Chef Jason Alford spent more than a decade with Japanese restaurant group Roka Akor before joining Downtown trailblazer Pa’La as an owner and executive chef. At the tapas-style, wood-fire-focused restaurant, the emphasis is on local and seasonal fare. To that end, Alford spends significant time cultivating important relationships with his vendors who supply produce, meats and other necessities for dishes like his nightly blackboard seafood platter, a 2023 Best of the Valley winner. “[Customers] like to know where their food comes from.” We recently sat down with the kitchen vet to see what’s in store this season. palakitchen.com
What culinary influences did you bring to Pa’La?
I came on board to take what I had at Roka Akor and evolve it to the next level, because Pa’La had some Japanese nuances, but not necessarily influences. [Former co-owner] Claudio Urciuoli loved Japanese food and I loved bread, so we married them and had this weird new baby.
Can you share a holiday food memory?
When I was a kid, I wasn’t exposed to a lot of fancy stuff… my dad would take us out to Winchester Bay in Oregon during crab season when it was cold and rainy. We’d bring out a propane tank and add all the spices to a pot and some drawn butter and pull up the crabs right there, throw them in the pot and cook them.
Because you’re a chef, do you offer your kids different and unusual foods?
Yes, you can’t say you don’t like something unless you’ve tried it. Kids eat kid food because that’s what their parents feed them. My kids request cauliflower and asparagus… We’ll sit outside and eat pickled anchovies, mussels and sardines right out of the can.
Any future plans?
As a group, we want to expand and have looked at some locations. I personally want to do something that challenges the steakhouses. Someplace where people can appreciate a good steak with traditional sides, but the way we do them, the way we source and the way we invite everybody to the table.
