Native flavor: 'Mystic Echos' combines Indigenous food with performance in Santa Fe

“Mystic Echos: A Sacred Feast of Flavors & Dance” is more than a dinner and a show — it is a journey into the rich past of the Native American spirit.

The immersive culinary experience features a menu created by James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Sherman in collaboration with Rick Goldberg, co-owner of The Mystic Santa Fe, where the event is held. Sherman is a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe and is an author, educator and activist. His mission is to revitalize Indigenous food systems and build awareness of the potential of Indigenous food to restore local economies and food sovereignty of Native people as well as reclaim and celebrate the culinary heritage of Indigenous communities around the world, according to an event news release.

Native flavor: 'Mystic Echos' combines Indigenous food with performance in Santa Fe

“We’ve become friends with Sean and Sean has gifted us with not just his recipes, but the education to take his recipes and make them our own and expand upon them,” Goldberg said. “We feel very fortunate to have a very good culinary staff and they’re taking his recipes and they’re infusing them with the Southwest feel and taste, and they’re just fantastic.”

Goldberg also worked together with his wife and co-owner of The Mystic Santa Fe, Amanda Tucker, to create the culinary and performance event.

“We really felt a lot of people come to Santa Fe because they believe that it’s a central place that is full of Native American culture and art and history, but I think it’s a little bit of a misnomer because if you go outside of (an event) like Indian Market, I feel like those experiences aren’t really available for the general public or for tourists,” Tucker said. “There’s nowhere to eat that would be considered Indigenous. There’s really no performances or experiences. It’s kind of just shopping.”

Mystic Echos takes place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. every Thursday through the end of October at The High Desert Hideaway at The Mystic Santa Fe, 2810 Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe. Eventgoers can opt for a meat entree, fish entree or a vegan/vegetarian choice. A children’s menu is also available.

The current menu offers a starter of either bison sliders or fresh fruit chutney on homemade ancient grains amaranth crackers followed by a black bean soup with whole beans, sweet potatoes and hominy.

The salad course is a 3-Sister salad with grilled corn, orange bell peppers, zucchini and beans.

Entree choices are grilled trout with sumac and sunflower wild rice pilaf with blueberry reduction, or braised turkey with cornmeal mash and acorn “moons,” or acorn squash with wild rice and purple sweet potatoes.

The dinner concludes with the dessert course of corn cookie with smoked tobacco ice cream and puffed wild rice.

Indigenous performance under the artistic direction of ShanDien Sonwai LaRance, a champion hoop dancer and instructor, will be intertwined into the dining experience. The LaRance family dance troupe has traveled around the country to showcase hoop dance and perform at powwows and festivals, according to the news release. LaRance joined Cirque du Soleil’s “TOTEM” at age 18. She toured with the company for eight years. When she is not touring, she spends time at home on the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in New Mexico teaching hoop dancing to youth.

“ShanDien is in charge and we’ve given her the ability to creatively do what she knows will serve in the best way,” Goldberg said. “What’s kind of nice is it won’t always be the same performer. So you might have powwow, eagle, hoop and pueblo dancing one night. You might have an Indigenous rap singer that does a 12-minute set along with hoop and buffalo dancing another night.

“It will always be a little bit different. The menu will also change from time to time too, adding new entrees and new dishes. We want to keep it evolving so that both locals and tourists alike, and of course, our friends down south in Albuquerque can come up and enjoy the experience.”