Tickets are on sale for chef Bonnie Morales’ collaborations with chefs from Automatic Seafood & Oysters, Junebaby, Mr. Jiu’s, and Revelry
PORTLAND, Ore. (Feb. 7, 2020) – Kachka’s sold-out dinner series in 2019 blew diners away with feasts that mashed up Russian food with cuisines you’d never expect: Mexican, Macanese, and Middle Eastern – cooked by some of the buzziest chefs in the country. Chef/co-owner Bonnie Morales is at it again, inviting four chefs she’s inspired by from around the country to cook with her in the kitchen at Kachka. “Interwoven,” presented by Kuni Lexus of Portland and the Jupiter Hotel, is a series of four dinners that will be truly collaborative: Morales will cook dishes inspired by her guest chefs, and they’ll, in turn, incorporate Eastern European flavors and ingredients from Kachka to create new dishes inspired by her cooking.
Each meal is a multi-course feast where the chef’s riff off of each other and the dishes will be presented in tandem with the aim of creating a seamless, one-of-a-kind meal that interweaves each of their cuisines. Guests arrive to tables filled with plates of zakuski created by both chefs, and the dinner builds from there. Kachka’s beverage team also creates four special vodka infusions inspired by the guest restaurant for that night only.
The Lineup
March 11th – Rachel Yang of Joule, Revel and Revelry (Portland, OR and Seattle, WA)
June 10th – Brandon Jew of Mr. Jiu’s, Mamahuhu and Moongate Lounge (San Francisco, CA)
October 21th – Adam Evans of Automatic Seafood & Oysters (Birmingham, AL)
December 3rd – Edouardo Jordan of JuneBaby, Salare and Lucinda Grain Bar (Seattle, WA)
Tickets/Details Each dinner will begin at 7pm at Kachka, with cocktails in Kachka Lavka starting at 6:30pm. Tickets are $100 per person, including a family-style dinner at communal tables, vodka infusion pairings and gratuity. Tickets are available at Kachkapdx.com/events
About the Chefs
Bonnie Morales is the first-generation American daughter of Belarusian immigrants, who grew up in Chicago in a large family that brought with them the distinctive culture of food and drink of the former Soviet Union. She trained at the Culinary Institute of America, then honed her skills in several of New York and Chicago’s Michelin starred restaurants. In 2014 Bonnie and her husband Israel opened Kachka, their dream restaurant devoted to the food that Bonnie grew up with, inspired by Russia and former Soviet republics. Kachka has received accolades from many national publications and Eater National included Kachka on their list of Best Restaurants in America from 2015-2018, the only restaurant in Portland to be included. Morales was named a Rising Star Chef by StarChefs, and a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest in 2018. Kachka recently opened Kachka Lavka, an Eastern European deli and grocery upstairs from Kachka. Morales’ first cookbook, Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim.
Rachel Yang, a 2019 James Beard Award nominee for the Best Chef Northwest, is known for her singular culinary vision that artfully blends a love of bold, unexpected flavors with classic technique. Her food defies expectation and simple definition, and has earned her a reputation as an innovator and creative force. Yang’s food is beloved by seasoned, adventurous diners and often considered a revelation by newcomers eager to expand their palates. Her cuisine is informed equally by her personal history as a Korean native as well as her kitchen experience at restaurants Per Se, Essex House, and DB Bistro Moderne. Along with her co-chef and husband, Seif Chirchi, Yang owns two Seattle restaurants: Joule, a contemporary Korean steakhouse that was named one of 2013’s Best New Restaurants in America by Bon Appetit Magazine, and Revel, a lively, casual space for street food-style comfort food. Now Portland is the new home for her latest and most exciting restaurant, Revelry, opened in August of 2016.
Brandon Jew is the executive chef and owner of Mister Jiu’s, a contemporary Chinese American restaurant in the heart of San Francisco Chinatown. Mister Jiu’s combines the local, seasonal and organic farmed bounty of the Bay Area together with classic Chinese techniques and flavors. The restaurant celebrates its place in the historic neighborhood working to evolve and define Chinese American cuisine in the Bay Area. Brandon’s training spans from Bologna, Italy to Shanghai, China and many restaurants within the Bay Area. He considers Judy Rodgers (Zuni Café), Michael Tusk (Quince) and his grandma, Ying Ying, to be his most influential mentors. In 2019 he opened Moongate Lounge, a cocktail bar and event space above Mister Jiu’s and in 2020 opened Mamahuhu, a casual neighborhood restaurant serving Chinese American classics in the Inner Richmond. Brandon has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Mind of a Chef, Ugly Delicious, and Vice Munchies. His honors at Mister Jiu’s include one Michelin star, Bon Appetit #3 Restaurant on Hot 10 2017, SF Magazine Chef of the Year and James Beard nomination for Best Chef West 2018.
Adam Evans opened his first restaurant, Automatic Seafood & Oysters, in Birmingham, AL in April 2019, quickly earning national recognition as one of both Esquire’s and Thrillist’s Best New Restaurants in America that year. The restaurant, named for the building’s past life as an Automatic Sprinkler Corporation manufacturing facility, is located in the up-and-coming Lakeview neighborhood of Birmingham. Working directly with local vendors, markets, and fisheries, Chef Evans’ menu features simple, high-quality seafood dishes, primarily sourced from the Gulf, which he combines with bold flavors and classic technique. Comfortable, elegant, and classic, the space at Automatic lends itself to a coastal setting — not speaking directly to one specific body of water or region, but drawing inspiration from all shorelines. Previously, the Muscle Shoals, AL native made his mark on Atlanta’s culinary landscape through his signature seafood dishes at The Optimist. In 2015, Adam opened Atlanta’s Brezza Cucina with Chef Jonathan Waxman, and in 2017 he returned home to Birmingham, AL with the goal of opening his dream restaurant with his wife, interior designer Suzanne Humphries Evans.
Edouardo Jordan was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida and attended college at the University of Florida. After graduating with dual degrees in business administration and sports management, Jordan decided to enroll in culinary school at the Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando. Following graduation from culinary school, Jordan’s ambition brought him to renowned restaurants such as The French Laundry, where he apprenticed, Per Se, and Lincoln Ristorante in New York. With thoughts of raising a family and opening a restaurant in mind, Jordan moved to Seattle where he began working at Sitka and Spruce as Sous Chef. In 2013, Jordan was asked to open Bar Sajor as Chef de Cuisine and used this as an opportunity to learn as much as he could about opening a restaurant. Jordan opened his first restaurant, Salare, in June of 2015, which was named one of the Best New Restaurants in America by Eater National. Salare takes influences from France, Italy, the American south, and the Caribbean and has become one of Seattle’s hottest restaurants. In April 2017, Chef Jordan opened his second restaurant, JuneBaby, which focuses on his roots and Southern Cuisine, and was awarded Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2018. Edouardo Jordan was nominated for the James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest in 2016, named a finalist in 2017, and took home the award in 2018. That December, he opened his third restaurant in Seattle, Lucinda Grain Bar, which focuses on heirloom, ancient, and local grains.
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