Jack Strong blazes path for Native American chefs

NEWBERG, Ore. (KOIN) — When Jack Strong was coming up as a young cook in the 1990s, he didn't really have any other Native American chefs to lean on for mentoring.

"There wasn't really a lot of Native chefs out there," Strong said. "To find a Native chef was really tough when we were coming up."

That's not so true anymore.

Strong, the executive chef at the farm-to-table restaurant The Jory at the Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg, is a James Beard-nominated chef the next generation of Native American chefs can look up to.

The proud member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians celebrated Native American Heritage Month with a weekend of culinary events showcasing indigenous chefs and winemakers.

The Jory, he said, will look different in 2025 after some enhancements at the resort — including a kitchen remodel.

"So from the floor to the ceiling, I like to say it's going to be all brand new state of the art. It's going to be a beautiful kitchen," he said. "And then we're going to do some concepting with our services when we reopen at the end of January."

He occasionally puts influences from his culture into his cuisine. Throughout November, he's featuring a special dish highlighting Native flavors of the Northwest with the Southwest.

"It's got clams and mussels and shrimp and sturgeon that we get from the Fort Klamath area down in southern Oregon," he told KOIN 6 News. "And they're really going to kind of highlight the seafood from here in the Northwest. And then that really rich, beautiful, rich chili broth with hominy."

A portion of the sales goes to the Siletz Valley School's culinary program to help future educational opportunities. It's just one way he's paying it forward by helping the young men and women who want to be executive chefs someday.

The combination of Northwest and Southwest flavors is fully in line with his experience. Before moving back to Oregon he spent several years as a chef in Arizona. Fifteen years ago he contributed to "The New Native American Cuisine" cookbook.