Apache Chef Nephi Craig says cooking saved his life

Speaker 10:00

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Terry Gross· Host0:14

This is Fresh Air. I'm 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, 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, hungover, 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. He completed nine rehabs and ran away from five others. Now he's drawing on the more hellish parts of his life, as well as his expertise, to be the nutritional recovery program coordinator at the tribe-owned Rainbow Treatment Center, working with people recovering from substance abuse. As a behavioral health technician,