"Back in the high point of Castagna, he was still kinda reserved and buttoned up. Always dressed in clean whites, early in, late out, hard worker, master of his craft, boy genius, etc.,"
"But then for staff parties we'd do karaoke and he'd always belt out " War Pigs," which was his favorite karaoke song. And it was just a shocking juxtaposition of the clean-cut 'tweezer chef' and then him showing his more metal side. Everyone would be hooting and hollering for him when he finally sang. We all loved it."
"He truly found joy in feeding his friends and the people he loved. On slower nights, when he had time, he'd cook these elaborate staff meals. And he'd kind of hover around when everyone ate, just making sure people liked it, in a really sweet way. But if you told him, 'Hey chef,"
" the only Portland chef cooking Michelin-level food,"
Justin Woodward built a career in elite kitchens across Denmark, Spain, California resorts, and Manhattan, practicing molecular gastronomy before becoming a Portland culinary fixture. He worked for many years at Castagna and co-created OK Omens, a Hawthorne wine bar and restaurant, with sommelier Brent Braun and Monique Siu in 2018. He earned repeated James Beard Foundation recognition, appearing as a semifinalist seven times and a finalist five consecutive times from 2015 to 2019. Colleagues remembered his meticulous professionalism, his sincere joy in feeding friends and staff, and surprising, beloved karaoke performances. Woodward died at 43 of liver failure, a complication of alcoholism.
Read at Eater Portland
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