CHEF DAVID EZELLE
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Born in Orange County, CA, David Ezelle relocated to the Northwest in the 2004 after spending more than a decade working in Northern California with highly recognizable restaurant groups and respected chefs. David made his way to college in Missouri, eventually taking part time work in restaurants as a way to generate income to pay for school. It wasn’t until his mid-twenties that David changed gears and made a path to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY graduating in 1995. Upon graduation from CIA, David joined Real Restaurant hired by co-founders Bill Upson, Bill Higgins and Cindy Pawlcyn. Chef David found mentorship from Doug “Bix” Biederbeck and Gordon Drysdale partners of several Bay Area iconic restaurants as Chef David worked his way up the kitchen ranks at Real Restaurant Group. Chef Ezelle has a respect for fellow Bay Area noted chef/restaurateur Thomas Keller which has helped shape his balanced approach in the kitchen. Chef Ezelle made his way to Portland in 2004 to move closer to his family. It wasn’t long before he found his way back at the helm of the kitchen, this time with Paragon, a part of the Moana Restaurant Group. Chef David took a hiatus from Paragon when Moana management sent him into their seafood restaurant, Bay 13 as Executive Chef to steady that kitchen before eventually returning to Paragon. Chef David describes his cooking as one with an honest, straight-forward approach allowing the ingredients to shine in each dish he creates. He values that the Northwest is a region that typically has chefs showing an ingredient driven approachability. When not in the kitchen at the Fish House Chef David resides in Portland finding time for his favorite non-cooking hobbies; golf, scuba diving and fly fishing. |
