Apache Chef Nephi Craig says cooking saved his life

Public media is no longer federally funded, but the NPR network remains yours in service to and powered by you. Keep public media public with a donation today at donate.npr.org and thank you. This is Fresh Air. I am Terry Gross. My guest is a leader in the movement of Native American cuisine, eating,

Cooking and teaching about that food saved his life. He became addicted to alcohol and drugs at an early age. After his first DUI, the judge gave him the option of three months probation if he agreed to get and keep a job or go to college. He opted for attending Scottsdale Community College, where he took cooking classes. He eventually got a job, a book.

learned about restaurant kitchens, and eventually became a chef at the finest fine dining restaurant in Phoenix. But he also kept getting fired from jobs for being drunk, hung over, not showing up, or being in jail. During time in jail he was lucky to get work in the kitchen, where he learned how to design meals with whatever food they were given. When he got out, He kept relapsing.

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