Gatherings Cafe
Accessible Indigenous meals available in the heart of the American Indian Cultural Corridor
Gatherings Cafe is a full-service breakfast and lunch cafe that provides accessible, healthy, Indigenous food and knowledge to the community. It serves fresh, locally grown foods that are prepared using innovation mixed with ancestral knowledge. Many of the ingredients are sourced from Native businesses and producers.
Gatherings Cafe started in 2016 within the Minneapolis American Indian Center, a community center that provides essential services to the Twin Cities Native community. The cafe shut down normal operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the center’s historic renovation and expansion, but it continued providing meals to Elders and catering service. Gatherings Cafe resumed normal operations in June 2024 in a newly built kitchen and dining space within the center.
Hours
Monday: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Saturday: CLOSED
Sunday: CLOSED
Location
Gatherings Cafe is located in the Minneapolis American Indian Center
1530 East Franklin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Menu
Breakfast (8:00 a.m. - Noon)
Mains
The Ave – Egg Scramble, Wild Rice, Onion, Feta, Fresh Dill, Served with Wild Rice Toast – $10
The Good Way – Egg Scramble, Bison, Jalapeno, White Cheddar, Served with Wild Rice Toast- $15
Root Veggie Hash – Two Eggs Any Way, Roasted Red Pepper Aioli, Sweet Potato, Root Veggies, Poblano, Side of Wild Rice Toast – $14
Turkey Sausage +$2
Breakfast Burrito – Scrambled Eggs, Black Beans, Seared Queso Fresco, Fire Roasted Salsa, Side of Fruit and Wild Rice Toast – $10
Turkey Sausage +$2
The Corridor – Eggs, Hominy Cake, Black Beans, Side of Fruit and Wild Rice Toast – $10
Turkey Sausage +$2
Breakfast Sandwich – Fried Egg, Roasted Red Pepper Aioli, White Cheddar, Caramelized Pepper and Onion – $7
Turkey Sausage +$2
Cranberry French Toast – Two Slices, Maple Syrup – $8
Wojapi +$2
Pumpkin Wild Rice Pancakes – Two Cakes, Maple Syrup – $8
Wojapi +$2
Lunch (11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.)
Breakfast A La Carte
Two Eggs – $3
Wild Rice Toast – $4
Turkey Sausage – $4
Side Veggie Hash – $4
Wojapi – $2
Maple Syrup – $2
Drinks (served all day)
Coffee – $4
Cold Brew Coffee – $4
Selection of Iced or Hot Tea – $4
Headwaters Non-Alcoholic Seltzer – $5
Ginger Limeade – $6
Hibiscus and Maple Iced Tea – $5
Prickly Pear Lemonades – $6
Sandwiches
Served with Mixed Greens or Blue Corn Chips & Salsa. Upgrade Side +$3.
Bison Melt – Blueberry Horseradish Aioli, Smoked Gouda, Caramelized Peppers & Onions – $18
Fish Melt – Red Cliff White Fish, Red Pepper Aioli, Smoked Gouda, Caramelized Peppers & Onions – $15
Smoked Turkey Melt – Cranberry Aioli, Smoked Gouda, Caramelized Peppers & Onions – $15
Veggie Melt – Roasted Red Pepper Aioli, Grilled Mushroom, Squash, Caramelized Peppers & Onions, Smoked Gouda – $15
Tacos
Side of Mixed Greens of Blue Corn Chips & Salsa. Upgrade Side +$3.
Bison – Bison Chuck, Guajillo, Ancho, Lime Wedge – $12
Grilled Veggie – Marinated Mushroom, Zucchini, Butternut Squash, Lime Wedge – $8
Walleye – Blackened Cornmeal Red Lake Walleye, Cabbage Jalapeno Slaw, Roasted Red Pepper Aioli, Pickled Red Onions – $8
Salads
Turkey +$3
Beet Salad – Beets, Feta, Onion, Citrus Vinaigrette, Candied Seeds – $12
3 Sisters Kale Salad – Squash, Hominy, Beans, Maple Vinaigrette, Kale, Onion – $10
Seasonal Garden Salad – Rotating Seasonal Veggies, Maple Vinaigrette, Wild Rice Croutons – $8
Sides (served all day)
Watermelon Basil Salad – $6
Potato Salad – $6
Turkey Salad – $6
Greens – Seeds – $4
Fruit – $4
Blue Corn Chips & Salsa – $4
Catering
Gatherings Cafe is available to cater events hosted at the Minneapolis American Indian Center. Gatherings Cafe can provide healthy Indigenous treats and meals served buffet style.
Fill out the form below to inquire about having Gatherings Cafe cater your event. Please note that we ask for a minimum of three weeks’ notice for Gatherings Cafe catering. Please send any questions to catering@maicnet.org.
Education
As a mission-driven restaurant, the Gatherings Cafe team provides educational opportunities to learn the culture and practices used by our ancestors.
The cafe hosts food demonstrations, either in person or online, to share the history of these foods and teach attendees how to forage and create recipes at home. The demonstrations are often done in partnership with other Minneapolis American Indian Center programs, such as Culture Language Arts Network and Native Fitness and Nutrition.
Meet Executive Chef Vernon DeFoe
Vernon DeFoe (Red Cliff Anishinaabe) has more than 20 years of restaurant experience. He was one of the first hired staff at The Sioux Chef and has been part of the growing Indigenous food sovereignty movement in Minneapolis for the past decade. He most recently led community outreach efforts at the Indigenous Food Lab before becoming Gathering Cafe’s executive chef in October 2023. Vernon joined Gatherings Cafe while the cafe space was undergoing a major expansion, and the team was only catering and serving meals to Elders. Under Vernon’s leadership, the cafe expanded its staff, kitchen, dining space, and capacity, allowing it to serve healthy, accessible, Indigenous meals to more people.
Vernon enjoys learning the history and culture around food and sharing that knowledge with the community. He often leads food demonstrations that equip community members with the tools and knowledge to gather ingredients and make recipes at home.
In his free time, Vernon enjoys hiking, foraging, wildlife, botany, and geology. He’s a bass guitarist and has been part of the Minneapolis metal and punk scene for more than two decades.
Staff
Vernon DeFoe
Red Cliff Anishinaabe
Executive Chef
vdefoe@maicnet.org
Sydney Ockenga
Flandreau Santee descendant
Gatherings Cafe Manager
sockenga@maicnet.org
Natalie Rademacher
Grand Portage descendant
Communications Coordinator
nrademacher@maicnet.org
