Hyperlocal Fare Is the Best Bet at This Native American Casino
Oklahoma’s Downstream Casino features cattle and crops of the Quapaw Nation
Next to ringing slot machines with names like Buffalo Gal and Spartacus Gladiator of Rome at Oklahoma’s Downstream Casino sits a small glass case displaying dry-aged beef and a vertical herb garden. It’s an ad for local food produced nearby, some a stone’s throw from the casino’s parking lot.
The Quapaw Nation, the Native American tribe that owns the casino and the adjacent hotel, has something most gaming establishments don’t: 1,000 cattle, 200 bison, six greenhouses, 100 beehives, a meat processing facility, and a coffee roasting plant. The greenhouses are pesticide-free and renowned livestock industry consultant Temple Grandin designed part of the cattle facility.
John Berrey, chairman of the Quapaw Nation, is the man behind the efforts. He’s a fourth-generation rancher, but wasn’t necessarily driven to create a better food system. For Berrey, it started with an economic opportunity.
“We want to tap into the farm-to-table scene,” Berrey said.
