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Our Knives Will Save Us: Dispatches from a White Mountain Apache Chef
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26From Indigenous chef Nephi Craig, a searing personal and cultural reckoning about the power of food to heal intergenerational wounds
When Nephi Craig enrolled in the culinary program at Scottsdale Community College, it was out of necessity after a felony arrest led to a judge’s work or prison. Expecting little more than a means to an end, he quickly discovered a talent and passion for cooking. He also experienced a profound dissonance as the only Indigenous person in the kitchen, preparing European recipes that—disguised by their French and Italian names—relied on ingredients native to the Americas. This experience, along with his roaming childhood on the White Mountain Apache and Navajo reservations, led him to trace the buried histories of Indigenous cultivars such as tomato, cacao, and amaranth, each one a portal into possibility as well as a marker of the violent legacy of colonization. Craig’s mission to build Indigenous food sovereignty and to showcase Native peoples’ rich cuisines led him around the world, from top fine-dining restaurants in the United States to high-profile banquets in Brazil, England, Germany, and Japan. All the while, though, Craig wrestled with addiction, entering one treatment center after another in the hopes that he could get—and remain—sober.
In the heat, frenzy, and collaborative energy of restaurant kitchens, Craig found a lifeline. But when he was faced with the difficult decision of choosing between a career-defining executive chef job and an opportunity to serve his community back on the Rez, he realized his true vocation. Interweaving personal reflection with searing cultural insight, Craig lays bare the ongoing traumas wrought by colonial violence as well as the power in claiming our own ancestral intelligence. His book offers a vision of one where food is decolonized, history is honored, and healing is possible.
When Nephi Craig enrolled in the culinary program at Scottsdale Community College, it was out of necessity after a felony arrest led to a judge’s work or prison. Expecting little more than a means to an end, he quickly discovered a talent and passion for cooking. He also experienced a profound dissonance as the only Indigenous person in the kitchen, preparing European recipes that—disguised by their French and Italian names—relied on ingredients native to the Americas. This experience, along with his roaming childhood on the White Mountain Apache and Navajo reservations, led him to trace the buried histories of Indigenous cultivars such as tomato, cacao, and amaranth, each one a portal into possibility as well as a marker of the violent legacy of colonization. Craig’s mission to build Indigenous food sovereignty and to showcase Native peoples’ rich cuisines led him around the world, from top fine-dining restaurants in the United States to high-profile banquets in Brazil, England, Germany, and Japan. All the while, though, Craig wrestled with addiction, entering one treatment center after another in the hopes that he could get—and remain—sober.
In the heat, frenzy, and collaborative energy of restaurant kitchens, Craig found a lifeline. But when he was faced with the difficult decision of choosing between a career-defining executive chef job and an opportunity to serve his community back on the Rez, he realized his true vocation. Interweaving personal reflection with searing cultural insight, Craig lays bare the ongoing traumas wrought by colonial violence as well as the power in claiming our own ancestral intelligence. His book offers a vision of one where food is decolonized, history is honored, and healing is possible.
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This made me stop and take a minute and start looking at ingredients in meals and where they come from/represent. A good story on addiction and how cooking and a passion led to recovery and growth. I’m really glad multiple people never gave up and always tried to extend a hand when the author kept making mistakes. It just goes to show there are still great people in this world. I also really enjoyed the perseverance of the author continuing to send in applications to Mary Elanies over and over. It shows if you really want something keep working even if you fail you might not the next time. Even though things were rough for Nephi, I’m glad he got the opportunity to go to Brazil and meet Yone and all the other special people who shaped him along the way. So many life changing events and Nephi kept going. Such a special thing. I’m so glad Cafè Gozhóó was able to open and create the safe place it did for Nephi, People on the Rez, Addicts, and more.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
(Note I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)
Besides covering his own triumphs and tragedies, Nephi Craig takes on decolonization, addiction and recovery, and mental health (amongst other issues ) and their deep entanglement with one another. And the way they’re all discussed inside the context of Craig’s own life, this leads to quite the genuinely informative experience given the complexity of these subjects and the way that they’re often presented to us in the abstract. Also, combined with all that Craig imparts about indigenous food traditions, Our Knives Will Save Us is one of those works that ends up being an extremely effective mini-educations packed within a single book. And besides providing a bounty for the mind, this unhesitantly honest memoir also provides an abundance for the spirit as well, and at least in my case has provided plenty for me to reflect deeply upon in the immediate aftermath. On top of that, as someone who has faced my own mental and emotional health trials, I am always deeply appreciative when someone out there is so willing to openly share their challenges.
Like the indigenous-inspired dishes that Craig develops and serves in his community, there’s a straightforward simplicity here that’s also deep and multileveled in its richness. So far, this is definitely my most memorable memoir read of 2026, and one that I’ll be eagerly recommending to others in the immediate future.
Besides covering his own triumphs and tragedies, Nephi Craig takes on decolonization, addiction and recovery, and mental health (amongst other issues ) and their deep entanglement with one another. And the way they’re all discussed inside the context of Craig’s own life, this leads to quite the genuinely informative experience given the complexity of these subjects and the way that they’re often presented to us in the abstract. Also, combined with all that Craig imparts about indigenous food traditions, Our Knives Will Save Us is one of those works that ends up being an extremely effective mini-educations packed within a single book. And besides providing a bounty for the mind, this unhesitantly honest memoir also provides an abundance for the spirit as well, and at least in my case has provided plenty for me to reflect deeply upon in the immediate aftermath. On top of that, as someone who has faced my own mental and emotional health trials, I am always deeply appreciative when someone out there is so willing to openly share their challenges.
Like the indigenous-inspired dishes that Craig develops and serves in his community, there’s a straightforward simplicity here that’s also deep and multileveled in its richness. So far, this is definitely my most memorable memoir read of 2026, and one that I’ll be eagerly recommending to others in the immediate future.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC via Netgalley. This is not at all my usual type of book, but I really enjoyed the way Craig combined information about food and cooking with his life story. I thought the book was incredibly well structured! Everything flowed very well and the way you finally catch back up with the what happened in the prologue pulls it all together. My nitpicks I think really are down to the fact that I don't normally read memoir; I found it a little off-putting that none of the historical or scientific statements have citations and whole conversations are reported word for word when there's no way anyone would be able to remember that kind of detail years later. It's very much a memoir of addiction and recovery which means that you're tagging along on a very frustrating ride of someone repeatedly making terrible decisions, but you know that from the jump! It was a really eye-opening read about both the world of high-end cuisine and life on a reservation, neither of which I knew anything about.
June 10, 2026
Thank you to Penguin Random House for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
4.5/5
To start, I really enjoyed this book. The writing feels conversational and I would be very interested in listening to an audiobook version. Anyone who is interested in generational trauma or food, this book is for you. I happen to love both.
Craig describes the relationships between colonialism, generational trauma, and food. I got curious about indigenous foods after trying paw paw for the first time last year. Craig highlights the American foods that you will never see in a grocery store, but grow so close to us. Some of the reflections feel a little clunky but he succeeded in increasing my interest in native foods and foraging.
4.5/5
To start, I really enjoyed this book. The writing feels conversational and I would be very interested in listening to an audiobook version. Anyone who is interested in generational trauma or food, this book is for you. I happen to love both.
Craig describes the relationships between colonialism, generational trauma, and food. I got curious about indigenous foods after trying paw paw for the first time last year. Craig highlights the American foods that you will never see in a grocery store, but grow so close to us. Some of the reflections feel a little clunky but he succeeded in increasing my interest in native foods and foraging.
May 26, 2026
Thanks to The Penguin Press and Net Galley for a copy of this ARC
Our Knives Will Save Us is a raw biography that will leave you hungry for the delicious food described within and hopeful for the future that Craig has strived for.
It’s an honest and bruising look at the damage addiction causes while also examining the cultural roots that contribute to it.
This book had me googling how far away
Café Gozhóó is.
Our Knives Will Save Us is a raw biography that will leave you hungry for the delicious food described within and hopeful for the future that Craig has strived for.
It’s an honest and bruising look at the damage addiction causes while also examining the cultural roots that contribute to it.
This book had me googling how far away
Café Gozhóó is.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book is a fascinating mix -- food, family history, and memoir mixed together, laced with insights about how the treatment of Native people in the US also impacts their food history.
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June 1, 20264 stars; review to come July 2026
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews