Rooted in Fire: Cooking, Culture, and Community with Chef Pyet DeSpain
Wed Jan 28 2026
Chef Pyet DeSpain made history as the first-ever winner of Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef, where she showcased her Mexican lineage and her cultural heritage as a proud member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
Today, she continues to honor and preserve Indigenous foodways through her cooking and storytelling, including her PBS food-streaming series, Spirit Plate. Her debut cookbook, Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native and Mexican Cooking, reflects that same deep connection to land, culture, and community.
In this episode, we chat about how family and community shaped her approach to cooking, the importance of keeping Indigenous food traditions alive, foraging and seasonal cooking, and how food can spark meaningful conversation and connection at the table.
Learn more about Pyet at pyetsplate.com and follow her on Instagram @chefpyet.
Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/rooted-in-fire-chef-pyet-despain
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Chef Pyet DeSpain made history as the first-ever winner of Gordon Ramsay’s Next Level Chef, where she showcased her Mexican lineage and her cultural heritage as a proud member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Today, she continues to honor and preserve Indigenous foodways through her cooking and storytelling, including her PBS food-streaming series, Spirit Plate. Her debut cookbook, Rooted in Fire: A Celebration of Native and Mexican Cooking, reflects that same deep connection to land, culture, and community. In this episode, we chat about how family and community shaped her approach to cooking, the importance of keeping Indigenous food traditions alive, foraging and seasonal cooking, and how food can spark meaningful conversation and connection at the table. Learn more about Pyet at pyetsplate.com and follow her on Instagram @chefpyet. Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/rooted-in-fire-chef-pyet-despain