Feature Spring 2014 Park Tudor School
Gordon Wishard Jr. ’92 prepares to cure the leg of an American guinea hog at his restaurant La Medusa.
like a professional. The Food Network did not exist and Julia Child was the celebrity chef with whom I was most familiar. After studying anthropology at the University of Arizona, I decided my heart was really focused on cooking. I thought it would be a good idea to get a job in a restaurant to make sure it was really what I wanted to pursue. Everybody told me culinary school was a must, but I wanted to try things on my own terms. I worked for a year-and-a-half at a low-end corporate restaurant and loved it. I became familiar with the environment and learned exactly what I did not want to do. Then, I convinced the chef at the former Benvenuti restaurant in Indianapolis to take a chance and hire me as a prep cook. It was the best restaurant in the city and I was terrified, but my corporate days were over. The year I spent at Benvenuti was incredible, something I think of often. It was my culinary school. The chef was self-taught and the sous chef was a graduate of the finest culinary school in the country. I had the best of both worlds in terms of education and encouragement. In 1998 I decided to leave home again and head to the West Coast. Seattle was a destination based partly on my love for the west, but mostly on chance. The economy was strong and I thought if it didn’t work, I could try Portland. Seattle welcomed me and quickly turned into home. It had all of what I was looking for. The local seafood, meat and produce were better than anything I had seen anywhere. I worked at a handful of the best restaurants in the city as cook, sous chef, chef de cuisine and chef before being hired at La Medusa as the chef in 2009. The former owner was looking for someone with a passion equal to hers, someone she could eventually sell the restaurant to. My former sous chef and I partnered and bought it just over a year ago. The transition was seamless––too easy. 2013 was the best year in the restaurant’s 15-year history. I am so lucky to wake up every day and do what I love. I make no compromises at work. I have the opportunity to support the small farmers I have developed relationships with over the years. I have the ability to pay my staff well, a responsibility that provides drive and motivation for success. I am in a position
Wishard puts the finishing touches on an outdoor feast.
to educate younger cooks and have an impact on their futures. The days are long and sometimes hard, but by and large they are filled with fun. Being a part of the city, giving back to the community and working with your friends makes the hard times worthwhile. I spend most of my downtime in my yard and garden. There is nothing better than pulling an entire meal from your yard and sharing it with friends. As for the future, I am hoping to open a salumeria in 2015. For the past seven or eight years, curing meat has had me spellbound. It started with trips to Europe, where I ate amazing cured meats, and has developed into an obsession that is fueled by my friend Jim Parker at Heritage Farms NW. He raises the finest heritage-breed hogs in the country, if not the world, and I am so lucky to have access to them. The salumeria will be a threephase project over the course of the next seven to 10 years. The culinary community in Seattle is more than I could have ever asked for. We are all friends and supportive of one another. If there is something somebody doesn’t know, there are many people to help and advise. Finding what you love and realizing the standards you demand only lead to success. What’s on the menu? Perciatelli con le Sarde: Homemade long, hollow pasta noodles with a sauce of fennel, saffron and sardines
La Medusa 4857 Rainier Ave S Seattle, WA lamedusarestaurant.com
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