A Yorkton grandmother known for her warm TikTok cooking videos has taken her Dakota language lessons to the national stage. Sherry Whitehawk, better known online as Grandma Sherry, launched “Grandma Sherry’s Kitchen” on APTN in May 2026. The show is believed to be the first cooking program ever produced in the Dakota language, and it blends comfort food recipes with Whitehawk’s own journey of reconnecting with her heritage.
Whitehawk, 70, has lived in Yorkton and spent years working as a mental health and addictions worker. She had not spoken Dakota since she was a child, so for the show, she worked with cousins from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation as language coaches. “The problem is I have not talked Dakota since I was a child, I understand it so I had to learn to speak the language again. I have some knowledge; my cousins remained on reserve and stayed within the language. They were hired to be my coach; we got a show.”
Her path to television started years earlier at what is now Suncrest College. Whitehawk arrived there as an adult learner with a Grade 9 education and left with skills and confidence that would later help her build an online following of about 235,000 on TikTok. The college, formed in 2023 when Parkland College merged with Cumberland College, recently celebrated her as a featured alumna. “Grandma Sherry shared that she came to the college with a Grade 9 education and left with the skills and confidence to create a career,” the school noted.
Whitehawk’s first viral video featured a bannock recipe and racked up more than 1.3 million views. Her granddaughter had suggested she start recording, telling her, “Can I start you on TikTok and tape all these stories so that some day when you’re no longer with us, we can listen to them like the other grandchildren.” That simple idea grew into a calling: sharing recipes, Dakota words, and grandmotherly kindness with viewers across the country.
Now Whitehawk’s reach is expanding even further. She has already been hired for a second APTN series, an English-language program that will focus on healing and Indigenous culture. Filming for that pilot is expected to begin later in summer 2026. For local supporters, the story shows how returning to school as an adult can open doors far beyond a single classroom, and how one woman’s voice is helping preserve a language for the next generation.
