Elena Terry's Keynote at 16th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit
Photo taken by Rosebud Bear Schneider at United Tribes Technical College's farm
Elena Terry is the Executive Chef/Founder of Wild Bearies, a non-profit community outreach catering organization. She is also one of the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance’s lead Mentors for the Food and Culinary Program.
One of her passions has been developing mentorship programs that help build stronger communities within the Indigenous Food Sovereignty movement, while empowering participants and establishing healthy relationships. As a seed to table chef, Elena advocates highly for indigenous and organic growers and producers. She utilizes her partnerships with the Intertribal Agriculture Council, University of Wisconsin, several tribal farms as well as her own farm to provide and preserve ancestral ingredients in her community.
In promoting the use of traditional ingredients and methods of cooking, she also partners with ethnobotanists to provide education about wild food and foraging in the communities she works with. Elena started as a traditional and ceremonial cook and is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. She is a wild game specialist and prefers open-fire, outdoor cooking; however she is also a trained chef and loves to challenge herself in executing multi-course, plated meals.
Below is an excerpt of the keynote speech Elena Terry gave at the 16th annual Chicago Food Justice Summit.
”From the seed savers, growers, foragers, hunters, producers or chefs. We all have a role that we connect with in the food system, Because one thing is universal, we are all consumers.
So, what can we do today to ensure THAT bean will continue to nourish our future? So that my grandchildren will one day grow that bean for their grandchildren and they’ll tell them stories of how this bean grew hope in their grandma’s spirit. That this bean came home to fulfill it’s destiny and sprout into a beautiful plant... that will continue to nourish us in this way that only this bean can, in a time when we truly need that nourishment and connection to our ancestors. To make intentional movement for future generations.
We have to think of the future, not just live in the moment. And we must remember the lessons of our ancestors in order to envision a better tomorrow.
RADICAL REIMAGINATION, what is it? Well, when I hear the term, I think of drawing inspiration from experiences... people... places… and knowledge. Then turning that inspiration into ideas; ideas that spark movement, ripples of forward motion that become permanent flows between space and time. RADICAL REIMAGINATION is the power to look beyond to the future while being mindful of the present. It’s about being intentful and able to see positive change. RADICAL REIMAGINATION starts with an individual spark and snowballs into movements, into theories of change that future generations will continue to benefit from. It’s about REIMAGINING the power of the individual and our ability to support each other across socio-ecomonic lines, race lines, or gender. It’s about breaking walls that segregate and barriers that divide. It’s about seizing the moment and realizing your place...in this moment. Knowing that the intentions you set in place today, can help change the world for tomorrow. So how does that relate to food security?
How can we be healthy if we’re hungry. How can we take control of our moment and decide that we CAN change the way we nourish ourselves. We hold the power to decide that the forward movement continues
Elena Terry
Founder/Exec Chef Wild Bearies”