DENVER— November is Native American Heritage Month, and Denver7 wanted to highlight a Native business in Denver that has quickly become a foodie favorite.
Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery was co-founded by Ben Jacobs in 2008, bringing recipes from Jacobs’ Osage Nation background to his hometown of Denver.
“We've really had a really strong following from just the Denver community, the Denver foodie community, and the people just want to go out and have good cuisine,” said Jacobs. “I think the broader Denver community has loved what we've done. It shows. They’ve helped support us for 16 years.”
A few things have changed in those 16 years, including the specific ingredients being served at the small fast-casual restaurant in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood. They have branched out from strictly Osage ingredients to those found in many different Native communities.
“It's not just my identity or my idea of what Native community is. It's all of ours,” said Jacobs. “We wanted to create a space where Native families could come in, individuals could come and sit down and feel like this is my place. This is somewhere where I can feel comfortable and safe to eat my food, to share my identity.”
The Tocabe experience is similar to many other fast-casual restaurants. Customers choose what they want at the counter, and tell the employees which toppings to add to their plate. The main plates are either an Indian Taco, Melting Pot Salad, Stuffed Fry Bread, or Medicine Wheel Nachos. Then, a protein such as braised, shredded bison or grilled chicken can be added. To top it off, customers can add items such as Osage hominy or roasted green chilies.
“We want people to see the food, smell the food, and ask questions about it,” said Jacobs. “It's all designed to choose your own adventure, from Indigenous grain bowls to Indian taco stuffed fry breads.”
Like many other small restaurants, COVID-19 was a struggle for Tocabe. To stay in business, they had to adapt. They ended up creating an online resource called Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace, which sources Native foods from across the country and can deliver directly to consumers across the contiguous United States.
The marketplace has become a staple of Tocabe’s business model, and Jacobs was able to take something positive out of the pandemic.
“It actually created a new sense of creativity, and it showed we still had that real entrepreneurial spirit of like, alright, let's problem solve,” said Jacobs. “Let's figure this out. It's not going to end today. People need to eat tomorrow and beyond. Let's find the solution. Let's make sure that we build on our food system and then create sustainable, meaningful adaptations for the future.”
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