Portland, Oregon, has long been known for its vibrant food scene but like the citys population in general, this scene has been pretty racially homogenous. In other words: super white . Over the past few years, however, Portland has finally been becoming a destination for chefs and restaurateurs of color to experiment and, most importantly, reshape the scene to be more flavor- and culture-inclusive.

The citys collaborative spirit, creativity and resourcefulness is most evident in its pop-up culture, a movement thats truly elevated the culinary scene, perhaps even redefining what fine dining looks and tastes like.

Take Dame Collective as an example. Its composed of a long-standing establishment (Dame Restaurant) and its sister restaurant, Lil Dame, which is a collaborative space with communal seating and three rotating pop-ups, including chefs Lauro Romero and Alfonso Torres Clandestino and chef Luna Contreras Chelo .