Chef’s Bios

Gabriel is an eclectic mix: a precise culinarian who is not afraid to admit that he likes “regular” food. He will happily eat either seared foie gras or a corndog. In fact, he just created his first Foie Gras Corndog, and it was awesome! Gabriel considers his greatest strength as a chef to be versatility of design, either in dish composition or menu creation. His ability to teach stems from his solid confidence and knowledge of the fundamentals of food and wine. Whether describing in detail the chemical reaction between molecules in a beurre blanc sauce or the inexplicable poetry of taste, Gabriel easily communicates not only his meaning but also his convictions and his faith in the magic of food. Chef Gabriel is a strong believer in the power food has over people, to bring us together and give extra lift and life to the gathering of friends. Culinary Communion is the culmination of that belief. Gabriel and Heidi (see below), a husband-and-wife team, started Culinary Communion together in 2001. Culinary & Enological Background: Chef Gabriel graduated in the top of his class at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York, in 1999. He has worked as Sous Chef at fine restaurants on both coasts, including The Tasting Room in Manhattan, Crater Lake Lodge in Oregon, and Anthony’s HomePort in Washington; he also owned his own catering company. Gabriel has been a culinary instructor since 2001, teaching primarily for Culinary Communion but also for one semester at Edmonds Community College (in 2003) and as a guest chef at other institutions. Gabriel was asked to be the Guest Chef for a private dinner for Anthony Bourdain in 2006 which was part of the Pacific Northwest episode of Bourdain’s Travel Channel television show, “No Reservations.” On the wine front, Gabriel has worked as a manager at Best Cellars wine retail stores in Manhattan and Seattle. He has been a wine instructor since 2002, and received his certification as a sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers in August, 2006.

Chef Curtiss began his Northwest culinary adventure in 1994 as Executive Chef at Al Boccalino. He went on to serve as Opening Chef of Andaluca where he received acclaim as “One of America’s most innovative chefs” by Wine Spectator.  At Assaggio his loyal fan base continued to grow. In 1999, Don took over the kitchen at the newly renovated, Prego Ristorante and Italian Cooking and Living named him “One of America’s Top 26 Chefs.”.  After living throughout Europe in 2004, Curtiss realized his longtime culinary dream opening Volterra with his wife, Michelle, in April 2005.  Volterra, named after the Tuscan hilltop town where the couple married, features a Tuscan-inspired menu showcasing the bountiful harvest of the Pacific Northwest.  

The Steelhead Diner will be Seattle’s meeting place; the place to be for a good meal, social interaction, a place to read your paper or watch the fun in the kitchen, the first place to take your out of town guests. For visitors, it’s the perfect place to get a real feel for the city-fresh, local food from confirmed Seattleites in the historic Market setting.

Key Individuals

More about Chef/Partner Kevin Davis

Executive Chef, The Oceanaire Seafood Room, 2001-2006

Executive Chef, Sazerac Restaurant, 1999-2001

Executive Sous Chef, Tra Vigne, Napa, 1997-1999

Executive Chef, Arnaud’s, New Orleans, 1991-1996

Executive Chef, Bacall’s Restaurant, Adelaide, South Australia, 1989-1991

Committed to sustainable fishing practices and being a good citizen of the planet

Fly fishing enthusiast o Avid long distance runner and eater

Basque chef Jiménez de Jiménez, of Basque and Castilian heritage began his career in 1979 in Madrid. His culinary education continued in San Sebastian, which continues to influence his career today. Then in Paris he studied classical French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu, followed by several months in Biarritz where he specialized in the cuisine of Gascony and the French Basque country. The list of his schooling in Europe is long and impressive. Joseph was hired by the Spanish government to work as an apprentice at the Royal House in special events as well as working for United States Embassy in Madrid in 1983. But in 1984 he left Spain to work under Chef Louis Urrumbide, a French-Basque chef. During the next several years he worked as a consulting chef and helped to set-up and open over 20 restaurants in New York and throughout the country. Jiménez de Jiménez moved to Seattle in 1991 and worked at Maximilien’s becoming Chef de Cuisine 2 years later. Further Jiménez was Chef de Cuisine of Prego in 1994. While working at the Ruins, a private dining club, he met his wife, Pastry Chef Carolin Messier de Jiménez in 1996. Shortly after the wedding a year later, they opened a catering business, The Harvest Vine. Then in September 1997 The Harvest Vine (a tiny restaurant with only 22 seats) was born, serving tapas and regional specialties from the Basque Country. In 2003 The Harvest Vine expanded and now seats 50. His wife Carolin develops the desserts using an eclectic as well as classic Spanish approach. Presently the pair are developing two new projects- a San Sebastian-style pintxo bar which is slated to open in Belltown in November, and a boutique hotel and fine dining restaurant in southwest France-which will begin renovations in 2008.

Born April 29, 1958 in Ft. Knox, Kentucky, “army brat” Wayne Johnson traveled the world, experiencing the diversity of various cultures while growing up.  No matter where his family was based, the Johnson’s were always together with family in Kentucky during the holidays, and his mother’s famous “feasts” were a definite influence on Wayne’s cooking in later years. As a high school and college Greco and Roman style wrestler, Wayne took to running four to five miles a night to stay in shape after enjoying “…those crazy feast times where Mom gave me the opportunity to taste so many different types of dishes.” Wayne’s culinary adventures started in high school, working as a dishwasher and prep cook, as he worked towards the purchase of his first car. He headed off to school at University of Northern Colorado to study accounting and spent the next three and a half years cooking his way through college. In 1981, Wayne moved to Vail, Colorado, where he decided to pursue a culinary calling, which by his own account “…becomes more fun with each passing year.”  Starting a career with the Marriott Hotels and Resorts from 1981 to 1990, Wayne worked in various positions, from expeditor to cook, to line supervisor, to food production manager and eventually became banquet chef. In 1990, Wayne took his first Executive Chef position.  Becoming Executive Chef was the culmination of a “ten year dream”.  Wayne served in this capacity at several Bay area hotels.  Most recently he was Executive Chef for three years at the four-diamond rated Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel in San Francisco. With over 20 years of culinary experience, Chef Wayne has been a board member of the Chef Association of the Pacific Coast.  He has special training in the foods of Spain from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America - Greystone, located in Napa Valley, which serves him well in the Mediterranean inspired Andaluca. In 1999, Wayne was lured north and became Executive Chef of the Mayflower Park Hotel in downtown Seattle.  As such he oversees all food activities for the hotel, Andaluca Restaurant and Bar, and Oliver’s Lounge. At Andaluca, Chef Wayne gathers fresh local products and uses the seductive flavor of Mediterranean spices such as cumins, saffrons, paprikas and cinnamons to produce a palate of unique and flavorful menu items.  Under his supervision, Andaluca has won ” Seattle’s Best Mediterranean Restaurant” award three years running and Seattle Magazine’s “Best Overall Restaurant” award. It is listed in the ZAGAT Survey 2003 as one of “Seattle’s Top Mediterranean Restaurants” as well as being recognized in the top forty for Decor.

Peter Kuang, Chef/Owner of Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant, has been working in the restaurant industry since he was 14 years old.  Starting as a busboy at Seattle’s Seagarden Restaurant in Chinatown he waited tables there for 5 years before he became a manager for four years at Saigon Dynasty Restaurant which serves Vietnamese and Chinese food for up to 400 people.  Peter got his real estate license and has been working as an agent for the last 8 years while opening up his Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant at 418 8th Avenue S. in Seattle 4 years ago.  Peter learned how to cook Vietnamese food from his mother in law and continues to work as chef/owner at his restaurant.

Kathy Casey Food Studios welcomes new Sous Chef Matthew Noesen. Matthew comes to us from Oki Golf Clubs, most recently The Plateau Club in Sammamish. A Northwest native, Matthew graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in Video Communication then, after several years in business development, he moved to New York to follow his true passion-cooking. He attended The French Culinary Institute and graduated in 2002 with a Grand Diploma with Honors in Culinary Arts. Matthew stayed in New York for a couple of years working with Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill, and at Geisha Restaurant.

Named one of the “Top 40 Executives Under 40″ by the Puget Sound Business Journal, Michelle’s expertise in business and passion for fine food and spirits brings discipline and enthusiasm to Volterra. For the past 15 years, she has been involved in the start up of five emerging growth companies in the Seattle area, including the Experience Music Project (”EMP”). As Controller of EMP, Michelle was responsible for overseeing the financial operations of the $240 million project.  Quisenberry handles all PR and financial aspects of Volterra in addition to overseeing the Front of the House.

Award winning chef/owner, Thierry Rautureau of Rover’s restaurant in Seattle, Washington, hails from the town of Saint Hilaire de Clisson in the Muscadet region of France.  His parents were farmers in a small agricultural community where the cows and chickens outnumbered the people.  Seasonal cooking came naturally as his parents toiled the earth and cooked only what they grew.  As the oldest child, Rautureau was given the chore of doing the prep for dinner.  Working closely with his mother in the kitchen, he quickly became acquainted with fresh homegrown ingredients at a young age. At fourteen, Rautureau started a cooking apprenticeship in Anjou, France and at sixteen went on a Regional Tour de France and trained in the cities of Le Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, Chamonix in the French Alps, and Hendaye in the Pays Basque.  At twenty already with six years of traditional French training behind him, Rautureau headed for the United States and took his professional experience to La Fontaine with Jean Claude Poilevey in Chicago.  After three years in Chicago, Rautureau moved to Los Angeles where he worked at the Regency Club with Joachim Splichal, and then The Seventh Street Bistro with Laurent Quenioux. While visiting Seattle in 1987, Rautureau dined at Rover’s and discovered that the restaurant was up for sale.  Tired of Los Angeles, he decided to buy the restaurant so that he could express his culinary creativity as the chef/owner while enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  Today this intimate little restaurant in Madison Valley, nestled in a private courtyard, is filled with art and warm sophistication—a trademark of the friendly French Chef, otherwise known as The Chef In The Hat!!! When asked about his cooking philosophy, Rautureau says, “it starts with freshness and continues with treating all ingredients with attention.”  He identifies the cuisine at Rover’s as “Northwest contemporary with a French accent.”  His cuisine is also rich with Mediterranean overtones and distinctive Asian elements. His style is a very personal culinary statement.   Sometimes it is straightforward, other times he whimsically departs from the expected.  While dining at Rover’s one can recognize Thierry’s passionate commitment to food as art.Over the last eighteen years that Thierry Rautureau has owned Rover’s, the restaurant and chef have received local and national press recognition. Articles have appeared in Time Magazine, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, The Wine Spectator, Food Arts, Vancouver Magazine, Seattle Magazine, the New York Times, Sunset, USA Today, Seattle Times’ Pacific Magazine, Seattle Post Intelligencer, Fortune, Business Week, and Art Culinaire to name a few.

Chef Jason Wilson, named one of the 10 Best New Chef’s 2006 by Food and Wine Magazine, is the owner and executive chef of the critically acclaimed CRUSH Restaurant in Seattle. Staying true to his ideals, using only the finest and freshest organic ingredients, Jason has created a menu sure to amuse your senses. Blending a medley of spices and fragrances like cinnamon and allspice, star anise and clove, chile and thyme that marry so beautifully and sometimes unexpectedly with a variety of vintages.  His menus promise to take you on exotic voyages around the world. Jason’s passion and inspiration make for excellent dining experience. A 1995 graduate of the esteemed California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Jason’s passion for culinary knowledge and experience brought him to some of the most influential kitchens and patisseries in California, Singapore and France before eventually settling in Seattle. He opened CRUSH in 2005 with business and real life partner, Nicole Wilson, as part of a lifelong dream. Married on a private estate in Carntion during the 2001 crush, what else could they have named their first restaurant? Decorated in colors reminiscent of their first venture together at an espresso bar, the exterior walls are a rich cappuccino with milky white trim. CRUSH is the perfect expression of their love for each other and the perfect showcase for Jason’s food. Contemporary American with a European influence is how Jason describes his style of cooking. A big supporter of local growers and producers, he emphasizes organic ingredients and seasonal products. Always looking to test his skills, Jason approached this challenge of pairing food and fine wines with an open mind and great enthusiasm.