ABOUT THE CHEFS
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.
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.
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.
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.
John Sundstrom
LARK - John Sundstrom is a James Beard Award-winning Seattle chef known for his thoughtful use of foraged and wild ingredients. Two years after being named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in America, Sundstrom opened Lark in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. After ten years, he relocated Lark to a larger space and opened two additional spots in the same building: Off the Record (event space) and Slab Sandwiches + Pie. Sundstrom published his first cookbook, Lark: Cooking Against the Grain, which was awarded an IACP Judges Choice Award. In August of 2016, Sasquatch Books published Lark: Cooking Wild in the Northwest, a new paperback edition that includes a chapter on favorite larder items. Sundstrom was honored to be a session presenter at René Redzepi’s MAD5 Symposium in Copenhagen. Southpaw, Sundstrom’s foray into wood-fired pizza opened in the original Lark space at the end of 2016. John has long been involved in food sustainability and education through Chefs Collaborative and SlowFood, and served as a delegate to Terre Madre.
To learn more, visit www.larkseattle.com.
MITCH MAYERS
SAWYER - Mitch Mayers is the owner and Executive Chef of the award winning Sawyer in Ballard. A Washington state native, Mitch was named one of Zagat’s 2018 “Eight Under the Radar Chefs to Know in Seattle”. The two-time Cochon555 Seattle winner draws from his extensive culinary experience, both formal and casual, to create inspired, light-hearted and tasty dishes. Mitch graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and Cornell’s Hotel School, interned at the Herbfarm, and went on to work for Hillstone Restaurant Group which landed him in Denver for several years. He moved back home to Seattle in 2014 and worked his way up the ranks at Lark becoming John Sundstrom’s chef de cuisine. In 2019 Sawyer was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as one of the Best New Restaurants in the country.
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.
Kristi Brown
COMMUNION - Kristi Brown, graduated from the Seattle Culinary Academy in 1993 and within three years of professional cooking, created That Brown Girl Catering in her apartment kitchen in the Central District of Seattle. From the beginning of her career she committed to preparing whole foods with love, knowing that outside of sex, nothing brings people together like food! She believes that healing happens through food and truly what she creates is food magic.
She is the Founder, Executive Chef and Co-owner (with her son - Damon Bomar) of That Brown Girl Cooks! a hospitality group that includes Catering, a Community Kitchen called ‘Everybody Gotta Eat’, Creator of the Black Eyed Pea Hummus - her inaugural food product and her new restaurant venture, Communion Restaurant & Bar - located in the Central District of Seattle.
For more information please check out our website, www.thatbrowngirlcooks.com and/or www.CommunionSeattle.com and follow her on FB/IG - @browngirlcooks or @communionseattle
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.
JASON STONEBURNER
STONEBURNER - Jason Stoneburner is the chef/co-owner of Stoneburner located in Seattle’s historic Ballard neighborhood, Sunny Hill, and Stoup Kenmore. He is dedicated to procuring products from small farms and thoughtfully sourcing ingredients. Jason is a proud supporter of the Special Olympics, Seattle Children’s Hospital, FareStart, and charities that encourage sustainable farming and agriculture. In his free time, Jason can be found somewhere along the West Coast surfing or snowboarding.
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.
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.
BRIAN CLEVENGER
VENDEMMIA - Brian Clevenger is the Executive Chef and owner of the award winning General Harvest Restaurant Group. General Harvest is based in the Pacific Northwest and includes Vendemmia, Raccolto, Haymaker East and West, Autumn, G.H. Pasta Co., and East Anchor Seafood market. Growing up in the coastal town of Anacortes, Washington, Chef Brian’s appreciation for local seafood and produce came early. This certainly shows in his approach to achieving refined simplicity in both food and service. Brian received an A.A. in Culinary Arts and his Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality management. Prior to establishing his company and many successful restaurant spaces, he worked and learned in a Two Michelin Star restaurant in France, the James Beard Award winning Delfina in San Francisco, and as Chef at two Ethan Stowell Restaurants; Staple & Fancy Mercantile and Tavolata. Brian and his restaurants have been featured in publications locally and across the country, and have won accolades from media and guests alike including a number of “Best Restaurant” nods and “Seattle’s Best Chef”.
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.
LIZ KENYON
RUPEE BAR - Born and raised in Missoula, Montana, Elizabeth Kenyon spent her earlier years running through the fields of her family's small farm and woods, streams, mountains, and lakes of the Treasure State. Farming, raising animals, fishing and hunting were a fact of life that helped instill core values and appreciation for seasonal and local ingredients that have stayed with her throughout her culinary career.
Born and raised in Missoula, Montana, Elizabeth Kenyon spent her earlier years running through the fields of her family's small farm and woods, streams, mountains, and lakes of the Treasure State. Farming, raising animals, fishing and hunting were a fact of life that helped instill core values and appreciation for seasonal and local ingredients that have stayed with her throughout her culinary career.
Growing up in a culinary focused family, Elizabeth sharpened her knives while helping her family run their businesses. These experiences solidified her passion and led to her enrollment at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. Leading to an internship in celebrated Portland, Oregon and an apprenticeship with famed Italian butcher Dario Cecchini. Later moving to Atlanta, Georgia to work for Ford Fry Restaurant Group at St. Cecilia.
These next few years exposed Elizabeth to a world's worth of techniques, flavors, and styles. In late 2015 Elizabeth and her husband moved to Seattle, Washington in search of new challenges while exploring the diversity of the Puget Sound and Northern Cascades. Since joining the team at Manolin, Elizabeth cannot imagine a better place to draw upon her experiences with local and sustainable farming, whole animal butchery, fresh caught and conscientiously harvested seafood, and the incredible seasonal bounty the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
With an insatiable appetite for learning, travels, and exploring, you can now find Elizabeth at the helm as Executive chef of Manolin and Rupee Bar. When she isn't in the kitchen, look for her on top of a mountain, wading through a stream or lighting a campfire somewhere in the great Pacific Northwest.
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.
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.
