Our Knives Will Save Us

“A necessary corrective to the cultural erasure of First Nations foodways.” —Literary Hub

“Through conversational, intimate prose, Craig invites readers to explore both his own history and that of his people. These parallel stories include immense challenges and hardships, but—as he establishes early in the book and consistently reminds us—strength and beauty run right alongside. He battles addiction for most of the memoir, attaining fleeting success as a chef only to relapse again and again. Readers will hear the older version of Craig speaking to his younger self with a voice full of compassion, even when it scolds. Craig asks us to interrogate systems of oppression while simultaneously appreciating Native foodways, and the food in his book takes on symbolic meanings beyond the culinary. Like land and people, food has been stolen, appropriated and destroyed. Recovery takes concerted effort and time, as Craig eloquently shows, but even as he relapses, food is always there, both as a reminder of his past and a promise of the future he could have . . . Craig’s story stretches beyond itself. Our Knives Will Save Us is a story of recovery and resilience, but even more, it is a testament to seeking out and protecting the people and things worth saving.” —BookPage, starred review

“A White Mountain Apache chef looks back at his career and longtime substance abuse . . . What rescues Craig is not willpower alone but a deepening relationship with Indigenous cultivars. Working with acorns, amaranth, and wild tea becomes both culinary practice and spiritual discipline. The book weaves personal recovery into the broader history of colonial food violence, like the destruction of Native crops and the starvation of Plains nations. Craig’s voice is appealing and unsentimental; he writes candidly about his own self-destructive behaviors. A chef’s story, a community history, and an argument for reclaiming Indigenous foodways.” —Kirkus

“In this affecting debut memoir, Craig extols the culinary heritage of his ancestors and discusses how cooking supported his sobriety . . . It’s a poignant ode to reclaiming one’s culture.” —Publishers Weekly

“Our Knives Will Save Us shines with Craig’s admiration for Native people as he carves out a place for himself in the world of haute cuisine without sacrificing his connection with his heritage and community.” —Booklist

“Chef Nephi Craig has been speaking truth about Indigenous food, identity, and healing long before the wider world caught up. Hearing him years ago helped focus my own journey toward what became my work with The Sioux Chef, NATIFS, and Owamni. His memoir Our Knives Will Save Us is exactly the book the Indigenous food movement has needed: raw, rooted, and told with the quiet compassion of someone who has walked the path and shown us all that the real work begins with healing ourselves before we can heal others.” —Sean Sherman, national bestselling author of Turtle Island, Oglala Lakota, and founder of NATIFS and The Sioux Chef

“Our Knives Will Save Us is a revelation—a profound exploration of how food can nourish not only our bodies but also our souls. Nephi’s expertise in addiction recovery and his deep understanding of Indigenous food practices converge to offer a groundbreaking approach to using food as a tool for recovery and healing. Our Knives Will Save Us illuminates the deep connections between nourishment, self-discovery, and well-being, providing invaluable insights into the potential of food to restore and revitalize every aspect of our lives.” —Daphne Miller, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Farmacology and The Jungle Effect, physician and professor of family medicine at the University of California, San Francisco

“Our Knives Will Save Us is a powerful and true full circle story of a chef, educator, and friend. Through pain, lost culture, reconnection, and passion Nephi Craig walks you through his often treacherous path, which evolved from a culinary pursuit to a life of incredible purpose and mentorship.” —Kyle Connaughton, chef-owner of SingleThread farm, restaurant, and inn

“Nephi Craig’s memoir is exceptional: beautifully crafted, compelling, and courageous. It is a powerful testament to how saving a food culture can, in turn, save a life.” —Michael Shaikh, human rights activist and author of The Last Sweet Bite

“A visionary blend of Indigenous food, culture, and decolonization, Our Knives Will Save Us traces Craig’s deeply personal journey while offering a grounded history of the White Mountain Apache and Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island. Guided by mentors, parents, elders, and chefs, Craig confronts settler culinary colonialism and the erasure of Native food knowledge. His return to Indigenous traditions is inspirational and profound. This is one of the most important and powerful books about recovery, decolonization, and resurgence that I have read.” —Dr. Michael Yellow Bird, professor and former dean of social work at the University of Manitoba, Arikara, co-author of Sahnish (Arikara) Ethnobotany and Decolonizing Pathways Towards Integrative Healing in Social Work, and the creator of neurodecolonization theory