edibleportland.com | 9 Left: Chef Alexa Numkena and Chef Jack Strong. Above: Chef Matt Bennett at a James Beard House dinner and Bennett's seared sea bass with lemony puréed pea cream "I wanted to take this food that's been cooked for 10,000 years and show its timelessness," Bennett reflected. "The tribes are still eating these things—not necessarily every day—but the culture and the flavors are still alive." At Sybaris, Bennett does more than recreate the past; he invites diners into a dialogue between tradition and innovation. I experienced a meal inspired by that James Beard dinner: a culinary narrative honoring Oregon's Indigenous ingredients. The opening course—the season's first salmon, served in a delicate dashi alongside acorn-nettle pasta—was both familiar and strikingly new. The earthiness of the nettles balanced the sweet brininess of the fish, while the acorn flour deepened the dish's ancestral connection. The meal unfolded with the same thoughtfulness: lightly cured Chinook salmon with wild greens and bacon spuma, then a robust elk ribeye paired with smoked huckleberries and nettle purée. Dessert came in the form of two vibrant sorbets: huckleberry and wood sorrelbuttermilk, a duo both cleansing and comforting. For Bennett, the learning never stops. He often turns to tribal friends like Greg Archuleta, a forager and knowledge-keeper, for guidance on harvesting techniques and traditional uses. "It's about respecting the ingredients and the people," Bennett shared. "Sometimes that means waiting until the plant's done flowering, even if you know it's edible. The stories matter as much as the food." The lessons extend beyond ingredients to stewardship. When Bennett serves camas bulbs—a starchy, sweet tuber eaten by Oregon tribes for millennia—he sources them from tribal members who harvest according to traditional, sustainable practices. "There's an ethics to this cuisine," he explained. "You can't just order these ingredients from a warehouse. You have to honor their cycle, their story, their role in the ecosystem." Bennett's passion for honoring these flavors extends to his cooking classes and community dinners, where he shares the story of each ingredient. He sees his role not just as a chef but as a bridge between the culinary world and the traditions that predate it. "The ingredients teach us patience and respect. That's a lesson modern kitchens could use more of." Jack Strong: A New Native American Tasting Menu at JORY At JORY, Chef Jack Strong offers diners a refined interpretation of Native American flavors, combining his roots with the bounty of Oregon's wine country. A member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Strong has spent more than three decades in professional kitchens. Today, his cooking is still grounded in keeping the integrity of the ingredients his ancestors cherished. When I visited JORY, Strong's Native American Tasting Menu offered a thoughtful sequence of courses, each one tethered to the land.
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