and then, nuts.

food processor whirs

And then, we're just going to spread it out. And I like adding a cranberry sauce because it gives it a little bit of a sour and it's not completely sweet note and it compliments it perfectly. Yeah, see, they're starting to pop open. That's what I want. And it really is, when we use our ingredients, it gives you a connection to your ancestors and makes you realize the responsibility you have as a steward of the land and caring for it and just making sure that these ingredients are going to be there for the next generation, as well. I like to think that I came from warriors,

traditional singing

I came from resilience and strength and endurance, and, you know, being able to make something of nothing and being able to get your family back to the lands that they came from. I feel the strength of generations telling me that, "You can do it," you know? Every time I try this, it's like the first time that I've tried it, and it always surprises me. It's delicious.

traditional singing