Top Chef: Jack Strong

Talk about the best of both worlds. As chef de cuisine at Kai, the fine-dining establishment at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa, Jack Strong's got a primo perch on the culinary career ladder. After all, he benefits from working with two big names — consulting chef Janos Wilder (a James Beard award winner) and executive chef Michael O'Dowd — and gets to bask in the sparkle of the restaurant's coveted AAA Five Diamond Award. But since the resort is part of the Gila River Indian Community, Strong, who hails from Oregon's Confederated Tribes of Siletz, also manages to stay connected to his Native American heritage. His unusual background makes him distinctly qualified to cook up the creative Southwestern fare that Kai is famous for. Whether it's chanterelles or cholla buds, Strong dishes it up with style.

Giulio Sciorio

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More About

• Jack Strong
• Michael O'Dowd
• Janos Wilder
• Food and Cooking
• Culinary Arts

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