Javelina: Indigenous Dining
Chef: Alexa Numkena-Anderson
Cuisine: American / Native American
Locations: Pop-ups
Instagram: @javelina.pdx
Website: www.javelinapdx.com
Indigenous & Native American Cuisine, featuring frybread and powwow comfort food, as well as non-colonial indigenous foods native to Turtle Island, like: wild fish, local game, ancient grains and first foods with modern takes on traditional preparations.
Javelina's focus is eating as Indigenous people would eat (no gluten, no dairy, no cane sugar), but also paying respect to the past, present and future of Indigenous cuisine with frybread, stews, soups, and other foods that were often eaten on the reservations.
I was born in Yakima, WA and grew on the Yakama Reservation in Toppenish, WA, before moving to Spokane/Tri-Cities WA.
I have always loved to cook, and found it brought me peace and understanding. My grandmother Stella Washines taught me how to make frybread and stews.
We would go to powwows, gatherings and spend time with my family where cooking was a part of the ceremony. To me, cooking was medicine, and in our culture it was often something that we did together.
After high school, I went to Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Portland, Oregon, where I also worked as a Line Cook in various hotels and James Beard Award winning restaurants/restaurateurs such as: Lauro Romero (Three Degrees), Vitaly Paley (Headwaters & Imperial) , Doug Adams (Bullard), Thomas Dunkin' (The Waiting Room), and Melissa McMillian (Sammich); as well as other places around town.
I really fell in love with the industry, but I was often the only woman working, and as an indigenous woman, it was rare to see any other Natives in the kitchen. As I worked and gained experience, I realized I was good at this — great even! — and I was given opportunities to work as a Lead in some of the best restaurants in the city.