The NZA... profile picture

The NZA...

Onward...

About Me


Another victory for the dineh!
Down for mine....
1800's Minus Geronimo. APACHE SCOUTS.
Feb. 2007...
I study gastronomy and enjoy eating good food. I play with razor sharp knives and fire.
I have been coast to coast, cooking and learning. Cooking is the same everywhere, it is the dedicated people in the kitchens that make the industry so dynamic. I am in the process of developing a solid foundation on which to build. One day I hope to have a killer Native American eating house that is in or near an urban area with a high Native American population. Potential targets are here in Phoenix, L.A., NYC or Seattle. Ill leave Santa Fe to the long haired beautiful Natives and tourists. There is this dope location on my reservation that would be great if there were the right agricultural and tribal support system in place, but that is many years away, if ever.
For the moment, my work takes me from state to state and rez to rez as I promote and develop my own interpretation of Native American Cuisine. When I'm developing a Native American themed menu, I find my mind drifting home where the images of my famiy and the culture I will be representing through food vividly appear. I think of how many of our cultural beliefs are strongly connected to humility and respect. From my own observations in life on the rez, the attitude of "only the freshest...only the best" does not exist but is replaced by thankfulness and gratitude. So therein lies my inner conflict, trying to be the best I can be, in two "worlds" that contradict one another.
My culture is my influence...

My Interests

Techninlogy, Knives, gastronomy, cooking, cuisine, butchery, photography, music, reservations, people, culture and retelling native american history from our perspective.

Wedgewood China

Caviar and Quail

Meez...

The Classic Indian Taco.

Early in the morning Jemez Pueblo Bread.

Racks of Rabbit and Loins

I'd like to meet:



CHECK THIS OUT!
This is a new cookbook being released from a great Native Chef in Vancouver. The Liliget Feast House was open for nearly 30 years and is now closed and set for demolition. This book is a celebration of that long culinary legacy of indigenous cuisine. Buy your copy and support a true culinary pioneer...

WHERE PEOPLE FEAST An Indigenous People's Cookbook The food traditions of North America's indigenous peoples are centuries-old and endure to this day. Feasts that include a bounty of land and sea are the focal point of celebrations and ceremonies; for many, food is what connects them to family, community, and the afterlife. Where People Feast, one of the few indigenous cookbooks available, focuses on Canadian west coast Native cuisine, which takes advantage of the area's abundant seafood, game, fruits, and vegetables-with ingredients both exotic (oolicans, venison, grouse) and common (salmon, crab, berries). Recipes include Smoked Salmon Mousse, Indian Tacos, Venison Meatballs, Alder-Grilled Breast of Pheasant, Blackberry-Glazed Beets, Wild Rice Pancakes, Seaweed and Salmon Roe Soup, and Wild Blueberry Cobbler.

"Kill the Indian...Save the man."

Music:



Music is better on the road...

A Tribe Called Quest, The Sound Providers, Buckle Bros., American Analog Set, Talib Kweli, Channel Live, EPMD, Erik Sermon, Common, Antithesis, Immortal Technique, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Mod Mouse,Tommy Guerrero, Social D, Stones, Chili Peppers, Rollin Fox, GENO, Old Dirty Bastard, NAS, NOFX, Misfits, John Frusciante, RZA, GZA, Erik Sermon, Redman, Boogie Monsters, Pharcyde, Smif & Wesson, Vincent Craig, Digable Planets, Mob Deep, 2pac, Fugazi, Metallica, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Horton, J. Mascis and the Fog, Dinosaur Jr, Johnny Money, Bob Marley, Alpha Blondy, Dropkick Murphys, Danzig, Eric Clapton, BB King, The Roots, Dead Prez, The Game, Snoop, Danger Doom, KRS-1, Madvillan, Rage, Ramones, Sonic Youth, Strokes, The Fugees, Props to my man HOKES in ABQ for streaming me the dope sound! You my brotha dawg!

Carlisle Indian Boarding School.

Movies:

HOME, The Matardet...i mean departed, Little Big Man, Boring documentries that make me smart and you prolly havent seen. Old Skool, Full Metal Jacket, Tombstone, Whale Rider(finally saw it a few weeks ago), Goodfellas, The Good Shepard, Cars, Rush, NARC, Ninja Scroll, Enter the Dragon, Fearless,

LONDON

Television:



I am boycotting The Food Network(you should too).

The old school 'Great Chefs of the World" on the the discovery channel. The original Japanese IRON CHEF episodes, Seconds from Disaster, Dirty Jobs, Dallas Swat, The First 48, No Reservations, COPS, A Cooks Tour, John Steward Show, The Cobert Report, The Chapelle Show(season 1), Everybody loves Raymond, Sienfield, House, Law & Order, Made to Order, Opening Soon. Back in the day I used to dig Tom & Jerry, The Transformers and Voltron. The GOBOTS blew! Yeah, Im down like that.

Books:

Mostly Gastronomic:
Kitchen Confidential, The French Laundry Cookbook, Apache Mothers and Daughters, Black Cross, The Perfectionist, "Hot, Sour, Salty Sweet", The Soul of a Chef: A Journey Toward Perfection, The Fourth Star, Great American Food, Culinary Artistry, If you can stand the heat, GASTRONOMY, Bouchon, A Return to Cooking, Elements of Taste, Alain Ducasse: Flavors of France, Letters to a young chef, The 1950's Time Life Magazine Collection of World Cuisine Volumes ..1-15. Scar Tissue, Foods of the Americas...and many more.
This is a favorite...

Heroes:

I dont really know if I can define a "hero". I think all people are capable of amazing things. Here are some people that I think are pretty amazing: My parents, Ari, Loretta Oden, Lois Ellen Frank, Walter Whitewater, Jack Strong, Sandy Garcia, Fernando Divina, Dolly Watts, Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse, Eva Watts, Kieth Basso, Anthony Bourdain, Lauryn Hill, Joseph Ivans, Lozen, Cochise, Nana, All the female characters that were ommitted from Native American History but were there influencing the major decisions of prominent leaders.

Also: My grandfather, Bob E. Craig, Navajo Code Talker, 5th Marine Division, Iwo Jima

A life I may never live...

My Blog

NACA International

I believe in a dream...Always have. Now that I have been coast to coast, working and teaching still not feeling that I am making the impact that I know I can. Never feeling that my voice is loud enoug...
Posted by The NZA... on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 06:23:00 PST

Detox...

As 2007 swings into gear, there's no better time to give your body a healthy, fresh start than now! Plus if you're thinking about lowering your weight - and your RealAge "eating clean" is a great firs...
Posted by The NZA... on Sun, 14 Jan 2007 12:22:00 PST

RUSH

The nature of line cooking is the same anywhere in the world. I enjoy the dynamic of cooking for service anywhere. The rush and feeling that I get from working a busy line is the same where ever I go....
Posted by The NZA... on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 12:21:00 PST

Frybread in Utah

This is one of the very few Native American Restaurants in this nation. It is in Salt Lake City and has been in operation since 1989. I stopped in to introduce myself and snap a few photos. I walked o...
Posted by The NZA... on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 12:19:00 PST

Culinary Favorites and Peeves

Favorites:Chinese Vegetable cleaverKick ass Dishwasherswooden spoonsJapanese MandolineFavorite Sauce SpoonsTamisBamboo SteamersQuality EVOOSmall COPPER Sauce PotsWondra FlourDigital ScaleSmall Off-set...
Posted by The NZA... on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 12:01:00 PST

Transcribed Technique

This is a recipe/technique from one of the high points in my path as a cook. This one comes from Mary Elaine's at the Phoenician when I worked like a mad man on the meat station there. I can still viv...
Posted by The NZA... on Tue, 09 Jan 2007 06:01:00 PST

Elk...its whats for dinner.

Today I spent the afternoon digging post holes here in my home town on the rez. Me, my father and some close family members accomplished what was needed, while tomorrow is another day where we start a...
Posted by The NZA... on Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:40:00 PST

wonderful profound nothingness

Well, the creativity train has not come in a while. Ocassionally I will draw something cool in my sketchpad. I have not blogged in a while because I seem to not think it is as cool as it once was to m...
Posted by The NZA... on Wed, 03 Jan 2007 11:46:00 PST

Grade A Only

Shaped like the organ it is. Waxy smooth like the grey clay they gave us in kindergarden. Pull straight from the reach-in and remove the veins that once purified blood of the now deceased. Many prepar...
Posted by The NZA... on Wed, 08 Nov 2006 12:13:00 PST

I cant say it but my brother can...

-ANTIHEROAs part of the research and preparations for the film I am working on, we often turn to others for insights about the larger picture for context. Context is one of the most critical aspects f...
Posted by The NZA... on Mon, 09 Oct 2006 11:36:00 PST