Culinary Programs/Education

Mark Lewis, “Chmachyakyakya Kurikuri:  8000-year Crops:  Ancient-Future Foods Remembered”

Ancient-Future Foods Remembered

Mark Lewis, “Chmachyakyakya Kurikuri:  8000-year Crops:  Ancient-Future Foods Remembered” AND “Cactus Calls the Rain (A’atatchkwivok’nytar):  The Foragers’ Club” AND “The Farm” (in Phoenix) AND “Arizona Native Foods” (in Camp Verde), 480.261.3730, manujib@yahoo.com 

 My name is Mark Lewis, and I assist and teach the what, where, when, and how of growing, foraging, preparing, pairing, and plating the 2500 ingredients from the plants and fungi native to the deserts, forests, and mountains of the southwest.  I offer sponsorship opportunities, training, and curricula at a variety of levels to chefs and mixologists, traditional and home cooks, schools, nutritionists, horticulturists, and gardeners. 

In classes, hands-on cooking demos, lectures, walk and talks, and foraging forays – both part-day and overnight trips – I help prepare chefs and bartenders to incorporate seasonal, sustainably and ethically sourced, authentic, local, and native Arizona plants and mushrooms into their menus and presentations for Devoured and other food festivals, James Beard and other industry dinners, cooking competitions, wine dinners, special events and conferences, as well as their own restaurants’ daily service. 

With an extensive background in economic botany, Western botanical and horticultural knowledge, and years of teaching at university and family TEK experience, I am able to provide Watson-like deep knowledge about ingredient chemistry, flavor, and nutrition, comparability and substitution, and pairing. 

Horticulturists learn about plant identification and families, native agronomy techniques, guilds and companion planting, and native permaculture methods.  I perform plant surveys and inventories. 

Sponsorships enable me to promote your business, mission, brand visibility, and recognition at the regional conferences (for example, MAD 300 food industry professionals, Superior Prickly Pear Festival 1500 participants, Valley weekly farmers markets 6000 customers) I am invited to speak at and participate in, as well as during media coverage. 

Mark Lewis, “Chmachyakyakya Kurikuri:  8000-year Crops:  Ancient-Future Foods Remembered” AND “Cactus Calls the Rain (A’atatchkwivok’nytar):  The Foragers’ Club” AND “The Farm” (in Phoenix) AND “Arizona Native Foods” (in Camp Verde), 480.261.3730, manujib@yahoo.com 

Kvtarvpnyvtark./What you save now later will save you.