Seattle, WA
The Seattle Restaurant World Is Mourning Acclaimed Chef Tamara Murphy
On Saturday night, August 10, Tamara Murphy, the 63-year-old owner of celebrated Capitol Hill restaurant Terra Plata, died after suffering a stroke.
Murphy was one of the leading lights of a generation of chefs that defined Pacific Northwest cuisine. She focused on local and seasonal ingredients at a time when that was an unusual approach, and ran some of Seattle’s most influential restaurants, including the now-closed Campagne, where she won a James Beard Award; her first restaurant, Brasa, which also closed, and Terra Plata, which she opened with her partner in life and business, Linda Di Lello Morton. She was a legend and remained at the top of her game until her death: The New York Times recently named Terra Plata one of the top 25 restaurants in Seattle.
She was also known for her commitment to charity. She founded An Incredible Feast, an event that raises money for local farmers markets, and Burning Beast, a “culinary Burning Man” where top Seattle chefs cook in fire pits at Snohomish County’s Smoke Farm, raising money for the Rubicon Foundation, an arts and conservation nonprofit. In 2016, Murphy and Di Lello Morton were named Community Leaders of the Year by the Greater Seattle Business Association, a chamber of commerce made up of LGBTQ people and their and allies. When the COVID pandemic began, the couple started Food Is Love, which partnered with restaurants to distribute 38,000 meals to food-insecure families.
Murphy’s sudden death sent shockwaves of grief through the Seattle restaurant community, as captured by an obituary in the Seattle Times. In that obit, famed restaurateur Tom Douglas described her as “proud, opinionated, talented, thoughtful, fighter, dynamo, philanthropic, fabulous chef, loyal friend.” Smoke Farm director Stuart Smithers told the paper, “She was always thinking about others — how to help, how to make life bigger and better, whether it was an immigrant dishwasher, her community of chefs or a struggling nonprofit.”
As the Times recounts, Murphy was born in Pennsylvania, and grew up in North Carolina and Peru. She worked at restaurants in New York (Anthony Bourdain was once a coworker) before moving to Seattle in 1988. Once there, she spent time at Dominique’s Place, one of the city’s top French restaurants, before taking over the kitchen at Campagne (another top French restaurant). She ran the cafe at the original Elliot Bay Book Company in Pioneer Square and opened the celebrated tapas restaurant Brasa in 1999. (It closed in 2010.) After that, Murphy focused her energy on Terra Plata, opening it inside Capitol Hill’s Melrose Market in 2011 after a legal battle with the landlords.
Along the way, Murphy mentored countless chefs, among them Jim Drohman, the first owner of legendary French restaurant Le Pichet — he once called her “the hardest-core line cook I ever saw” — and Holly Smith, who owns the celebrated Cafe Juanita and who helped open Brasa. “Her trust in me — at that time and forever after — was empowering and shaped me professionally. A bright flame, so outrageously talented, with a stellar palate, and a breadth and depth of experience that she was open to sharing with all she met,” Smith told the Times. “She was everything all at once.”
Some chefs of Murphy’s caliber build empires, but Murphy stayed put at Terra Plata, establishing one of Seattle’s most well-loved restaurants. It is maybe best known for its secluded rooftop — a sanctuary improbably close to I-5 — with a garden that grows herbs used by the kitchen. The Greater Seattle Business Association described Terra Plata in an Instagram post following Murphy’s death:
At Terra Plata, we came to celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings; we gathered on that magical rooftop to commiserate about the state of the world; we fundraised for countless nonprofits and candidates running for office; from city council members to Presidential nominees. Intense conversations and belly laughing stories at Terra Plata always were shared over mouthwatering foods from Chef Tamara’s famous homemade potato chips, blistered shishito peppers, famous roasted pig and those indescribable churros.
There were many signature dishes at Terra Plata, from those chips to Monday night paella, but the roast pig may have been Murphy’s specialty. In 2006, when she still owned Brasa, Murphy started a blog called Life of a Pig, which documented her experiences raising, slaughtering, and cooking several pigs. In it, she described something close to her philosophy as a chef, which cut against the molecular gastronomy trends dominant at the time.
“In an age where chefs are reaching to their chemistry books to create food from things that aren’t, I am reaching back to the farm where things have been mostly forgotten. I won’t be turning back… Perhaps NEW can be found in the almost forgotten,” she wrote. “Less than half of a generation ago, many more of us ‘knew our food’ and perhaps a new purpose for me, is to teach or at least inspire a NEW way to remember what food is about and WHERE it comes from. When we reach into the uncomfortable areas of food, we can find information about ourselves and what we as eaters, chefs and cooks are about and what we and the animals are capable of.”
Murphy suffered the stroke that killed her on Wednesday but was kept on life support for several days so her organs could be donated per her wishes, the Times reported. On Terra Plata’s website, it says that “a celebration of her life will be announced at a later date.”
Seattle, WA
Seattle man sentenced for scheme to abuse Vietnamese children
A 38-year-old Seattle man was sentenced for producing child sex abuse imagery in a scheme to get images of sexually abused children from a coconspirator in Vietnam, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced earlier this week.
Richard Stanley Maness Jr. will spend 30 years in prison for two federal felonies: conspiracy to produce child sexual abuse material and production of child sexual abuse material.
“In recommending this 30-year prison sentence, our office is doing everything it can to protect innocent children here and overseas. Mr. Maness remains a danger, unable to accept the harm he has done,” U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said, according to the attorney’s office. “Instead, he insists he is the victim, but the jury and the judge saw through Maness’s fabricated claims of innocence.”
Law enforcement rescued two young children who had been kidnapped off the street in April 2024, according to records filed in the case.
“The mother of the two sisters was distraught when she could not find them,” the news release stated.
The girls were taken to an Airbnb by Maness’ female coconspirator.
Seattle man directed sexual abuse of young children
Messages Maness sent document him directing the sexual abuse of a young child.
“These victims were not candy in a dish for you to take out the one you liked,” U.S. District Judge Richard Jones said at the sentencing hearing, according to the attorney’s office. “In the mind of that 7-year-old, you were a monster directing the pain she suffered.”
Maness was arrested in a Seattle apartment after detectives in Vietnam contacted Homeland Security Investigations.
Along with 30 years behind bars, Maness was sentenced to 20 years of supervised release.
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Seattle, WA
A Pike Place Market Bar Is Closing After 36 Years
A longtime Pike Place Market fixture is closing permanently: This week the owners of Pike Brewing Company announced that it will be closing Pike Pub and Pike Fish Bar, which share a space inside the market on First Avenue.
Pike Brewing is a venerable craft brewer, established in 1989 (the fish bar opened much later, in 2022). In 2021, after the death of co-founder Rose Ann Finkel, the brewery partnered with the investment company Seattle Hospitality Group. Last year SHG acquired a controlling stake in Fremont Brewing, bringing the two prominent beer-makers under the same umbrella.
Matt Lincecum, who founded Fremont Brewing and is now the CEO of Pike Brewing, says that rising food and labor costs contributed to the decision to close — ketchup has gone up in price “20 to 40 percent,” for instance. He describes the closure as part of Pike Brewing’s “evolution”: The brand will continue to produce and distribute its beers, and is keeping its taproom at the Seattle Convention Center. Fremont Brewing’s beer garden business is “very healthy,” Lincecum adds.
The closure means that about 35 employees, mostly part-timers, will lose their jobs. Lincecum says that they will be paid and receive benefits until the end of the year. The pub and fish bar will be pouring $4 drafts until it closes on Sunday, November 30.
Over the summer, Renee Erickson’s famed steakhouse Bateau temporarily closed for a “reimagining,” and it looks like that process is nearly done. Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reports that Erickson’s Sea Creatures group is eyeing a February reopening date, with a revamped menu. Co-owner Jeremy Price told the neighborhood news outlet that the plan is to invite back all former staff members (who, notably, unionized earlier this year). Meanwhile, Sea Creatures is planning to open its long-awaited three new restaurants in Pioneer Square’s Railspur development in December.
Fire breaks out at Green Lake restaurant
Greenlake Bar and Grill, a restaurant at the corner of Northeast 72nd Street and Green Lake Way, is closed after a fire broke out in the kitchen earlier this week. The Seattle Fire Department told the Seattle Times that the fire was accidental and probably caused by faulty wiring. A worker at nearby Revolutions Coffee has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to support the restaurant and its affected employees.
Plantains are back on the menu at Marjorie
Finally, if you’ve visited the latest version of Donna Moodie’s famed restaurant Marjorie, you may have noticed that its famed plantain chips were missing. Well, they’re back! In a press release, the Marjorie’s says that the crispy spiced chips — which have been a staple since 2003, when Marjorie’s was in Belltown — are now officially available at the Central District restaurant.
Seattle, WA
Seahawks Notebook: Christian Haynes to start if Grey Zabel out
INGLEWOOD, CA – JANUARY 05: Seattle Seahawks guard Christian Haynes (64) walks off of the field after an NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams on January 05, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. (Jordon Kelly / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. – Coming off his first appearance for the Seahawks, Christian Haynes will get the start at left guard for Seattle this weekend against the Tennessee Titans if rookie Grey Zabel isn’t able to recover from a knee injury in time.
Head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed on Wednesday that Haynes would get the nod to make his first career start after playing only in relief during his rookie campaign last season.
“We’ve seen it on our football team, if somebody can’t go for a certain amount of time, whether it’s practice or games, the standard stays the same.” Macdonald said. “We expect you to go in and go rip it for us and he did that. He didn’t bat an eye, and there’s things he’s going to learn from the game, and we’re going to need him to play at a high level if he needs to play this week.”
Zabel didn’t practice on Wednesday due to the left knee injury he sustained late in Seattle’s 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. While the Seahawks received good news about Zabel’s status, they still might be without him this weekend.
“It was definitely a surreal moment, but just being ready and locked in,” Haynes said of playing on Seattle’s final drive. “That’s what they need me for, to be ready, to be locked in at all times so I was ready to go out there and then go get a game-winning drive going.”
Haynes missed the first nine games of the season due to a pectoral injury sustained during the team’s joint practice with the Green Bay Packers in mid-August ahead of their preseason matchup.
“I already hurt it once before that and then the joint practice, it got worse,” Haynes said.
Haynes was a right guard in college at the University of Connecticut before becoming a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by Seattle. Haynes has been working at both guard spots, as well as center, during his time with the Seahawks.
“I’ve been playing a lot of left guard, practicing both, and then I played preseason games at left guard. So it wasn’t nothing new to me when I was out there,” Haynes said.
Haynes played ten snaps for Seattle on their final drive of the game as they were able to move to the edge of field goal range for a last-second, game-winning field goal attempt from 61 yards away for Jason Myers.
“It felt good being back out there,” Haynes said. “I felt confident, and I just felt like I go out there and play my best ball I could possibly play. I felt pretty good out there. I felt in my groove. One thing like Coach Mike always says, like, just be loose and focused, and I felt loose and focused out there. Just go out there and block it and play my game.”
Haynes couldn’t crack Seattle’s lineup last season, unable to unseat veterans Laken Tomlinson or Anthony Bradford, and even fellow rookie Sataoa Laumea had better showings when called upon. But Haynes was challenging Bradford for the starting job at right guard in the preseason before his injury put him on the shelf for two months.
“:Faster with everything I’m doing, with my calls, with my steps, and just seeing things faster as a player,” Haynes said. “Just seeing things before it comes and just then being confident every time in everything that I’m doing.”
Notes:
– Nose tackle Johnathan Hankins won’t play this season for the Seahawks due to a back injury that has kept him out all year. Hankins was placed on the non-football injury list prior to the start of training camp and isn’t progressing to the point of being able to play.
“I’ll probably leave it private right now, what’s going on with his health, but yeah, he won’t be with us this year,” Macdonald said.
“The back is tricky. If it’s not working, it’s not a fun situation to be in, so we wish him the best.”
– Rookie defensive end Rylie Mills is getting close to being able to start practicing with the team. Mills, a fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame in April, has been recovering from an ACL injury in his right knee sustained last December.
“I think we’re getting within a couple weeks now of him starting to practice,” Macdonald said.
Mills would need multiple weeks of practice to get up to speed as he hasn’t been on a football field since college, but he’s getting close to becoming an option.
– Guard Grey Zabel, wide receiver Tory Horton, linebacker Tyrice Knight, and fullback Robbie Ouzts were the four players that did not participate in practice on Wednesday.
Knight sustained a concussion on Sunday, and Horton is still working back from a shin injury that’s kept him out the last two games.
“Some other guys limited that we’re taking care of with reps, but those are the guys that won’t practice,” Macdonald said.
While Ouzts is dealing with an elbow injury, his absence was for non-injury reasons.
Macdonald said Horton’s chances of playing this week will come down to if his shin injury improves in the coming days.
“We’ll see. Really just a matter of calming down, so it could happen tonight, it could happen, not tonight,” Macdonald said.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
MORE SEAHAWKS NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Mike Macdonald says Grey Zabel’s knee injury showed “nothing significant” for Seahawks
Seattle Sports Live for Sunday, 11/16
Takeaways from Seattle Seahawks 21-19 loss to Rams
Seahawks fall to Rams 21–19 after last-second missed field goal
Sam Darnold throws four interceptions as Seattle Seahawks lose 21-19 to Rams
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