Experience Colorado’s Native American culture one bite at a time in Tocabe

DENVER – Tocabe has been serving Native American cuisine since 2008, but the recipes and ingredients have been passed down from generation to generation.

The only American Indian owned and operated restaurant in Metro Denver, Tocabé combines traditional recipes from the Osage family with elements of modern Native American cuisine. The co-owners, Matt Chandra and Ben Jacobs, both Osage Indians, use their Native American roots to help educate people about Native culture.

“There is a people behind every ingredient in the world. Much of the foods you see in the produce section have native and native roots, ”says Jacobs.

At Tocabe, they believe that every meal should tell a story of Native American culture. For them, this means working closely with various Indigenous communities to source the ingredients they use.

“We have a philosophy that we follow, or some kind of mantra, it’s ‘Native first, local next,’” says Jacobs. “It is our job and our duty and our obligation to support indigenous food production. Where a lot of restaurants are local, local, local first which is great and we believe in that too, we think it’s important to buy from native food producers first.

Experience Colorado’s Native American culture one bite at a time in Tocabe