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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2009)
CHEF JACK - One of the highlights of the Rez Kitchen Tour event is the appearance of well-known Siletz Tribal member Chef Jack Strong. Strong gave a demonstration, signed books, acted as a guest judge and visited with folks throughout the event. Chef Strong is currently the chef de cuisine at the Salish Lodge and Spa in Snoqualmie, Wash. Look for an upcoming Tribal member Photos by Brent Merrill feature on Strong in the January issue of Siletz News. GOOD FOOD - Fry bread on a stick is one of the tasty offerings from Grand Ronde s Spirit Mountain Casino team. Visitors to the event were treated to various versions of smoked salmon, baked salmon, dried elk, fried eel, venison, duck and even buffalo sliders. After Retasket and the staff finished and very happy with the large turnout of “One of the suggestions for develop that they also sell more than dried, smoked counting the votes, Robertson announced the visitors who sampled the chefs’ offerings ment was a Native American gift basket and fresh fish - they also vend the huckle People’s Choice Award winner - Chinook and voted for the winners. containing Tribal products from several berries they harvest at the base of Mount Winds Casino. The Siletz Tribe’s Chinook “We were pleased that eight of the different Tribal entities,” explained Re Adams in jam. Winds Casino team was Brenda Friedrich, nine Oregon Tribal casinos had teams at tasket. She also pointed out that one of Chef Pounding is renowned through Douglas Brown and Geno Standfill. the event,” said Retasket, event organizer. the highlights of this year’s event was the out the Northwest and beyond as the own Chef Brenda Friedrich was born in “All nine of the Tribes were represented appearance of Siletz Tribal member Chef er and head chef of Lincoln City's own Lafayette, Ind., and moved to Hillsboro, because the Bum.s-Paiute Tribe had a Trib Jack Strong. five-star restaurant, the Blackfish Cafe. Ore., with her family in 1969. After al Council member here participating.” Strong, who is from Siletz, is cur Pounding was selected as one of the top graduating from Hillsboro High School, Retasket said the large turnout and rently the Chef de Cuisine at the Salish 10 chefs in the Northwest by Northwest she began cooking at age 19. spirited participation has led to talk of the Lodge and Spa in Snoqualmie, Wash., and Magazine and was also selected as the While raising a family, Friedrich event continuing next year - possibly at started the public event with a demonstra first-ever Captain of the Northwest Culi completed her education through the another Tribal casino in the state. tion on the main stage at 11 a.m. nary Olympics. His team won 15 medals American Culinary Federation while tak “It is our hope that the event will ro Chef Strong has 20 years of experi in the competition and he won personal ing classes in management and nutrition. tate around the state to the Tribal casinos ence in the culinary arts and said that his gold, silver and bronze medals for hot and She has worked at Chinook Winds Casino that are interested in hosting the event,” Native American heritage plays a big role cold food preparation and for using foods Resort since 2003. in his culinary philosophy that features said Retasket. “We want to bring attention native to the Northwest. Chef Friedrich, who credits her grand farm-fresh, indigenous herbs and incor to the state's culinary talent and promote Chef Pounding also has earned med mother with being her inspiration and her buy Oregon and buy Oregon Tribal prod porating obvious Northwest ingredients als in high-level competitions in Canada, teacher, is very active in local competitions into his traditional menu items. ucts. This year focused on traditional Asia, Europe and throughout the Ameri and promotional events like the annual Strong, who graduated from the foods and we saw many different versions cas and served as a guest chef at the Hotel Oyster Cloister and Chowder Cook-Off. culinary program at Lane Community of salmon, elk, deer and many seafoods Furama in Central Hong Kong. He also Siletz Tribal member Douglas Brown College, was nominated for the Best Chef: and berries.” has served as a guest chef at the U.S. helped the Chinook Winds Casino team win Southwest Award in 2008 - the award is Retasket and Tovey said the goal Embassy in Hong Kong and participated the inaugural People’s Choice Award. He is part of the James Beard Award long list. of the event was to bring Tribal people in a unique chef exchange that took him the son of Siletz Tribal Elder Bennie Brown Chef Strong also is featured as a co together and create this network of tra to France. In France, Pounding served as and Tribal Elder Mary Ann Butler Brown. author of the newly released book, The chef at the Hotel Fregate in BandoL ditional foods chefs and vendors and Brown, who was born in Newport, New Native American Cuisine: Five Star promote the whole spectrum of Native Chef Pounding wds recently honored Ore., in July 1942, remembers his first Recipes from the Chefs of Arizona's Kai American cuisine to the masses one local by being selected to teach American Cui job being like lots of other Native kids Restaurant. event at a time. sine at the Tsuji School for Culinary Arts - working in the fields picking beans Strong previously held the position in Osaka, Japan, and the Japanese Hotel Tribal member vendors at the Rez and berries at local Siletz-area farms. He of chef de cuisine at the Kai Restaurant Institute in Fukuoka, Japan. Kitchen Tour event were Umpqua Indian received a degree from Portland Com at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort Pounding is a graduate of the Culi Foods, Coquille Cranberries, Old Coyote munity College as a dinner cook after and Spa in Phoenix, Ariz Prior to his ser nary Institute of America, he is a certi Winery and Wolf Song Fisheries. earning a GED. vice at Kai, he was the sous chef at The fied executive chef and a member of “We here at the Siletz Tribal Business Brown worked at the Timbers res Phoenician ’ s Windows on the Green in the Academy of Chefs, the American Corporation are proud to be the catalyst taurant in Toledo for 13 years and he has Scottsdale, Ariz. Culinary Federation’s Honour Society for for an opportunity to make meaningful been at Chinook Winds Casino for more Besides his cooking demonstration and Excellence in Culinary Arts. connections between our Tribal food than 10 years now. presentation, Strong signed copies of his The sponsors of this year’s event outlets and the people that harvest the Brown, who has never married and book for folks and served as a guest judge were Spirit Mountain Community Fund, foods with the hope that those bonds will has no children, has been nominated for for the Rez Kitchen Tour event awards. Chinook Winds Casino Resort, the Siletz the Superstar Award (quarterly outstand continue to grow,” said Tovey. “While The other two guest judges at the Tribal Business Corporation, the Indian ing casino employee award) several times creation of recognized Northwest or event were Umatilla Tribal member Land Tenure Foundation, Pepsi, Salish Oregon Tribal cuisine is important for since working at the casino. He plans to Clifford Shippentower and Lincoln City Lodge & Spa, Blackfish Cafe, Wolf Song our hospitality assets. The idea of shar retire in two years and will be missed by restaurateur Chef Rob Pounding. Fisheries, Vicor, Eco-Flame, All-Ways ing our foods and ways of preparation his fellow Chinook Winds staff members Shippentower, the owner of Wolf Traveling, Oregon Native American Busi among our great Oregon Tribal nations and management personnel because of his Song Fisheries which harvests and re ness & Entrepreneurial Network (ONA- is fundamental to how our Tribes have outstanding work record. tails traditional foods, is a Native salmon BEN), Travel Oregon and the Columbia always interacted.” Cherokee Tribal member Eugene fisherman and businessman with 30 years River InterTribal Fish Commission. One of the unique aspects of the event “Geno” Standfill was born in Oakridge, of experience in the fishing industry. He Although the location of next year’s was a roundtable discussion between Ore., in November 1953 and after earning joined forces with his wife, Sam, and started second annual Rez Kitchen Tour has yet his GED attended Eugene’s Lane Com Tribal vendors, casino food and beverage Wolf Song Fisheries - with a fleet of three to be determined, one thing is already set staff, members of the Oregon Tribal Tour munity College and Culinary School. treaty fishing vessels now - in 1989. in stone - samplers at future events will be ism Work Group among others that was Standfill is a Navy Veteran with an E3 Together, they specialize in Colum treated to some of the best-tasting, most rank who has worked at Chinook Winds facilitated by Anne Berblinger. bia River salmon products like canned creatively prepared, traditional Native for the last three years as part of the casino Retasket said the focus of the discus smoked salmon and prepackaged, vac American food items ever offered to the management team. sions boiled down to different ways to uum-packed dried salmon portions sold public in what amounts to the last unex Rez Kitchen Tour organizers were increase buying from Tribal businesses or wholesale and retail in Washington and plored food category left in the culture of pleased with the well-promoted event Tribal member-owned businesses. Oregon. The Shippentowers explained American cuisine. December 2009 • Siletz News • 5
