scene
news Written by RACHEL GALLAHER
dishing up drama Roberto Cortez is no stranger to high-end dinner parties in which the aesthetics matter just as much as what’s on the plate. A classically trained chef, he has helped oversee foodand-design events in London, and has served as personal chef for Paul Allen and Eddie Murphy, among others. In 2001, while living in Los Angeles, he launched CR8 (pronounced “create”)—a pop-up, site-specific dinner series that combines local designers’ talent with gourmet food. Cortez recently moved to Seattle and brought CR8 with him. The first Northwest event, designed by Joy Rondello of J+Studio, held in April at Bandia Rua Studios (shown here),
included lighting by Seattle’s Yuri Kinoshita; a custom dining table from Rob Hendrickson of One Works; utilitarian cutlery made by Katja Bremkamp; and an eight-course meal. Although Cortez won’t divulge details about his next CR8 dinner, which will be held in late August, he has revealed that Matthew Biancaniello, one of America’s top bartenders, is coming up from L.A. to be part of the collaboration. Want to go? We hope you have patience. The venue is secret, and would-be attendees have to register on Cortez’s website on a first-come, first-served basis; all others are wait-listed for the next event. Good food comes to those who wait. h GRAY ISSUE No. SEVENTEEN
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