Starchefs picks Portland’s Rising Star chefs

View full sizeMotoya Nakamura/The OregonianKir Jensen, pastry chef at the Sugar Cube cart in Southeast Portland.Starchefs.com has picked its 2011 Rising Star chefs for Portland, the first time the website has given out awards here.

Starchefs, a restaurant-industry-focused website based in New York, has named Rising Star winners in four cities each year, beginning in 2003.

Judges from the site sample dozens of tasting menus at restaurants across each city to pick their winners. Six Rising Star chefs are chosen in all, along with winners in several other categories, including pastry chef, hotel chef, mixologist, best concept, sommelier and restaurateur.

Many of the names chosen as Portland winners will be familiar to followers of the local dining scene, including Aaron Barnett, chef at St. Jack, The Oregonian’s 2011 Rising Star of the Year; “Top Chef Masters” contestant Naomi Pomeroy of Beast; and Gabe Rucker of Le Pigeon, the 2011 James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year.

Others are names we’ll likely hear more often in the future: William Preisch of the recently opened Bent Brick tavern; Greg Perrault of June; and Sarah Pliner, Kat Whitehead and Jasper Shen, the trio of chefs whose Aviary restaurant suffered fire damage on July 4. In an only-in-Portland twist, one of two pastry chef winners was a food cart owner.

“We were shocked,” says Pliner, whose Aviary will reopen in November. “The Starchefs is kind of a big deal in New York, which is where we’ve all been for the past 10 years. I know most people in Portland have never heard of it. We didn’t think we had a chance, especially since we were closed. It was very surprising and nice.”

Judges sampled five-course tasting menus at restaurants across Portland to select the winners.

Kir Jensen, pastry chef at Southeast Portland’s Sugar Cube cart, says she doesn’t know what to expect from the award.

“I’m really excited and honored,” Jensen says. “I’ve been doing this for a super long time, but being in a cart, we’re usually separated in a different category (for awards). So it’s really nice to be noticed, regardless of whether I’m in a restaurant or in a food cart.”

Chef winners will cook for an awards gala Dec. 5 at the Nines Hotel.
Michael Russell: 503-294-5013, mrussell@oregonian.com, oregonlive.com/dining

STARCHEFS.COM PORTLAND RISING STAR CHEFS
 
Rising Star chefs
Aaron Barnett, St. Jack
Greg Perrault, June
Sarah Pliner, Kat Whitehead and Jasper Shen, Aviary
Naomi Pomeroy, Beast
William Preisch, The Bent Brick
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon

Hotel chef
Andy Arndt, Aquariva at Avalon Hotel and Spa

Sustainability chef
Sunny Jin, Jory

Community chef
Jenn Louis, Lincoln
Elias Cairo, salumist, Olympic Provisions

Pastry chef
Kir Jensen, Sugar Cube
Kristen Murray, Paley’s Place

Baker
Tim Healea, Little T American Baker

Sommelier
Jack Hott, Castagna

Restaurateur
Kurt Huffman, Chefstable (Gruner, Ping, St. Jack, Kask, Foster Burger)

Mixologist
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Clyde Common

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