A Santa Fe, New Mexico based Native American Chef, Native American foods historian, culinary anthropologist, author and photographer, Lois Ellen Frank's first career experiences were as a professional cook and organic gardener. Ms. Frank has spent over 20 years documenting the foods and life ways of Native American communities throughout the Southwest writing and photographing many articles and papers on the topic. This lengthy immersion in Native American communities culminated in her book, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations, which won the James Beard Award upon its release. Lois is an adjunct professor at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), a four-year college in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she teaches Native American students about the Anthropology of Food. She is a featured cooking instructor focusing on Native American Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, and the chef/owner, along with Native Chef Walter Whitewater of the Diné Nation, of Red Mesa Cuisine. Red Mesa is a Santa Fe catering company that features Native American, local and sustainably sourced foods for events with wild ingredients that are hand gathered from Native American nations all over the United States and made into seasonal menus for any palette while also educating clients about ancestral Native American foods with a modern twist. Ms. Frank received her Masters degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of New Mexico where she focused on the importance of corn as a common thread to all Indigenous nations throughout the Americas. She is completing her PhD dissertation in Culinary Anthropology entitled: The Discourse and Practice of Native American Cuisine, Native and Non-Native Chefs in Contemporary Kitchens, which she is planning to publish as her next book, tentatively entitled, "The Turquoise Plate". Ms. Frank has worked with world-renowned chefs, scientists and academicians and published numerous culinary posters and cookbooks. She has been the photographer on many cookbooks, including The Great Chile Book by Mark Miller, The Indian Market Cookbook-Recipes from Santas Fe's Coyote Cafe by Mark Miller, Roy's Feast from Hawaii by Roy Yamaguchi, The Cuisine of Huber Keller by Hubert Keller and John Harrisson, Rittenhouse Cookbook by Jim Coleman, Tamalesby Mark Miller, Stephan Pyles, and John Sedlar, Salsas and Tacos: Santa Fe School of Cooking by Susan Curtis, Blended Beauty: Botanical Secrets for Body and Soul by Philip B, Elizabeth Berry's Great Bean Book by Florence Fabricant, The Great Sunflower Book by Barbar Jeanne Flores, and The Great Exotic Fruit Book by Norman Van Aken to name a few.To learn more about Red Mesa Cuisine, visit www.redmesacuisine.comTo learn more about LOIS Photography, visit www.loisphoto.com