ABOUT THE CHEFS
STUART LANE
SPINASSE - Following a creative writing degree from Western Washington University, Stuart enrolled at Bellingham Technical College and worked at a local Italian restaurant. He graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts and in 2004, he left for Costigliole d’Asti to attend the Italian Culinary Institute in Piemonte. He later staged at the Hotel Monte del Re in Dozza Italy outside of Bologna. Upon returning to the U.S., he worked at Cafe Juanita as a prep cook, pastaoli, and finally, Chef de Cuisine. In 2010, Stuart came to Spinasse as Co-Sous Chef. In 2011, Stuart left for an Executive Chef position at Cuoco. He returned to Spinasse in 2013 and now oversees the menus at both Spinasse and casual Italian eatery and bar, Artusi.
https://artusibar.com/
aaron verzosa
ARCHIPELAGO - Aaron Verzosa is a Filipino American chef born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. After graduating from the University of Washington and Seattle Culinary Academy, he went on to work at Seattle’s Basque focused restaurant, The Harvest Vine. He later worked for Michelin starred chef David Toutain in Paris, as well as for Nathan Myrvohld as a part of Modernist Cuisine. Currently, Aaron run’s Archipelago in Hillman City, a small restaurant serving a multi-course tasting menu that shines a light on the flavors of the Filipino diaspora and how over time, a minority can impact and shape the majority.
The restaurant has received various awards and recognitions including, Eater’s Restaurant of the Year and The New York Times America’s Favorite Restaurant List. Aaron is also a two-time James Beard semi finalist for Best Chef Northwest & Pacific and was named in Phaidon’s 100 Emerging Chefs Around The World.
Beyond the restaurant, Aaron is most focused on his community and family, working currently with fellow community leaders to bring Filipino History to all Seattle public schools.
https://www.archipelagoseattle.com/
MEL MIRANDA
MUSANG - Musang was founded by Filipina-American chef Melissa Miranda. Beginning as a series of brunch and dinner experiences in 2016, Musang has maintained the mission of bringing folks together in the spirit of community, with Filipinx-inspired food and experience as the mainstay.
Her father immigrated to the United States in the early 70’s and moved to Beacon Hill after spending time in Alaska. His friends knew him to drive a black Mustang, on which the T in the ‘Mustang’ decal fell off after some time. Among his inner circle and eventually within his neighborhood’s tight-knit Filipino community, he became known as Musang, which is also ‘Wild Cat’ translated in Tagalog.
Inspired by his passion for food and her fond childhood memories of being in the kitchen with him, Ate Mel moved back to Seattle in 2015 after time spent in Italy and NYC. From there she began her pop-ups, starting with her successful Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner at Bar del Corso.
Over the next three years, Musang would continue hosting pop-ups all over the city, while cultivating partnerships with non-profit organizations and collectives of Filipinx Leaders who shared a mission to push stories of food and overall cultural narrative. Finally, by the end of 2018, Musang made the decision to find a home in Beacon Hill. A successful Kickstarter raising over $90k proved that the city was ready and supportive of our journey.
Musang is for us by us — community-driven and not chef-driven, a place to come sit at the table as part of something bigger than just food. We believe in cultivating an experience for our guests that will help pave the way for new and sustainable systems for our next generation.
JOSH DELGADO
LE COIN - Chef Josh Delgado started his cooking career in Southern Arizona at the age of 16. Most notably working for Chef Bruce Yim at the then Vin Table restaurant in Tucson, Arizona. Chef Delgado went on to work for the Forest Service during summers in college providing meals for forest fire fight crews as well as working to aid hurricane relief in the SE of the U.S. In 2007 he moved to the Seattle area where he took a position at the Barking Frog and eventually becoming the Chef de Cuisine helping lead the kitchen in Woodinville for 7 years. Delgado went on to become the Executive Chef/ Director at Alderbrook on the Hood Canal for three years overseeing multiple outlets, focusing on a tide to table cuisine, and helping implement a dining program at the nearby hotel owned Hood Canal Marina. In 2018 he opened Le Coin in Upper Fremont with friend and business partner, Jordan Melnikoff. Chef Delgado, along with a highly talented team continue to hone their contemporary Northwest approach, working largely with local growers and producers. Le Coin has been featured in such publications as USA Today and Eater Seattle.
JASON WILSON
THE LAKEHOUSE - James Beard Award-winning Chef Jason Wilson is an innovator in modern cooking styles and refined craft cooking inspired by seasonal, local produce. His prowess for cooking American Regional Food in the Pacific Northwest has lauded numerous awards and celebrity status in the culinary world. His first restaurant, Crush, propelled him into the national spotlight and positioned him as a leader in fine dining. Opening Miller’s Guild brought a new level of wood-grilled craft cooking and cocktails to Seattle and earned a spot on Fodor’s “Top 10 SteakHouses in the Nation.” Jason’s approach as an innovative and entrepreneurial chef has also helped him play an influential role as the Executive Chef and Product Developer for Coffee Flour. Chef Jason opened The Lakehouse in 2017, a Contemporary Northwest restaurant in a Modern Northwest Farmhouse setting located in Bellevue. . Civility & Unrest, his upcoming craft cocktail bar and lounge will bring a speakeasy feel and serious approach to the exploration of cocktail culture. Jason recently led operations as a partner and culinary director at Fire and Vine Hospitality overseeing 10 different locations of Pacific Northwest Iconic restaurant brands and locations.
https://thelakehousebellevue.com/
Maximillian Petty
EDEN HILL - Chef Maximillian Petty has approached his culinary career much like each dish that he creates: imaginative, purposeful, and without boundaries. With aspirations well beyond his years, Maximillian started cooking at the age of 11 and shortly after, realized that he had a natural skillfulness and interest in cooking as a career. It would combine with his love of art, fascination with technology and his relentless desire to learn.
His fast tracked career has included positions at Jose Andres’ Zaytinya in Washington, D.C.; King Estate Winery in Eugene, Oregon; and Olivia in Austin, Texas, where he became executive chef at age 23. The creativity, dedication and discipline necessary to be an award-winning chef under the age of 30 was further recognized as a semifinalist for James Beard Award Rising Star of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2018. His signature style and applied talent have created a notable chef with a solid reputation for intriguing and imaginative dishes at Eden Hill. He has recently opened Big Max Burger Company down the street on Queen Anne.
cody castiglia
DELLA TERRA - 425 Magazine’s Best Chef for 2020, Cody Castiglia is the chef and owner of Della Terra Catering.
A third generation cook and food business owner, Cody Castiglia grew up in a family of chefs and foodies in Western New York, learning the Italian classics from his grandmother and father.
He then branched out and earned degrees in culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management. He went on to gain hands on experience by working in high-volume catering as well as intimate, fine-dining, James Beard Award-recognized restaurants throughout New York and Texas.
Originally from Western New York, his career has led him to some of the top hotels and restaurants in Dallas, Park City, New York, and Seattle.
Della Terra Chef/Owner Cody Castiglia grew up in a family of chefs and foodies in Western New York, then earned degrees in culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management. He gained hands on experience by working in high-volume catering as well as intimate, fine-dining, James Beard Award-recognized restaurants throughout New York and Texas.
Chef Cody gained experience at the 1200 room Hyatt Regency Dallas, the flagship restaurant of former Best Chef in the U.S., Stephan Pyles and the Craving Restaurant. Most recently, Cody was the opening Chef de Cuisine at a fine dining, farm-to-table restaurant in Hamburg, NY called Carte Blanche. He moved to the PNW in 2017, launching Della Terra and teaching farm to table cooking classes for the public at four different venues in the Seattle area.
Castiglia is grateful for the diverse experiences that he has gained, both in high-volume hotels and catering and intimate, fine-dining restaurants.
With Della Terra, Castiglia aims to merge these experiences with his own flavors and creations, providing truly farm-to-table dining and warm hospitality to groups of all sizes.
His cooking philosophy is simply using the finest, local, in-season ingredients and treating them respectfully.
http://dellaterra425.com/
Matt Lewis
WHERE YA AT MATT - Chef Matt Lewis started his culinary career in the kitchens of his mom and grandmother in New Orleans, LA before starting his professional career in the kitchen of Frank Stitt at Bottega, in Birmingham, AL. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY and working to hone his skills in such restaurants as Restaurant Zoe, The Four Seasons and Canlis, Matt chose to venture out on his own. In 2010, he started the nationally acclaimed food truck, Where Ya At, Matt. In 2013 he took another big step in his career and opened Restaurant Roux, a more refined spinoff of the truck which was heralded, Best New Restaurant in Seattle for 2014. After selling Roux in 2018, Matt opened a second truck and is focused on the continued expansion of his catering and event operations.
TREy LAMONT
JERK SHACK - Born and raised in Seattle, Trey Lamont knew from a young age that he wanted to be a cook, his passion sparked by early experience in his grandmother’s kitchen. Today, he is the owner and head chef at Jerk Shack, a Caribbean restaurant praised by the Seattle Times, Seattle Magazine, and Zagat for its bold, authentic flavors and warm hospitality. The menu is inspired by Lamont’s Jamaican heritage, with a focus on made-from-scratch cooking using house-ground spices, smoked and fried to perfection. Lamont began his career working as Head Kitchen Chef for acclaimed chef Thoa Nguyen and then as a private chef, before launching Papa Bois, the food truck predecessor to Jerk Shack. Lamont received his formal culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, building on his experience in the kitchens at The Sheraton and Wild Ginger.
wes yoo
WERO - The story of WeRo begins with our founder, Wes Yoo, and a small pop-up takeout. Wes had barely begun in the restaurant business when the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to reevaluate what food meant to him, and how he wanted to share his passion with the world. He wanted Seattle to experience the meals that he ate as a child in Seoul—familiar cuisine that soothed his worries in the depths of the pandemic. Wes believed that he could find a way to provide the same comfort that Korean food gave him to a city reeling from the crisis. After a period of intense creation and experimentation, our founder felt ready to bring his honed recipes to the public. Wes set up a pop-up takeout business, and quickly built a reputation for his authentic, up-scale Korean fare. Now, Wes is proud to be opening WeRo, where hungry customers can experience our elevated cuisine, paired with delicious, hand-crafted cocktails.
In Korean, WeRo has many meanings. The first meaning is “to comfort”, and that is the goal of every dish we serve. We believe that comfort food is more than just the food that fills a craving; truly comforting meals provide nourishment for the mind, body and soul. Another meaning of WeRo is “upwards”, and that forms another pillar of our culinary philosophy. We aim to explore, to innovate, and to elevate. Our goal is to show Seattle a different type of Korean cuisine, one that authentically reflects the diversity of delicacies available on the peninsula. The final meaning of Wero is a sort of pun, roughly translating as “into the stomach”. We pride ourselves on the high quality of our ingredients, the skill of our chefs, and the incredible flavors of our Korean dishes. All this to say, when it comes to deciding what goes into your stomach, we’re the experts.
You can find us in Ballard, where we are proud to join a long legacy of fabulous eateries in the historic neighborhood. We are deeply honored to be the newest tenant in the Junction Building’s hundred year existance. Our doors aren’t quite open yet, but we’re hard at work getting everything ready for our grand opening, so stay tuned for news and updates. We here at WeRo can’t wait for you to join us as we take Korean cuisine onwards, upwards, and inwards.
https://www.weroseattle.com/
David Nichols
EIGHT ROW - David is a Washington native and award-winning chef. Nichols grew up on his family farm in Cashmere, WA and moved to New York City to attend The French Culinary Institute. He immediately began working extensively alongside Chef Marc Murphy at various New York hot spots including Landmarc, Tribeca and Time Warner Center. David was promoted to Executive Chef of the greater Benchmarc Restaurant Group, a role that saw him managing Murphy’s entire portfolio and serving as opening Chef of Kingside restaurant in the Viceroy Hotel. He was shortly after recruited by the Gerber Group to open Irvington in the W Hotel, Union Square and create the concept for Mr. Purple in the Indigo Hotel in the Lower East Side. This succession of hits saw David named one of the top 15 Chefs to Watch by Restaurant Hospitality in 2015. That year the opportunity to move home to Washington arose and David could not refuse a return to his roots. He was named Executive Chef of Queen Anne Hall then became the culinary driving force for Rider, Seattle in the Hotel Theodore where he leveraged his diverse experience and married it to a passion for local products. His vision turned Rider into one of the hottest new restaurants in downtown Seattle. David then launched Dime Food Group with his sidekick little brother, Ian, in 2019. Eight Row is the brothers’ first restaurant venture.
BRANDON MUEHL
ASCEND PRIME STEAK & SUSHI - Executive Chef Brandon Muehl was born and raised in Northern New York where he started his culinary path at the age of 18 at a small, neighborhood bistro. While his initial intention was not to make a career in hospitality and he did not have formal culinary training, his natural talent and leadership qualities led him to taking his first management position at the age of 20 as a kitchen manager for a local steakhouse.
In 2010 he moved to Seattle and immediately fell in love with not only the culinary scene but also the beautiful parks and trails of the Pacific Northwest. He ran the kitchen at Seattle’s Wakefield Bar for a few years then joined the culinary team at Ascend Prime Steak & Sushi in Fall 2019 as a sous chef. Although he was the only member of the chef team without formal training, his passion and dedication allowed him to quickly learn new techniques and skills as he was promoted to Executive Sous Chef before eventually taking over as the Executive Chef in August 2021.
Aside from his passion for food and creating unique flavor combinations, Brandon takes pride in being a leader by example. He motivates all members of his culinary team to be involved and contribute to the dishes offered at Ascend.
https://ascendprime.com/
DRE NEELEy
GRAVY ON VASHON - Dre Neeley, Executive Chef at Gravy on Vashon Island, has a natural ability to create dishes that perfectly combine his Southern roots and his love for diverse, seasonal cuisine. Dre combines his innate abilities with techniques he learns traveling and exploring the world. He strives for complex simplicity, consistency and works tirelessly on cultivating his relationships with the local growers on and around Vashon. Dre's food is straightforward and his passion and love for his craft translates in every bite.
KALEENA BLISS
THOMPSON SEATTLE - As Executive Chef of Thompson Seattle, Kaleena Bliss helms the hotel’s signature restaurant Conversation Kitchen & Bar and oversees all culinary operations at the property including The Nest rooftop bar and lounge, catering and banquets. The first round winner of Food Network’s wildly popular “Chopped” Season 51 “Casino Royale” in January 2022, and Pacific Northwest native with a passion for locally foraged ingredients including wild mushrooms and seafood, is known for her ability to foster a connection between diners and the great outdoors.
Prior to joining Thompson Seattle, Chef Bliss’ over 16 years of culinary experience includes leadership roles at a trio of restaurants and hotels in Seattle. She served as executive sous chef for nearly four years at SixSeven at The Edgewater Hotel, as chef de cuisine for three years at Mistral Kitchen in the South Lake Union neighborhood, and sous chef for two years at The Four Swallows on Bainbridge Island. Prior, Chef Bliss developed her culinary skills in Portland at a French bistro called Fenouil after receiving a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts management from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.
Mutuko soma
KAMONEGI - While Mutsuko Soma served as chef in other restaurants in Seattle, she dreamed of introducing fresh soba, like the kind her grandmother made for family dinners, to the masses. She founded Kamonegi as a pop-up and opened Kamonegi the restaurant in October 2017.
Kamonegi translates literally to “duck and leek,” and alludes to when one good thing brings another. In Japan, duck and leek is also a classic culinary pairing so the sight of a duck bringing a leek connotes an abundance of good fortune where one closely follows another. The namesake Kamonegi soba is also one of the most popular soba dishes at the restaurant.
Before opening Kamonegi, Chef Soma cut her teeth at restaurants like Harvest Vine, Chez Shea, and Saito’s. She then returned to Japan to learn the art of making traditional soba. While studying soba making, Chef Soma discovered that Washington was among the largest buckwheat producing states in the United States. This fact reaffirmed her decision to introduce soba to the Pacific Northwest, an area that has greatly influenced her throughout her career.
In its inaugural year, Kamonegi was named Restaurant of the Year by Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, Best New Restaurants of 2018 by the Seattle Times, among the 20 Best Restaurants in Seattle by Conde Nast Traveler, one of America’s Best New Restaurants by Eater critic Bill Addison, and a Top 50 Nominee for America’s Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit. Chef Soma was named as one of Food and Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs 2019.
https://www.kamonegiseattle.com/