Indigenous restaurant expands into meal delivery and more

By Melissa Voss

Nothing satisfies the soul as much as a homemade meal. But accessibility to affordable ingredients can be a challenge for some. The owners of Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery are out to change that in 2023 by providing multiple ways to bring Indigenous cuisine to your home. As the restaurant and online marketplace have grown over the years, co-owners Ben Jacobs and Matt Chandra are expanding to take their meals to customer doorsteps with meal delivery.

Inspired by Jacob’s family restaurant Grayhorse: An American Indian Eatery, Tocabe opened its doors in 2008 as the only American Indigenous restaurant in the Denver area that specializes in contemporary American Indigenous meals with roots based in traditional Osage recipes. Tocabe also curated the Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace, which offers Indigenous-sourced ingredients that allow its customers to either pick them up in-store or have them shipped to their homes.

“We wanted to start our own Native distribution and supply chain,” Jacob explains. “Online retailing has grown so much and has given people the accessibility we would not have had 10 years ago. With COVID, we saw in our grocery stores the accessibility for the common things. We utilized the need for food production, and with our expertise in sourcing food and distribution, it really kicked off. Our goal is to have our website become a one-stop shop for dry goods, butcher boxes, cooked meals – all on one website.”

Bringing healthy, sustainable meals to homes in Indian Country is a huge goal for Jacobs. Although the online marketplace provides pantries and shelf-stable ingredients to homes around the world, Tocabe is hoping to take another step forward in convenience by launching fully-cooked meal distribution this summer.

“A lot of traditional meals that are packed full of nutrients sometimes take hours of labor to make. Parents and workers alike may not have that time to dedicate. That’s where we come in. For example, the tepary bean is a nutrient-dense ingredient that takes several hours to cook. With the help of Tocabe, ingredients such as the tepary bean can be prepared and shipped to homes. We do the work in-house, and we are able to provide healthy and nutritious meals that embrace Indigenous cuisine,” Jacobs says.

Not only do the online marketplace and pre-made meals provide nutritious food, but also help support local Indigenous communities.

Jacobs says because food deserts exist in the United States – even in rural areas outside Denver – having access to healthy, sustainable food is a necessity.

“I feel people should have access to healthy options that are culturally relevant.”
- Ben Jacobs

“With COVID, a lot of emergency funds went to big supermarkets like Walmart. We basically grabbed off the shelves what was affordable. Nothing is wrong with buying a bag of chips or bottles of soda, but at times I want to have a nutrient-packed meal that will make my body feel good. I feel people should have access to healthy options that are culturally relevant,” Jacobs explains.

But it is how Tocabe sources the ingredients that makes the difference. By supplying their marketplace with products from local Indigenous producers, farmers, and cultivators, Tocabe can help bring money back to the community.

“We go up to them and say ‘we like what you do, how can we help?’ Sure, it is good for our business but by this, we are providing a cyclical support system that promotes local economic growth. We are supporting the food producers here, so nothing is imported from outside of the United States. We support our community by keeping our money in our community,” Jacobs says.

Jacobs summarizes his goal with a mantra he heard from a mentor: you thrive, I thrive, we thrive.

“The goal is to support one another and make an impact for all of us, and not just self-motivated or self-driven. It becomes an economic driver and improves the food system right in our backyards. It’s re-finding a way to feed ourselves while also understanding the world we live in now with the economic state of it all. It’s a fine balance we are walking between but it is how we put our hand in the ring with other major corporations,” Jacobs says.

The launch of Tocabe’s meal delivery is just scratching the surface of what is in store for the rest of 2023. Tocabe is in the process of curating a nonprofit organization that provides healthy meals to individuals in Indian country. Jacobs anticipates revealing the details of the nonprofit later this year.

Melissa Voss is a South Dakota native who recently moved to Colorado. She is currently a student at the University of Colorado Denver, following her passion for literature and writing in hopes of going into higher education.