Cathy Whims

Cathy Whims is an American chef and restaurateur based in Portland, Oregon. She is a six-time James Beard Foundation Award finalist, and has owned several restaurants in Portland, including Genoa, Nostrana, and the pizzeria Oven and Shaker.

Cathy Whims
NationalityAmerican
Occupation
Years active1970s–present

Early life and influences

Whims was raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[1] Her mother was "from the Julia Child-era school" of cooking. She has been influenced by Italian-born cooking writer Marcella Hazan and French chef and restaurateur Madeleine Kamman.[2]

Career
Whims became a chef and co-owner during her eighteen-year tenure at the defunct Italian restaurant Genoa (front exterior pictured in 2012).
Exterior of Oven and Shaker, 2017

Early in her career, Whims was the bread and pastry chef in a local natural food restaurant and catered private dinners in Chapel Hill, and later worked at kitchens in the San Francisco Bay Area.[1] She relocated to Portland in 1979 and immediately began working at Produce Row Cafe, and later served as a prep cook at the defunct Italian restaurant Genoa.[3] Her title rose to executive chef and she became a co-owner during her eighteen-year tenure at Genoa, which has been credited "for bringing fine-dining to Portland",[2][4] and closed in 2014.[5] Whims studied with Marcella Hazan in Venice in 1998,[6] and later worked at restaurants in Italy's Langhe region.[4]

Whims has opened several restaurants in Portland, including Nostrana (2005–present),[7] Hamlet (2015–2017),[8][9] and the pizzeria/bar Oven and Shaker (2011–present).[2][10] She was a James Beard Foundation Award finalist for six consecutive years after opening Nostrana.[3][11] Following Hazan's death in 2013, Whims commemorated the chef by creating a special tribute menu at Nostrana.[12] The restaurant's menu has featured other recipes inspired by Hazan, as well as American chef, baker, and writer Nancy Silverton.[13] Hamlet was named one of Portland's best restaurants by Portland Monthly in 2015.[9]

In 2017, Whims served as Oregon's ambassador of the James Beard Foundation's Smart Catch program, which promotes sustainable seafood practices.[14] She opened the 40-seat wine European bar Enoteca Nostrana, adjacent to Nostrana, in 2018.[15][16]

Recognition

Whims has received six James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef: Northwest,[2][17] each year from 2008 to 2013.[11] She was also nominated for a 2016 James Beard Foundation Journalism Award in the "Home Cooking" category for a story she co-authored with Langdon Cook called "Into the Woods",[18] published in EatingWell magazine. She has been described by Portland Monthly's Benjamin Tepler as "the unofficial doyenne of Italian cooking" for the Pacific Northwest.[7] Katie Chang of Food Republic wrote, "Whims also helped train and usher in a new generation of talented chefs and restaurateurs... whom many credit with cementing Portland's status as a world-class dining destination."[19] Her recipes have been shared in cookbooks and by a variety of other publications such as Epicurious,[20][21] The Seattle Times, [22] and The Wall Street Journal.[1][23]

Personal life

Whims is married and lives in Portland, Oregon.[24] Her partner, David West, co-owns Nostrana and Enoteca Nostrana.[25][26][27] She has described herself as a "born-again Italian".[19] Whims has a sister who also works in the restaurant industry.[2]

See also

References
  1. Wolf, Laurie (July 17, 2012). Portland, Oregon Chef's Table: Extraordinary Recipes from the City of Roses. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 180. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  2. Bamman, Mattie John (March 8, 2017). "Meet the Powerhouse Women Running Portland's Food Scene: Cathy Whims". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  3. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (April 11, 2018). "Cathy Whims Wants to Teach Portland's Newbies to Love Wine". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  4. "Interview with Cathy Whims, Owner and Executive Chef of Nostrana". Ravenous Traveler. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  5. Russell, Michael (April 21, 2014). "Genoa restaurant in SE Portland closing in May". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  6. Russell, Michael (October 2, 2013). "Nostrana's Cathy Whims remembers her hero, Marcella Hazan". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  7. Tepler, Benjamin (September 24, 2015). "Cathy Whims on a Decade at Nostrana". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  8. Centoni, Danielle (May 6, 2015). "Take a Look Inside Hamlet, the Pearl District's Newest Bar". Eater. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  9. Bamman, Mattie John (May 26, 2017). "Cathy Whims's Hamlet Closes This Saturday". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  10. Oven and Shaker:
  11. "Cathy Whims". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  12. DeJesus, Erin (October 4, 2013). "Paley's Revamps Cocktail Menu; Nostrana's Hazan Tribute". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  13. Politzer, Kerry (September 29, 2017). "Nostrana Chef Finds Inspiration in Italy". Oregon Jewish Life. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  14. Bamman, Mattie John. "James Beard Foundation and Chef Cathy Whims Bring Sustainable Seafood Initiative to Oregon". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  15. Russell, Michael (April 17, 2018). "Nostrana chef Cathy Whims is opening a Euro-style wine bar and it's gorgeous". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  16. Brooks, Karen (January 24, 2018). "Celebrated Chef Cathy Whims to Open Enoteca Nostrana". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  17. Kramer, Julia (June 26, 2014). "Yes, You Can Mix Pasta Shapes—Here's How". Bon Appétit. ISSN 0006-6990. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  18. "The 2016 James Beard Award Nominees". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  19. Chang, Katie (October 13, 2015). "Portland Pioneer Cathy Whims Is An Eternal Pizza Romantic". Food Republic. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  20. Cookbooks:
  21. "Sweet and Sour Pan-Fried Sea Bass - Chef Cathy Whims". Epicurious. Condé Nast. September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  22. "Recipe: Cathy Whim's Insalata Nostrana". The Seattle Times. September 1, 2014. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  23. The Wall Street Journal:
  24. Walsh, Chad (September 27, 2016). "When She Wants to Return to Italy, Nostrana's Cathy Whims Heads to Burrasca". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  25. Porter, Roger (December 6, 2005). "Yours, Mine and Ours: Nostrana's antique dishes satisfy contemporary cravings". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  26. Perry, Douglas (March 11, 2008). "Restaurant News: Nostrana Team Splits Up". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  27. Frane, Alex (March 8, 2018). "15 Most Anticipated Portland Spring/Summer Restaurant Openings". Eater Portland. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
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