Chef Crystal Wahpepah, a registered member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, has long been a warrior for Indigenous food sovereignty. She is the creative tour de force behind the inventive, healthy, and delicious dishes served at her restaurant, Wahpepah’s Kitchen, in Oakland, California—the first Native woman-owned restaurant in Northern California.

Crystal understands the deep and powerful role that food holds in our lives and uses it as a bridge to connect others with Native issues that are important to her and Wahpepah’s Kitchen. By acknowledging the Indigenous inhabitants of the land upon which we currently live, she reasserts the legacy of Native foodways. Through this connection, Crystal is then able to educate others on the health benefits of Indigenous foods through the knowledge that has been passed to her.

Crystal has been inducted to the Native American Almanac for her work on behalf of indigenous food systems. She has appeared on Food Network’s Chopped and Beat Bobby Flay. She was named a finalist for the James Beard Award for Emerging Chef in 2022. Wahpepah’s Kitchen was the best new restaurant in the Bay Area in 2022. From 2025-2026, Crystal served as the chef-in-residence for the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab at Ca Cal Poly Humboldt. Crystal has cooked for the White House Hunger Conference with the James Beard Foundation and for the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences.