NEWBERG, Ore. — Jack Strong, executive chef of JORY Restaurant at The Allison Inn & Spa, has been named a semifinalist for the 2026 James Beard Awards in the Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific category, one of the culinary world’s highest professional honors.

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The annual James Beard Awards recognize excellence across America’s restaurant and culinary landscape. Presented by the James Beard Foundation, the awards honor distinguished chefs, restaurateurs, and food professionals whose work has set national industry standards.

The 25 award categories span the restaurant ecosystem, from general excellence to outstanding bakery, hospitality, and beverage programs. The awards also include regional categories for best chefs, including California, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain, New York State, Northeast, South, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, and Northwest & Pacific, for which Strong received the nomination.

Finalists will be announced March 31, with winners revealed June 15 at a ceremony in Chicago. Strong is among 20 chefs competing in the category, including six total from Oregon. He is one of two Oregon nominees whose restaurants are located outside Portland.

An Oregon native and member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Strong leads the kitchen at JORY with more than 30 years of culinary experience and a deep commitment to regional and Indigenous food traditions. The Allison Inn & Spa regularly features Native foods tasting menus, and Strong co-authored a cookbook titled The New Native American Cuisine in 2009.

Strong began his culinary training in the Culinary Arts program at Lane Community College in Eugene before moving to Arizona to work in hotel restaurants. Prior to joining The Allison Inn & Spa in 2022, he served as executive chef at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, where he received Marriott’s Culinary Excellence of the Americas award.

He previously earned a James Beard nomination for Best Chef: Southwest while at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa.

According to a profile in Travel Oregon, Strong’s cuisine reflects a strong sense of story and place, blending Pacific Northwest ingredients with Native foodways and seasonal sourcing from the Willamette Valley. His cooking has been described as part of a broader movement to elevate Indigenous flavors within fine-dining settings while honoring both culinary heritage and contemporary technique.

“This recognition honors Chef Jack’s leadership, integrity, vision, and passion for our culinary program, as well as the pride he takes in his team,” The Allison Inn & Spa said in a statement following the semifinalist announcement.

Learn more about Strong and JORY Restaurant at The Allison Inn & Spa’s website.