Executive
Chef Nephi Craig Bio
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| Exec. Chef Nephi Craig |
Nephi Craig is an enrolled member of
the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Craig is also half Navajo on his late-father’s
side. Chef Craig is also the chef and founder of The Native American Culinary
Association (NACA) is an organization/network that is dedicated to the
research, refinement, and development of Native American Cuisine. NACA has been
developed to provide authentic, quality representation of Native Peoples in
professional cookery. The Native American Culinary Association also
serves as a networking tool for professional Native Chefs and emerging culinary
talent. Chef and NACA Founder Nephi Craig provides
training, workshops and lecture sessions on Native American Cuisine to schools,
restaurants and tribal entities from across America and abroad. A highlight of his
work with NACA is when Nephi was able to help prepare a Native American themed menu
for the renowned James Beard Foundation at the James Beard House in New York
City. This was Craig’s second James Beard Dinner in two years.
NACA Chef Nephi Craig has
served as head chef for four international tasting dinners.
These culinary events were held
in London,
UK; Cologne, Germany; and Osaka, Japan. Chef Craig has also served as
head chef in Sao Paulo, Brazil working for the United States
Consulate and Senac College providing
training, workshops, and various tasting dinners
showcasing Native American Cuisine during
the Shared
Indigenous Heritage Festival
in April 2007.
Nephi Craig is also the co-founder
and CEO of The Western Apache Center for Food and Agriculture or WACFA, a
not-for-profit organization dedicated the protection of land, food, people and
water rights in Western Apacheria. Executive Chef Craig, lends his
international experience, vision and expertise in Restorative Indigenous Culinary
Practices to the development of WACFA in order to empower local
communities through indigenous food and agriculture.
OTHER WORKS
Craig is also a published
author. Craig has written pieces for the National Museum of the American Indian in
Washington D.C. and the Center for American Indian Elderly.
Craig writes about the current state and evolution of Native American culinary
traditions affected by hunting, fishing and agricultural rights, as well as
United States and Indian relations in Native American History.
Chef Nephi Craig is
currently the Executive Chef at the Sunrise Park Resort Hotel on the White
Mountain Apache Tribe.
You’re Apache and your name is Nephi? You would think it doesn't get any cooler than that but you also specialize in Native cuisine! That's awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'm in school to become a nutritionist and as someone who has grown up in Arizona I am extremely interested in indigenous Arizonan foods. Does The Native American Culinary Association have an official website or facebook page or is this blog what you use?
My Grandmother was Cherokee, Creek Pamunkey, and Catawba mix from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. I grew up eating Indian food like mutton stew, buffalo berry, ground cherry, and choke cherry jams and jellies. My grandfather made his own beef and deer jerkey. We also made Indian Corn Soup. Grandma learned that when she went back east and spent some time with the Indians on the Cattaraugus Reservation. Of course we were familiar with Navajo tacos and there are several restaurants in Eastern Utah when they serve Native cuisine. My parents and grandparents are all gone now. So it's up to me and my siblings to carry on the traditions of our ancestors. Of course we are not just Native American, we are also English, Irish, Scots, Welsh, French, German, Swiss, Austrian, Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish. So I am a very eclectic person.
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