Taste Of Oklahoma: Broken Arrow Chef Brings Native American Flavors To The Kitchen

A Broken Arrow chef is bringing the flavors of her upbringing to Oklahoma, making sure her Native American food honors its heritage while also incorporating modern flavors.

That passion earned her a James Beard award semifinalist nod, and in this week's Taste of Oklahoma, she shows us why Natv has more than one meaning.

Jacque Siegfried is turning up the heat in the kitchen, cooking up pork belly and getting that perfect sear.

Chef Jacque is the owner and chef at Natv, A Broken Arrow restaurant serving Native American food, and Native-to-Oklahoma ingredients.

She uses as many local meat suppliers as she can find.

“We get it from the Cherokees, the Quapaws, Looped Square.”

Jacque says opening Natv is the result of a childhood dream.

She remembers her dad buying her ingredients to cook in exchange for not having to do the dishes.

“I would like to learn to make rum cake, and he’s like, 'You're 11, you don't even know what that tastes like.' But it sounds like it'll be delicious?”

Jacque began serving Native American food at Mother Road Market and the fair, along with catering.

She opened up her restaurant almost two years ago.

A member of the Cherokee Nation herself, she takes advice from tribes and supports them.

“It's kind of been our thing, trying to get as much of it here as we can, trying to support our tribal members that have baby farms that are up and coming," she said.

Jacque has lots of pots going low and slow, the flavor building by the hour.

Like three sisters' soup, made up of beans, squash and corn.

"Three sisters stew is a big one, it's inclusive of everybody.”’

The trout gets a char and is truly picture-perfect.

The succotash was also stunning.

Bison is also a star of many of the dishes, like Bison Poyha, a bison meatloaf she covers in a special barbecue sauce before garnishing.

Jacque likes to make sure there is something for everyone, offering vegan and vegetarian options, and making sure people with a gluten allergy get a sanitized kitchen every time to prevent cross-contamination.

"We let everybody know it takes longer to clean and make sure it's sanitized before we even get going," she said.

The attention to detail and unique menu earned her a recent James Beard semifinalist nomination, one of the most prestigious honors in food.

It’s already bringing new customers to the restaurant eager to get a taste of items like the trout she drizzles in chimichurri.

“I just wanted to see the place I saw you were nominated we’ve gotten a lot of feedback its been wonderful.”

The first thing we sampled was the pork belly succotash.

It was colorful and flavorful, and that meat was perfectly tender and juicy.

One of the more surprising dishes was the Bison Poyha.

The sauce balances out the lean ground bison and was the star of the show.

Soups are not to be forgotten.

The pashofa, a cracked corn soup, and the three sisters' stew, are both brimming with spices.

Jacque said the focus on Native American dishes felt like a risk, with a lot of pressure too.

But the community has embraced what she’s doing, and how she treats her craft of cooking with care and honor.

"Work of educating ourselves as much as we can, and asking for any information they have so we can be as respectful of the food and culture as we can be,” Jacque said.

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