Ch'il Indigenous Foods was created with the intention to greatly increase the consumption and knowledge of culturally significant, healthy,
plant foods in an effort to restore ancestral foodways. The more we eat and love these unique plants, the more likely they are to survive and be passed on to the next generation.
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In the Native American community we have so many individuals suffering with chronic diseases and as a whole , experience a shorter life expectancy.
Plants have always been our medicine.
Ch'il Indigenous Foods is meant to be a resource on how to incorporate plant medicine back into the diets of Indigenous people , as well as those who are interested in wellness, and climate action. We are focused on preserving indigenous plant knowledge, indigenous agricultural practices, and native plant species. By growing our own indigenous plants & crops we create an abundance of opportunities to help our community learn, share, and eat!
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We strive to support Native American communities and the heirloom varieties they have protected. Whenever possible, we source our ingredients directly from tribal members and their farms. Ch'il Indigenous Foods prioritizes using the highest quality organic ingredients.
We care about Mother Earth and keep this in mind when packaging our food or making our products.
You will find our fabrics are always 100% cotton and we use compostable bags, glass, and metal lids.
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A percentage of our profits goes to Native American led non-profit organizations.
Visit our donate page to learn more about our favorite organizations that we donate to.
We Strive To
Promote more plants being eaten within Native American Communities through grassroots activism & sharing of indigenous plant foods and seeds.
Help grow rare heirloom varieties of indigenous plants through our own system and supply income to indigenous farmers in line with our goals.
Spread knowledge of how to prepare and eat nutritious meals including many indigenous plants foods.
Share our food creations with others through pop up events, private selective catering, fairs, & festivals.
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It was around the holidays and I had brought my grandma, shimásáni , some blue corn cookies made from Navajo blue corn & juniper ash. I had began to incorporate a larger variety of traditional indigenous plant foods into my diet and I was so excited to share with everyone.
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As my grandmother took a bite , her whole face lit up, and she let out the most adorable squeal of delight. ''These are just like how my mom use to make for us!'' She said with pure childlike enthusiasm. The taste had brought her back to a younger part of her self, a moment of love she had between her and her mother. I realized then exactly how important food is. How it can tie us to our family, k'é, become part of who we are,
and bring great joy just from a taste.
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I had this moment in my heart while creating this social enterprise. I hope to bring this same moment to the next generation so they can pass it down to their children. I want all people to get a taste for the indigenous plant foods grown on turtle island, crave them, and grow them.
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Plants played such an important role in the health and growth of my people and they deserved to be honored and shared. Eating plants is going to help change the collective future for the better. Our bodies, the animals we share this world with, and Mother Earth need people to change their diet to a more sustainable and healthy way of eating.
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Plants are a medicine for the Mind, Body, & Spirit that we can absorb every single day.
I want to inspire others to incorporate plant foods into their life in the hope that they experience well-being, happiness, and harmony.
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When creating Ch'il Indigenous Foods, I had my own family in mind.
Although I am a Diné woman (Navajo) , my children are also a part of the Apache & Crow tribes. Inspired by their unique heritage, I included plant foods offered by the many different Indigenous tribes.
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I hope to bring more awareness to the huge variety of plant foods eaten by the people native to North America, while embracing the communities involved in preserving their culture and heirloom crops.' '
-Narissa Ribera
On the Board of Wheatridge Center For Music & Arts, Member Of The CDEC Tribal Advisory Council,
Manager of Nááts'íilid Kitchen,
Founder Of Ch'il Indigenous Foods
Our Grow
We have 3 locations we will be growing at in 2024.
The city of Wheatridge has been such an amazing support of our mission and has given us the opportunity to grow on their market plots of land.
We will be growing many rare indigenous varieties of plants at this location such as the four corners potato.
We will host volunteer opportunities through Wheatridge.
This space will be converted into a dry farmed plot and used as a space to teach workshops on
indigenous ways of growing crops.
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Food from this garden will be used for our events & products, as well to share with community.
Once our crops begin to come in we will offer
FREE delivery pre-made indigenous meals for community member's in need 1x a month. This ensures that more people will have access to healthy indigenous plant foods.
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Nááts'íilid Kitchen
Our commercial kitchen is located in The Wheatridge Center For Music & Arts. It is used for making our food, products, and hosting our educational workshops. We work with local organizations and local schools to teach students more about traditional plants and foods. Outside of the kitchen we also have a small indigenous food garden.
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We have bigger plans in mind for this space to support our community in 2024.
Community
We strive to support and uplift our community as much as possible. A few of the organizations we have worked with are Jeffco School's Native American Education Program, Spirit of the Sun, CU Boulder, Native American Counseling & Healing Collective, The City Of Wheatridge, & WCMA.
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We have collaborations with other local indigenous growers to increase the quality and quantity of traditional indigenous foods. One of our collaboration efforts is with Carissa Garcia. She is helping with soil remediation using mushrooms, growing mushrooms for our community on our organic Navajo corn,
and teaches workshops.