The culinary-driven wine farm in the Laurelwood District AVA of the Willamette Valley places elegant food and wine pairing experiences at its heart
Sherwood, Ore.— Alloro Vineyard, a 110-acre wine farm producing fine estate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Nebbiolo, Arneis, and sparkling wines, has announced the promotion of Denali Whaley to Executive Chef. With her diverse culinary background, talent for food and wine pairing, and deep commitment to growing her own ingredients, Chef Whaley aims to further define Alloro Vineyard’s standout food and wine pairing program in the Willamette Valley.
Bringing over 15 years of experience to her new role, Chef Denali’s background is as diverse as her culinary skills. The daughter of a military family, her childhood was spent in a variety of regions with distinct culinary voices, including Anchorage, Alaska and the Azores islands near Portugal.
A culinary graduate of the Art Institute of Phoenix, Whaley relocated to Oregon in 2008 to hone her culinary arts skills and build her career in Portland’s dynamic farm to table restaurant scene.
She proved herself a deeply dedicated and hardworking cook in those years, often juggling multiple kitchen jobs with noted chefs at celebrated establishments around the city, serving in various roles in the creative kitchens at Multnomah Whiskey Library, Portland City Grill, and Southpark Seafood. Within a year, Whaley became Executive Chef at the SW Portland Italian eatery Oak & Olive where she introduced scratch pizza, pastry, and pasta programs centered around seasonal ingredients.
In January of 2017, Whaley became sous chef at beloved Pearl District spot Park Kitchen where she honed her food and wine pairing skills and maintained quality relationships with farmers behind the scenes of the restaurant’s venerable farm-to-table offerings. Later, Whaley would join Stacked Sandwich Shop as chef de cuisine for chef/owner Gabe Pascuzzi with whom she launched a new brunch program and menu, led local winemaker dinners, and collaborated with other Portland chefs on periodic pop-up dinners.
A transformative role at JORY, the fine dining restaurant housed in Newberg’s Allison Inn & Spa in the nearby Willamette Valley, awoke a particular passion for working with sustainably-grown produce and for growing her own ingredients. When JORY Chef Chris Smith was recruited to lead Alloro Vineyard’s culinary program in 2022, Whaley applied to join his culinary team.
Together, Smith and Whaley spent 13 months of collaboration reimagining the winery’s culinary program and crafting its most impressive culinary offerings to date–Pranzo and Cinque Cose–coursed food and wine pairing experiences highlighting home grown produce and Alloro’s portfolio of estate wine selections. Chef Smith recently relocated to be closer to family on the east coast, leaving Alloro’s culinary future in Chef Whaley’s capable hands.
“Watching Denali grow into this leadership role has been very refreshing,” said Eric Ploof, Alloro Vineyard’s General Manager. “She is beloved by everyone–our staff and our guests–and she continues to impress us with her innovative and deeply soulful dishes that beautifully compliment our wines.”
Denali says her management style is rooted in open communication and fostering creativity within her women-dominant kitchen team. Her love for seasonal ingredients and passion for making dishes from scratch will be at the forefront of her culinary approach. “I hope to move the food program as far as we can at Alloro,” she says. “I haven’t even started pushing the boundaries I plan to here. I have many goals for the program, but first I’m focused on getting the estate veggie garden producing more so the kitchen can largely source from the property. We’re considering what to plant and what we can grow sustainably. I’m looking forward to growing our food on the same soil where we grow our grapes.”
Denali’s vision includes introducing new handmade pasta dishes, her favorite thing to cook, incorporating estate-grown ingredients and fresh seafood, as well as expanding the use of the winery’s beloved wood-burning oven.
To celebrate Chef Denali’s new role, Alloro Vineyard invites guests to enjoy her latest two-course Pranzo (offered daily) and five-course Cinque Cose (offered monthly) menus alongside a flight of estate wines.
Recent menus have showcased a fresh fig and taleggio tart with prosciutto di Parma and local arugula, wild boar and local mushroom pappardelle, and charred brussels sprouts with white wine, garlic, white anchovies, and parmesan crisp.
The next monthly Cinque Cose offering is planned for December 14. Reservations.
For more information, please visit allorovineyard.com.
Photo credit: Cheryl Juetten
