Guest Chef Night: Chefs Clevenger & Cruz Mendoza

Guest Chef Night pairs premier local chefs with FareStart students to create a three-course meal served by volunteer community members. All revenue and donations from Guest Chef Night support FareStart’s job training and placement programs.

About the Chef

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, Eldr, Haerfest, G.H. Pasta & Pizza, Autumn 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.”

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Hailing from Moses Lake, a small town in Eastern Washington, Chef Ricardo Cruz Mendoza, the youngest of four brothers, fell in love with cooking at an early age while visiting Zinapecuaro, Michoacán – and has been in kitchens ever since. He is currently the chef of Vendemmia – General Harvest’s flagship restaurant located in Madrona, Seattle