The recipe for Kuku Paka at the Oregon Convention Center comes all the way from chef Allan Wambaa’s native Kenya, but the dish screams Portland. Not only is the chicken locally sourced from Draper Valley Farms, but the chef also added another regional twist by including hazelnuts, a signature crop in the Beaver State.
Kuku Paka is essentially chicken on a skewer, that’s been rubbed with cayenne, cumin, coriander, a little bit of cinnamon, brown sugar and a touch of honey. It’s crusted with hazelnut and seared on an Evo grill. Once it’s cooked, the chef plates it over biryani rice flavored with raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander. The Tangy Njugu sauce—or peanut sauce—and cabbage slaw that the dish is served with complement the already colorful plate.
The dish earned an honorable mention for Best New Menu Item in Venues Today’s 2013 Silver Spoon Awards. “That was pretty cool,” he said of the recognition.
It’s an exotic dish that’s gained popularity in a state that’s known for its eclectic tastes, which Wambaa appreciates. “Oregon is very multicultural and you have a lot of influences from all over,” he explained. “Those who have migrated [here] are opening up small restaurants and food carts, so Oregon has now evolved into a foodie destination.”
So despite its unique name and origins, Kuku Paka may not faze most Portlanders, that is, until they taste it. “People here are very open; they’ll try anything,” Wambaa said. “It goes with the saying, ‘Keep Portland weird.’”
Contact: Allan Wambaa, (504) 731-7867
Chef Allan Wambaa
Oregon Convention Center, Portland
A testament to Portland’s reputation of being a model of a progressive international city, Chef Allan Wambaa comes to the Oregon Convention Center by way of Nairobi, Kenya, and pays homage to his background while incorporating Portland flavors into his cooking.
“I’ve worked in restaurants in Kenya and started cooking family meals with my grandmother and my mom,” he explained. “I always try to stay true to my roots and incorporate that into the dishes that I make through the spices or technique.”
His current home in Oregon, however, comes into play in the philosophies of using local ingredients and offering authentic farm-to-table dining experiences for guests of the convention center in addition to Portland’5 Centers for the Arts and the Portland Expo Center, all of which are serviced by pacificwild, a division of Aramark.
The task of overseeing the culinary programs at all three venues is far from simple. Wambaa described it as “the most difficult undertaking” of his career, which thus far has included time spent helming venues for Wolfgang Puck, working at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center and even serving as chef de cuisine for Saudi Arabian Prince Fahad bin Khalid Al-Saud.
“It’s a challenge every day,” Wambaa said. “Working here keeps you on your toes.”