NEWBERG, Ore. — In Oregon's wine country, you'll find The Allison Inn & Spa. Inside its signature restaurant JORY is a chef writing stories through his food about Native American culture.
Executive Chef Jack Strong, who has over 30 years of culinary experience, was born and raised in Oregon.
"I like to tell the stories of tribal foods and Native foods," said Strong, who's a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. "That's something I take a lot of pride in."
JORY's menu focuses on farm to table dining, accentuating native flavors of the Willamette Valley with seasonal ingredients. Strong influences the menu creating dishes with First Foods — the plants and animals that tribes have lived off for thousands of years before European influences, such as corn, salmon and berries.
"It's important to share First Foods with people just to understand the place," he said. "Sometimes we forget place, where we are. It's important."
The menu changes often, and entrees start at around $40 with dishes that include ingredients like Alaskan Halibut, Fort Klamath sturgeon, mussels and foraged mushrooms.
"To be able to say that I'm one of the premier properties in the state of Oregon, I'm a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, and then also, we highlight tribal foods — that's a really unique thing for tribal members," Strong said.
Strong started his career at Lane Community College's Culinary Arts Program in Eugene. He worked in Arizona at different resorts, and was honored with a James Beard nomination for Best Chef Southwest. In October of 2022, he returned to Oregon as JORY's executive chef.
"I grew up on the reservation, and culturally, a lot of humble foods is what I grew up with," he said. "To think about taking humble foods and elevate them to the level that we do today was a nuance for me at the time."
Strong has co-authored a cookbook called "The New Native American Cuisine." The book highlights Indigenous foods and the history of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, which Strong wrote while working at Kai, a restaurant on the Gila River Indian Reservation.