Denver EATSS

2025

Friday, April 11th and
Saturday, April 12th

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Combo EATSS + Concert Tickets

EATSS ONLY TICKETS

Sponsorships Available

About Sponsorships Benefits (PDF)

You are welcome to attend the full Combo EATSS + Concert experience, or choose either portion on its own – whether it’s the culinary and artisan showcase at EATSS, or the concert with Nathaniel Rateliff and the Colorado Symphony & Raye Zaragoza. No matter which option you choose, every ticket supports Native students and their futures.

TALENT

CHEFS

ARTISTS

VENUE

About EATSS

Join us for a night of celebration – a unique and captivating experience featuring the best of indigenous food, art, discussion, and entertainment.

Originally home to more than 10 nations, Colorado is steeped in American Indian roots. The American Indian College Fund, headquartered right here in Denver, Colorado, is excited to announce the return of its Denver EATSS event for two nights at Boettcher Concert Hall, in partnership with the Colorado Symphony and Nathaniel Rateliff, on April 11th, and 12th, 2025.

This unforgettable evening promises a fully immersive experience of Indigenous cuisine, art, and music, bringing together the traditions and diversity of Native culture in celebration of the College Fund’s mission to support Native scholars. EATSS offers a unique opportunity to support the College Fund’s work in transforming the lives of Native students through higher education.

Join us for your choice of two nights, to raise awareness and support for Native scholars and communities, and take an active role in fostering the next generation of Indigenous leaders through higher education.

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EATSS ONLY TICKETS

COMBO EATSS + CONCERT TICKETS

Sponsorships Available

Learn More About Sponsorships Benefits (PDF)

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The Studio Loft, top floor of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 1385 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80204

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Boettcher Concert Hall 1000 14th St, Denver, CO 80202

RATELIFF SINGS RATELIFF WITH THE COLORADO SYMPHONY

Nathaniel Rateliff joins the Colorado Symphony for a special homecoming celebration to benefit the American Indian College Fund. Nathaniel Rateliff founded The Marigold Project, a foundation dedicated to tackling issues relating to income inequality and social justice, and has been a supporter of the College Fund since 2019. An ally and friend to Native communities, he’s released special pressings with proceeds going to the StrongerHearts Native Helpline, providing support to Native communities dealing with domestic and sexual violence.

The Colorado Symphony is one of the leading orchestras in the United States, the Colorado Symphony Association is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization performing more than 150 concerts annually at Boettcher Concert Hall in downtown Denver and across Colorado. The Colorado Symphony partners with the state’s leading musical artists, cultural organizations, corporations, foundations, sports teams, and individuals to expose diverse audiences to the transformative power of music.

As a friend and ally to Native communities, we hope you join us as they provide the soundtrack to our special evening lifting the stories and voices of Native students.

With Special Guest Opener: Raye Zaragoza!

We are honored to have Raye Zaragoza opening the evening, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, who challenges traditional expectations placed on women as they get older. Her album Hold That Spirit explores themes of self-investment, joy, and the female experience. The album’s feminist undercurrent is evident in songs like “Strong Woman,” which celebrates female strength, and “Not A Monster,” which candidly addresses Zaragoza’s personal struggles. She collaborated exclusively with female artists on the album, aiming to create a communal, emotionally safe space to process a breakup and make honest art about her life.

Zaragoza also hopes to provide visibility for Indigenous artists and foster a sense of community through her music. In addition to her music, Zaragoza is a songwriter for Netflix’s animated children’s series Spirit Rangers and has just finished touring nationally in the reimagined Broadway production of Peter Pan, bringing representation and a fresh perspective to the classic story.”

Raye says, “Indigenous artists aren’t played on the radio or given space in mainstream publications enough, so I do what I can to be as proud as I can and pave the way for other artists too.”

HOW TO PURCHASE YOUR COMBO EATSS + CONCERT TICKETS

Visit tickets.coloradosymphony.org/7349 and find the Choose Your Own Seat seating map

Find available seats in Orchestra 3 and Mezzanine 6

Select the number of seats you wish to purchase, click ADD TO CART, and check out with tickets labeled as “Standard + Denver EATSS”

Featured Chefs

Community, Food, and Artistry Intertwined

Immerse yourself in millennia of Native cooking traditions, and indulge your tastebuds with a full-course meal from the best Native chefs in the country – including a few Denver locals!

Chef Andrea Condes

ANDEAN CHEF

My name is Andrea Condes and I am an Andean chef. Born in Venezuela and adopted from an orphanage, I spent 29 years in the US disconnected from my Indigenous culture. In 2015, I started to reconnect to Native Indigenous cultures through food. I visited and spoke with knowledge keepers within Oneida Nation and left with new relatives who included this orphan in their community. I have had similar experiences all over Native Country, always finding myself in community and with relatives who see me. I listen wherever I go and am entrusted to keep stories and knowledge alive.

As an entrepreneur, I translate my experiences into food menus, educational workshops and speeches on a mission to keep traditional stories and knowledge alive without a colonial lens. Four Directions Cuisine is in its eighth year of business in Colorado and continuing to grow and make an impact in both local and national communities. The four main pillars of this business are sourcing locally, sourcing Indigenously, education and community work.

Chef Paul Natrall

SQUAMISH NATION

Vancouver’s first Indigenous food truck, Mr. Bannock, launched in 2018, led by award winning executive chef Paul Natrall from the Squamish Nation in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

Chef Natrall takes pride and joy in sharing fusion Indigenous cuisine, using traditional ingredients from the Squamish Nation such as juniper berries, smoked wild salmon and meats.

Chef Natrall also utilizes ancient cooking methods such as clay baking and stone baking to create an authentic experience steeped in tradition.

Chef Ben Jacobs

OSAGE NATION

Chef Ben is a nationally renowned chef and the co-founder of Tocabe, An American Indian Eatery, now with two restaurant locations and a food truck in Denver, making it the country’s largest Native American restaurant chain.

Tocabe expands on Jacobs’s Osage family recipes to create a new and unique take on Native cuisine. He works to support Native American food professionals and communities by using Native-made and sourced ingredients whenever possible. Tocabe has been recognized by the Food Network, Food&Wine magazine, The New York Times, The Atlantic magazine, and many other national media outlets.

Chef Sherry Pocknett

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

Chef Sherry Pocknett is an indigenous chef and educator, specializing in the bounty of the season, Native American indigenous food and New England cooking.

Wampanoag chef and entrepreneur Sherry Pocknett was born and raised in Mashpee, Massachusetts, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. Sherry credits her love and passion for food and educating to her parents, Bernadine, who comes from a long line of indigenous chefs, and Vernon, who taught her how to hunt, fish, forage, and barter. Both parents believed in tradition and traditional life-ways as Wampanoag people throughout the bounty of the season.

Tribal member Sherry Pocknett made history on June 5th as the first Indigenous woman to win a James Beard Award, taking home the prestigious award for Best Chef Northeast.

Proudly supporting students of Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)

Included in the evening is an art exhibit and sale showcasing extremely talented and emerging Native student artists from the globally recognized Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), one of the 34 tribal colleges and universities our mission represents and supports.

These artists carry forward their beautiful ancestral traditions while infusing it with their own techniques and perspectives. Your support lifts them financially and elevates their voices and art forms.

100% of the proceeds from their art sales go directly back to the artists to support them in their pursuit of higher education.

This is a unique experience were you can ask questions about Native art and culture, learn more about our student experiences, and even take a little piece of this culture home with you.

Join us at the RENOWNED Denver Performing Arts Complex

The site of the Arts Complex has a long and noteworthy history as a cultural and civic center for metropolitan Denver, the state of Colorado, and the entire Rocky Mountain region. Owned and Operated by Denver Arts & Venues, the campus continues to serve as a vibrant cultural hub and gathering place for our community today.

It’s home to four esteemed performing arts institutions – Colorado Ballet, Colorado Symphony, Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Opera Colorado – and plays a welcoming host to many national acts and local groups, festivals, conferences, public events and more.

Denver Center for the Performing Arts