Skip to main content
It’s been a whirlwind couple of years for Alexa Numkena-Anderson.
Since launching her pop-up Javelina in 2023 after putting in serious kitchen time at places like Bullard, Sammich and King Tide, the Portland chef, who hails from the Yakama Reservation in Toppenish, Wash., has championed the Indigenous foods of her upbringing as a member of the Hopi tribe (Alexa is also a descendant of the Cree, Skokomish and Yakama nations). Alexa has garnered a serious following from fans and critics for her bison meatloaf, blue corn cakes, and fry bread tacos.
This month, Alexa and her husband and co-owner Nick opened a brick-and-mortar location, offering a rotating menu for Javelina and a weekend dinner tasting menu known as Inɨ́sha in the Lil’ Dame space. According to Alexa and Nick, the venture is one of the few restaurants focused almost entirely on Native American-inspired cuisine in the Pacific Northwest, using pre-colonial ingredients known as “Indigenous First Foods.”
When she’s not working to source ingredients from Indigenous purveyors and putting in double time for Javelina and Inɨ́sha, Alexa can be found supporting the businesses within her community. On a recent Sunday afternoon, Alexa and Nick took WW to some of their favorite spots.
Here’s how Alexa spends a day in the city:
Coffee and a Snack: Days off often include a stop at Northeast Portland’s Bison Coffeehouse (3941 NE Cully Blvd., 503-288-3941, bisoncoffeehouse.com), the Native-owned cafe that serves as a community gathering spot as much as a place to grab a quick breakfast and a jolt of caffeine. Alexa also serves its Shoshone Blend on Javelina’s drink menu, which features an array of teas and non-alcoholic options made using ingredients that carry significance in Indigenous communities. Bison has been something of a comfort zone that reminds her of home.
“When you’re Native, you seek out other Native things,” she says. “Just having this type of representation, you feel seen. Walking in here and seeing this art that I recognize from being a child, some of this is stuff I would see at my grandma’s house—it’s just really about feeling like I have a place.”
Picking up beans also comes with an order of bevvies for her and Nick, and today it includes a scone to jump-start the day after a bustling Saturday night of service at the restaurant.
“I’m always a sucker for a really good marshmallow or vanilla latte, and then this bacon cheddar scone is killing,” she says.
Pit Stop: For anyone who grew up in the ’90s, stepping into Back to the Basket (3405 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 971-279-5003, backtothebasket.com) is like hanging out at your friend’s house who had all the latest jerseys and kicks. The store is a sneakerhead’s paradise that celebrates the golden era when athletes like Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan reigned supreme. For Alexa, Nick and their young daughter, it’s a nostalgic stop between coffee and lunch.
“I’ve gotten Nick so many vintage jerseys from here,” Alexa says.”When I was little, my stepdad taught me how to play basketball and we really bonded over Allen Iverson. So, for Father’s Day last year, I found a vintage Iverson jersey and I sent it to him.”
As ’90s hip-hop blasts and old basketball games play on the TVs positioned around the store, Alexa and Nick browse the wall of rare vintage Air Force Ones, half taking it all in and half looking for some new kicks for their daughter. They shoot the breeze with owner and Grand Ronde tribal member Troy Douglass, talking sneakers, basketball and life.
“Troy helped us start our crowdfunding; they’ve been really helpful to us,” Nick says “They’re really savvy on the business side and have a really cool social media presence.”
Meal Time: Alexa and Nick head down Hawthorne for a late lunch at Portland’s sandwich saviors Lardo (1212 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 503-234-7786, lardosandwiches.com). Both of them credit chef and owner Rick Gencarelli as something of a mentor and strong supporter of Javelina from its earliest days. In November last year, Alexa’s bison burger was Lardo’s monthly chefwich special, raising money for the Native American Youth and Family Center.
“Chef Rick has been a great person and they always take care of us when we come in,” Nick says while waiting in line. “Our daughter loves their tomato soup and grilled cheese.”
Besides Rick’s support, Lardo holds a sentimental place for Alexa as the first place she ate after she learned she was pregnant. Her normal go-to order is the pork meatball bánh mì ($14), but today she switches things up and orders this month’s chefwich created by friend TJ Cruz of fellow pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar Sun Rice.
“The first bite was very shocking. There’s like pickled onions on here, but it’s like they’re soaked in soy sauce or a black vinegar. They’re delicious,” Alexa says as she chows down on the beef katsu patty while also snacking on jalapeño-laced hush puppies ($7) and sharing a bite of Nick’s griddled mortadella ($15).
Sweet Treat: No day off is complete without a quick dessert stop. Alexa and Nick bounce around the corner to Ice Queen (2012 SE 11th Ave., icequeenyouscream.com), the acclaimed plant-based paletas shop owned by Rebecca Smith. In between browsing colorful pops with Mexican-inspired flavors like oatchata and mangonada, Alexa is clearly admiring the décor that plays to its owners’ Mexican roots.
“I love [Rebecca’s] branding,” she says. “It seems very intentional, and the color scheme is right; all of the lettering is consistent.”
Alexa goes for a S’mores Thiccflurry ($11), a thick and tasty concoction reminiscent of the Dairy Queen Blizzards she and Nick both remember from growing up.
“I really like it because it tastes like dairy, and I can’t always have dairy,” she says. “If we’re out running errands, we can just pop in.”
GO: Javelina and Inɨ́sha, 5425 NE 30th Ave., 503-505-0913, javelinapdx.com. Javelina: 11 am–3 pm Wednesday–Saturday. Inɨ́sha: 6–8 pm Friday–Saturday.