Chef Crystal Wahpepah brings Indigenous food traditions to life at First Americans Museum

For chef Crystal Wahpepah, food has always been about more than what is on the plate. It is a connection to family, culture and the land, one she has carried with her since childhood. 

Now, as a consulting chef at 39, the restaurant inside Oklahoma City's First Americans Museum, Wahpepah is helping bring those connections to the table through a menu that celebrates Indigenous ingredients, traditions and food producers. 

A member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma, Wahpepah grew up between Oklahoma and California, where she began cooking with Native ingredients at age 7. Her culinary journey took on greater meaning as family members passed away, leaving her with recipes handed down by her grandmother. 

An opportunity to cater for Native Health in Oakland, California, helped turn that knowledge into a career. Through the experience, she began to recognize how deeply people valued reconnecting with their culture through food. 

Today, Wahpepah has built a nationally recognized career centered on Indigenous cuisine, and her work at 39 offers an opportunity to share those traditions in a place with personal significance. 

"I always find it such a huge honor," Wahpepah said of being approached about the consulting role. "Me being an Indigenous chef and then, of course, my tribe is here. Wow, what other way to showcase and highlight when it comes into Native food, especially from Oklahoma." 

Bringing Indigenous traditions to the table 

At 39, Wahpepah works alongside executive chef Ben Hutton to develop menus that highlight Indigenous ingredients and reflect the changing seasons. 

The two are currently developing the restaurant's fall menu, building on their initial collaboration while incorporating Wahpepah's approach to seasonal cooking. 

"This is where I do a lot of teaching when it comes into moving and eating in season," she said. 

For Wahpepah, that means paying attention to what the land provides throughout the year and recognizing the cultural significance of those ingredients. 

One example is the Three Sisters, the traditional agricultural pairing of corn, beans and squash. Each ingredient holds meaning beyond its nutritional value. 

Wahpepah described squash as representing a mother's belly, while beans symbolize strength. Corn, harvested and dried in the fall, provides nourishment through the colder months. 

The restaurant incorporates all three ingredients into a vegetable bowl, offering diners an opportunity to experience traditional foods through a contemporary presentation. 

Wahpepah hopes guests discover the variety and vibrancy of Indigenous cuisine, including dishes and ingredients they might not encounter at other restaurants. 

"I'm hoping they would come and see how vibrant and beautiful ... Native American foods [are], especially here from Oklahoma," she said. 

Connecting food to the land 

Working with Indigenous farmers and food producers is central to Wahpepah's culinary philosophy. 

She considers those relationships essential to understanding what ingredients are available and how the restaurant can reflect the region's agricultural traditions. 

At 39, that connection extends from the restaurant's ingredients to the surrounding landscape. 

During the interview, Wahpepah pointed to a nearby garden that remained green well into October. Jalapeños and bell peppers had recently been harvested, providing a visible reminder of the relationship between the land and the food served at the restaurant. 

For Wahpepah, the garden also illustrates a philosophy that has guided much of her career: food is medicine. 

"I look at, for instance, this garden right behind us, that's medicine," she said. "It's more of the connection to the soil and to the land and what is in season." 

She connects that philosophy to Indigenous food sovereignty, which emphasizes the ability of Native communities to maintain control over their traditional food systems and practices. 

Wahpepah also shares her knowledge through teaching, including work with pre-medical students at Cal Poly Humboldt on the medicinal aspects of Indigenous foods. 

At 39, those principles influence how ingredients are selected, how dishes are prepared and how the restaurant supports Native producers. 

Guests ordering steak, for example, can enjoy beef sourced from an Oklahoma tribal producer. 

The goal is not simply to introduce unfamiliar ingredients, but to help diners understand the people, places and traditions behind their meals. 

A dining experience rooted in culture 

Located inside First Americans Museum, 39 offers a dining experience that complements the museum's broader mission of sharing the histories and cultures of Oklahoma's tribal nations. 

For Wahpepah, that setting is part of what makes the restaurant distinctive. 

She particularly appreciates the opportunity for visitors to experience the museum's art and exhibits before sitting down to a meal that reflects the culinary traditions represented throughout the building. 

"I love the art," she said. "You can come in, you can see the First Americans, you can go take a whole look." 

The restaurant brings another dimension to that experience, connecting the history of Indigenous foods with the ways those traditions continue to evolve. 

Wahpepah sees 39 as an important addition to Oklahoma City's culinary landscape, offering something different from other dining experiences while creating opportunities to showcase Native food producers. 

"Of course, it represents the tribe and the people, but then also it really highlights and showcases Native foods," she said. 

She describes the restaurant as something of a hidden gem, encouraging residents and visitors to explore its menu and the connections each dish offers to Oklahoma's land and Indigenous communities. 

Inspiring the next generation 

While Wahpepah's work focuses on preserving culinary knowledge and sharing Indigenous food traditions with diners today, she is equally interested in what that visibility could mean for future generations. 

Growing up, she rarely saw Native restaurants. She hopes that will be different for young Indigenous people today. 

"I grew up not seeing Native restaurants," she said. 

Having a restaurant like 39 in Oklahoma City gives young people an opportunity to see Indigenous cuisine represented in a professional dining environment and to imagine themselves pursuing similar careers. 

For Wahpepah, that representation is an important part of the restaurant's purpose. 

"This is what I want to see the next generation and the youth where they can say, 'Ooh, I know where a Native restaurant is.'" 

Through her work at 39, Wahpepah is helping create that visibility, connecting generations of culinary knowledge with new audiences and ensuring Indigenous food traditions continue to have a place at the table.