The Mitsitam Café Cookbook Recipes from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian

Since the 2004 opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, the museum's Mitsitam Cafe ( mitsitammeans "let's eat" in the Piscataway and Delaware languages) has become a destination in its own right. Featured on Rachael Ray's television show and praised by reviewers nationwide, the Mitsitam Cafecontinues to receive accolades from both critics and visitors. Drawing upon tribal culinary traditions from five regions--Northern Woodlands, Great Plains, North Pacific Coast, Mesoamerica, and South America--the cafe's offerings feature staples that were once unknown in the rest of the world in dishes such as: Squash Blossom Soup Cedar-Planked, Fire-Roasted Salmon Pulled Buffalo Sandwich with Chayote Slaw Corn and Tomato Stew Cranberry Crumble Replete with beautiful photographs of the finished dishes as well as objects and archival photographs from the museum's vast collections, The Mitsitam Cafe Cookbookshowcases the Americas' truly indigenous foods in ninety easy-to-follow, home-tested recipes. A 1995 graduate of the Baltimore International Culinary College, author Richard Hetzlerworked at several fine-dining restaurants in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore area before joining the food-service firm Restaurant Associates at the Smithsonian. Hetzler was on the team that researched and developed the groundbreaking concept for the Mitsitam Cafe: serving indigenous foods that are the staples of five Native culture areas in North and South America. As the executive chef of the cafe, he continues to create and refine seasonal menus that showcase the Americas' native bounty.

The kitchen of Richard Hetzler’s German American childhood home in Baltimore provided his earliest culinary inspiration. After working in restaurant kitchens in high school, Hetzler attended the Baltimore International Culinary College, graduating in 1995. He worked at several fine-dining restaurants in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area before joining the food-service firm Restaurant Associates, becoming the executive chef at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. In 2003, he was on the team that researched and developed the groundbreaking concept for the National Museum of the American Indian’s Mitsitam Cafe: serving indigenous foods that are the staples of five Native culture areas in North and South America. As the executive chef of the Mitsitam, which has become one of the country’s most popular museum restaurants, he has continued to create and refine seasonal menus that showcase the truly native bounty of the Americas.