Edouardo Jordan, Chef and Restaurateur

Chef Edouardo Jordan Shares His Favorite Dishes and Destinations

James Beard Award-winning chef Edouardo Jordan operates three prestigious eateries in Seattle’s sleepy Ravenna neighborhood: JuneBaby, Salare and Lucinda Grain Bar. While many might consider the chef to be a man of the city, the classically trained restaurant owner also has a true passion for nature. Indeed, Jordan says it was one of the reasons he first moved to the Emerald City from his native Florida in 2006. We recently caught up with the chef to ask him about how he landed in Seattle, where he takes his son to eat and if there’s any food that’s off-limits for him.

What drew you to the Northwest?

The vast amount of farmers, the seafood, the sustainability, the mindset of the Seattle food culture. It’s an amazing food scene here. I saw it as the next big culinary landscape.

What are a few of your favorite Northwest restaurants?

Mamnoon in Seattle and Holdfast and Ox in Portland are some of my old favorites. … In Seattle, there’s also Manolin and Sawyer and the classic Herbfarm.

Where do you take your son to eat?  

Like any kid, he loves pizza. So we go to Tutta Bella and Mioposto more than any other place. When we want to go big and really enjoy ourselves, we go to Delancey.

Do you have favorite dishes in your own restaurants? 

Definitely the fried chicken at JuneBaby. We only serve it once a week and we do an excellent job. At Salare, it’s the egg-based Dungeness crab custard. We slowly bake it in the oven in a water bath. It’s very luscious and topped with fresh Dungeness crab. We serve it with flowers that bloom at the restaurant in spring.

Where do you spend your down time? 

I like to go to Ocean Shores and hang out in cabins by the beach [with] my dog. Or I’ll go to Oregon and do the same, laying low by the ocean in little towns, hearing the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks. Leavenworth is another area where I go for the beer and sausage or for hikes to look for porcini, lion’s mane and cauliflower mushrooms.

When you enter a new restaurant, where do your eyes go?

Right into the kitchen. What are they doing in the kitchen? How beautiful is it? How organized is the chef?

Is there any food you won’t eat?

I’ll try anything once.

–Written by Jake Uitti

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