meet the native chefs
celebration of first foods dinner
November 22, 2025
Each November, The Allison Inn & Spa honors Native American Heritage Month through storytelling, connection and cuisine. Our Celebration of First Foods Dinner brings together acclaimed Native chefs who share their heritage through dishes that celebrate the ingredients, landscapes and traditions of their communities. This year’s dinner features Chef Jack Strong, Chef Nephi Craig and Chef Robert Kinneen – three culinary leaders whose work continues to shape and elevate Native foodways across the country.
Jack Strong
Member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Executive Chef at The Allison Inn & Spa since 2022, Chef Jack Strong has more than 30 years of culinary experience. A James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southwest and recipient of the Culinary Excellence of the Americas Award, Chef Jack is also co-author of The New Native American Cuisine cookbook.
At the 2025 Celebration of First Foods Dinner, Chef Jack will prepare the second course featuring Ozette potatoes and cedar and spruce-tip marinated salmon with cranberry gel and seaweed chimichurri.
“I look forward to sharing the kitchen with Chefs Nephi and Rob,” shares Chef Jack. “Having their knowledge and expertise with our teams and the culinary students of Siletz Valley School brings so much positive and passionate energy to our third annual celebration – plus they’re fun guys to work with!”
Nephi Craig
Member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and half Navajo
With 27 years of worldwide culinary experience, Chef Nephi Craig currently serves as executive chef and nutritional recovery program coordinator at the Rainbow Treatment Center and Café Gazhóó on the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona. He is the founder of Native American Culinary Association (NACA), an organization dedicated to the research, refinement and development of Native American cuisine. and was a 2023 James Beard nominee for Best Chef Southwest.
“I hope guests take away a sense of familiarity, but also a sense of surprise in how we present these Western Apache flavors and foods,” says Chef Nephi of his featured course at the 2025 Celebration of First Foods Dinner. He will prepare Western Apache Seed Mix Crusted Acorn Squash, with sumac agave chili vinaigrette and the Three Sisters of white tepary beans, squash and corn.
Robert Kinneen
Alaska Native of Tlingit heritage
Born and raised in Alaska, Chef Robert “Rob” Kinneen grew up immersed in the state’s natural beauty and rich Indigenous cultures, becoming a recognized authority on Alaskan regional foods. Over the past 22 years, his culinary journey has taken him across the United States and abroad in numerous notable roles. He currently serves as the outreach director at North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS) and is the author of Fresh Alaska Cookbook. Among his career highlights is preparing an Alaska-themed dinner for President Barack Obama.
Chef Rob will prepare Bison cheeks for dinner on November 22 with dirty-wild rice, a dish that reflects the deep connection between Indigenous foodways and the land.