Vernon DeFoe (Red Cliff Anishinaabe) has more than 20 years of restaurant experience. He was one of the first hired staff at The Sioux Chef and has been part of the growing Indigenous food sovereignty movement in Minneapolis for the past decade. He most recently led community outreach efforts at the Indigenous Food Lab before becoming Gathering Cafe’s executive chef in October 2023. Vernon joined Gatherings Cafe while the cafe space was undergoing a major expansion, and the team was only catering and serving meals to Elders. Under Vernon’s leadership, the cafe expanded its staff, kitchen, dining space, and capacity, allowing it to serve healthy, accessible, Indigenous meals to more people.

Vernon enjoys learning the history and culture around food and sharing that knowledge with the community. He often leads food demonstrations that equip community members with the tools and knowledge to gather ingredients and make recipes at home.

In his free time, Vernon enjoys hiking, foraging, wildlife, botany, and geology. He’s a bass guitarist and has been part of the Minneapolis metal and punk scene for more than two decades.