BY MICHAEL RUSSELL, MIX, April 2012 ✱ MICHAEL STANTON ERIN MCBRIDE KENNY HILL recently opened 2nd Story Every chef starts somewhere, from a corner deli to culinary school. SCOTT KETTERMAN is the current Heathman chef owns Trebol and its restaurant fabulous tequila In Portland, the web of restaurants that produced our top-notch cooking talent is jumped to Simpatica and today DANIEL MONDOK tours the city with his selection particularly interconnected, with many of our best-known chefs passing through the opened Sel Gris, helped open Crown Paella pop-up city’s foundational restaurants on the way to opening their own place. June, and is now working to VITO DILULLO Our restaurant scene today was born out of places such as Pazzo in the Hotel launch Paulée in Dundee See Zefiro The Vintage Plaza, which once boasted an unrivaled all-star lineup of chef talent, or GREG HIGGINS ERIC BECHARD HIGGINS Genoa, where Nostrana’s Cathy Whims began as a dishwasher. Scott Dolich worked at HEATHMAN went on to accolades at Higgins SCOTT DOLICH several hot spots, including Zefiro and Higgins, before opening his Park Kitchen, which went to Alberta Street C. 1994 see Zefiro Oyster Bar before opening C. 1982 became its own training ground for local chefs. Greg Higgins first made his name at the McMinnville’s Thistle Heathman. Le Pigeon’s Gabe Rucker and The Woodsman Tavern’s Jason Barwikowski PHILLIPE BOULOT BRAD ROOT both honed their skills at Paley’s Place before heading to Naomi Pomeroy’s Ripe remains as culinary director dominates Vancouver’s dining scene Restaurant Group, which spawned its own bumper crop of Portland eateries. with Roots, Lapellah and 360 Pizzeria birth of JOHN EISENHART SARAH PLINER We’ve charted the cooks who earned their chops at Portland’s breeding-ground took over the kitchen at left for New York restaurants, then went on to run restaurants of their own either as the owner or opening Pazzo then returned to open Aviary chef. Young chefs are still working their way up the ladder at these seminal places with GABE ROSEN GREGORY owns Biwa, the dreams of someday opening their own spot. Even now, the web continues to grow. GOURDET KEVIN GIBSON impressive izakaya a scene flies high at was opening chef at Castagna before TRACKING THE RESTAURANTS AND CHEFS WHO HELPED BUILD OUR DINING LANDSCAPE Departure LUCY BRENNAN moving on to Pastaworks Evoe SAUCEBOX CHRIS ISRAEL owns Mint/820 was the opening chef at C. 1995 VITO DILULLO Saucebox and 23Hoyt and today KENNY GIAMBALVO became sous chef at Higgins ✱ALEX DIESTRA BEN GONZALES owns Grüner and the MARK DOXTADER ran the show at Bluehour for a decade before opening Ciao Vito is Saucebox’s went on to open upcoming Corazon ✱ DAVID ANDERSON makes wood-fired pizza and today is working to open Morso current chef and bagels at Tastebud AREN Nuestra Cocina is Genoa’s current chef STEINBRECHER AARON BARNETT (see Southpark) SCOTT DOLICH landed at newly BROC WILLIS DOLAN LANE BRUCE CAREY took over at 23Hoyt before is the executive see Zefiro ZEFIRO now owns four restaurants, reimagined wine bar See Pazzo opening St. Jack JOHN TABOADA Coppia chef at Southpark 1990-2000 Saucebox, Bluehour, went on to open OSWALDO BIBIANO 23Hoyt and Clarklewis ✱ opened Autentica 23HOYT AMBER WEBSTER Navarre and Luce ✱JOHN EISENHART is 23Hoyt’s current chef JERRY and recently expanded ANDY RICKER C. 2006 GENOA HUISINGA is Pazzo’s current chef PAZZO with Mextiza briefly bartended at Saucebox and now C. 1991 MONIQUE SIU KELLY MYERS 1971-2008, is now chef at (see Heathman) commands his Pok Pok mini-empire, CHRIS CARRIKER became chef de REOPENED including Whiskey Soda Lounge and Pok went on to own went to Gracie’s and today Bar Mingo Castagna and its cuisine at Nostrana DAVE Pok Noi and new ventures in New York SCOTT DOLICH is chef at the Gilt Club 2009 DOLAN LANE neighbor, Cafe and today is opening MACHADO went to Pazzo and KENNY also worked at Castagna PATRICK FLEMING a Southwestern ADAM BERGER was the ringleader of this Higgins, among other GIAMBALVO Bluehour and currently makes ramen concept owns Tabla and an culinary breeding ground, then spots, before opening See Pazzo BLUEHOUR runs the kitchen at the and more at Boke Bowl upcoming meatball helped open Southpark, and Park Kitchen and C. 2000 mini-restaurant resurgent Clarklewis CATHY WHIMS now owns Lauro Kitchen, VITALY PALEY POK The Bent Brick PAUL AND started as a dishwasher at ANTHONY CAFIERO Vindalho and Nel Centro was dreaming of what JANA DeCARLI Genoa and now owns Nostrana POK followed Whims to became Paley’s Place C. 2005 EKKACHAI opened Beaverton’s DeCarli and Oven & Shaker Nostrana and today while cooking at Pazzo SAKKAYASUKKALAWONG is the culinary wizard opened Manao Thai ✱THOMAS BOYCE 34 behind Tabla is Bluehour’s current chef 35 DON KOTLER NONG POONSUKWATTANA owns Toast ✱DAVID PADBERG owner of Nong’s Khao Man Gai, WILL PREISCH ✱JUSTIN WOODWARD JASON FRENCH GABE RUCKER is the current executive chef is the Queen of Portland’s food carts became the opening is Castagna’s current chef DAVID ANDERSON mans the left for Ripe’s Gotham SOUTHPARK wood-fired oven Bldg Tavern, now owns day chef at Dolich’s helped open Vindalho The Bent Brick JOHN STEWART KEVIN ELIAS CAIRO C. 1998 at Ned Ludd Le Pigeon and Little Bird went on to open NOSTRANA and is now chef at GIBSON is the house salumist the reborn Genoa Meat Cheese C. 2005 see Zefiro at Olympic Provisions BEN JEFF REITER Bread owns Blueplate, though it’s for sale CASTAGNA BETTINGER C. 1999 RODNEY ✱BROC WILLIS PARK ERIC FINLEY MUIRHEAD is Southpark’s went on to Beaker GAVIN DAVE BRIGGS LISA HERLINGER KITCHEN recently opened his barbecues great executive chef ALEX PARSONS & Flask and LEDSON is the David in opened Ruby Jewel ice cream shop C. 2003 stand-alone Chop JOHANNA WARE ribs at Podnah’s Pit is executive chef at today is rejoining Paley’s is the chef at Xocolatle De David opened Smallwares El Gaucho Paley for a new ALYSSA charcuterie shop PLACE Davis Street GREG PERRAULT in February downtown project Tavern STEVE JONES GREGG C. 1995 opening chef at DOC, chef-owner of June owns Spints NATE TILDEN is the cheese guru opened Clyde Common, JENN LOUIS at Cheese Bar AND DAVID WELCH Olympic Provisions BJ SMITH and the Spirit of ‘77 bar left to start Culinary Artistry, JASON NAOMI POMEROY recently opened ALEX YODER then opened Lincoln and Smokehouse 21 BARWIKOWSKI TROY McLARTY opened Beast, which is RANDY GOODMAN Sunshine Tavern left with Rucker for the went on to Simpatica, set to move in August TOMMY HABETZ ✱JASON OWENS is the chef at Olympic Provisions original location went on to open Bar Avignon ✱ JASON OWENS Gotham Bldg Tavern, Lovely Hula Hands who worked briefly is the current chef at JOHN GORHAM DUSTIN CLARK then was opening day and is opening his at Genoa, was chef Simpatica Dining Hall owns Toro Bravo, went to Park Kitchen, ERIN is Wildwood’s current then helped found chef at Clyde Common, Bollywood Theater at the Gotham Bldg Tasty N’ Sons WILLIAMS CORY SCHREIBER executive chef Olympic Provisions and Tavern before opening the Simpatica group and and Interurban CLYDE is chef at Olympic Wildwood’s founder, is now a open Laurelhurst Market now the Woodsman RIPE Bunk Sandwiches Provisions JASON COMMON teacher at the Art Institute of Tavern RESTAURANT DAVE KREIFELS Northwest Portland’s culinary school WILDWOOD ADAM AND JACKIE BARWIKOWSKI C. 2007 SAPPINGTON KEY See Paley’s Place GROUP MATTHEW is the chef at ✱CHRIS DIMINNO C. 1994 SIMPATICA Laurelhurst Market met at Wildwood (Jackie then C. 1998 BUSETTO is the current chef owned or co-owned by chef C. 2005 KEVIN LUDWIG worked at Higgins, Paley’s cooked at Clarklewis GABE RUCKER then opened Firehouse bounced to Park Kitchen and Clyde Common Place and more) and together BEN DYER JASON BARWIKOWSKI ✱ current day-to-day or See Paley’s Place Restaurant before opening Beaker & Flask opened the Country Cat executive chef opened Laurelhurst Market (see Paley’s Place) and is the chef Ate-Oh-Ate.