Dustin Clark
Executive Chef
Dustin Clark says in the Pacific Northwest, he has found some of the best produce worldwide. “When I spent three months traveling around Europe, I always compared it to the great fruits and vegetables in Oregon. Even the open-air markets in Nice on the coast of France didn’t measure up,” he says.
A South Dakota native, Dustin began work in restaurants during his teen years after having spent his youth fishing, hunting and gardening. At 18, he was enrolled at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, and did one of his externships at Wildwood. “I hadn’t been introduced to Cory yet,” says Dustin, “when he followed me around on my first day. He thought my method for cooking asparagus was unusual. Then he tried one,” Cory has trusted Dustin ever since. “His influence on Wildwood’s menu has brought a deeper focus to the study and definitions of foods of the Pacific Northwest,” notes Cory. “Dustin understands the raw product so well – he puts in into its simplest form, which emphasizes its true flavor.” In 2006, Dustin quickly moved to Chef de Cuisine, and on to Executive Chef at Wildwood.
Dustin has a very cerebral approach to cooking, and he especially enjoys preparing game. “The challenge is to balance and enhance the flavors,” he says. “The mistake is when other flavors on the plate overpower a mild taste, like rabbit, or to not use strong enough tastes so that they’re lost next to the flavors of wild game.”
Jeff Moore
Wine Director
As former wine manager of the Red Feather Lounge in Idaho, Jeff Moore kept the Boise restaurant’s multi-level blue neon “wine tower” stocked with the best of the Pacific Northwest. In 2004, he moved to Portland in search of a restaurant with a similar approach to local food and wine. The self-taught aficionado immediately found a home as a server at Wildwood, where the seasonal wine list is designed to complement the body and flavor of the menu’s cuisine.
As grape production in the region has burgeoned beyond pinot, so has Jeff’s passion. “It’s all about finesse,” he says of his own personal collection, which is heavy on elegant burgundies and chablis, but has grown to include some more audacious Australian varietals. With the total number in his cellar hovering around 600 bottles, invitations to Jeff’s dinner parties are coveted among the Wildwood staff. Blessed with an encyclopedic memory for the educational aspects of oenophilia as well as specific wines he may have tasted only once long ago, he has begun the process to become a Master Sommelier.
As Wildwood’s wine director, Jeff accentuates the wine list with a handful of old world wines while retaining its original concept. “We will always be supportive of the local wine industry because it is part of Wildwood’s tradition. By broadening our scope, we’re providing a slightly bigger picture and hopefully a fuller appreciation for our local artisans.”
