Award-Winning Chef Gregory Gourdet: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became a Chef

Everything happens for a reason even though sometimes we don’t understand why.

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Gregory Gourdet.

Chef Gregory Gourdet is the culinary mastermind from Portland, OR, most recently ending a 10 year run as the Executive Chef and Culinary Director for Departure Restaurant + Lounge, where he paired local ingredients with the bold flavors and traditions of Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea to create modern Asian fare. A James Beard Award nominee and native New Yorker from Queens, Gourdet honed his culinary skills within celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant dynasty. Gourdet’s extensive global travels to research and understand other cultures allow him to see Oregon’s lush bounty through a global lens, producing a constantly evolving seasonal menu inspired by cooking methods and ingredients he has encountered during continuous trips to Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. He recently returned to Haiti for the first time in 20 years to reconnect with his cultural heritage, a trip that inspired Haitian cuisine to become a special part of his culinary repertoire.