Javelina Cantina

Indigenous Pop-Up Javelina Is Gearing Up For a Winter Residency and a Full-Blown Restaurant | Eater Portland

"Since November 2023 the pop-up has served Native American and Southwest comfort food in a two-fold style of service. Along with her husband, Nick Numkena-Anderson, Alexa has sold comfort food like bison chili and fry bread tacos at events like the Indigenous Marketplace and popped up at restaurants including Morchella and Street Disco, where diners tuck into dishes like boar bacon and Ozette potato soup and blue corn tamales topped with roast duck. The couple plan to keep running the pop-up with a focus on fry bread in tandem with their restaurant plans. "With people reclaiming their first foods, it’s our way of taking back our history and our culture," Numkena-Anderson says. "For me, it feels like that act of rebellion, of ‘No, you didn’t get rid of us. We’re still here. We’re still fighting.'" - Janey Wong