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After six years at this Seattle classic, Executive Chef Josh Green is moving on. His replacement? Someone he trained several years ago, Giles van der Bogert. Here’s the scoop on Giles.

"I always liked eating and was a chubby kid," laughs Giles. Both his parents worked and his sister cooked dinners. As she got older, Giles began cooking for himself. "Not the best food," he recalls.

On weekends, his dad cooked nice meals. To this day, he still takes the time to make special dinners, sometimes five courses. "Food has always been intriguing to me," says Giles. "Growing up in the Northwest, you’re surrounded by great fresh food. Most weekends, my dad, brother and friends would go crabbing or fishing."

At 15, Giles started working at fast food spots. On his lunch breaks, he would try out the restaurants in the neighborhood. On weekends, he would barbecue. When he was 17, he started making the special weekend meal with his dad.

Turning 18, he attended Edmonds Community College. Taking computer classes, it wasn’t long before he realized sitting behind a desk wasn’t for him. He switched to culinary school and loved it, staying in the program for 2-1/2 years. "I always liked fire and knives as a kid," he says, smiling. "In school, what I liked best were soups and sauces. If I was doing pastry, I’d finish my project and go back to where people were working on sauces."

While in school, he worked at a pizza place and also with a school instructor, Emily Moore, at her catering company, Emily’s Kitchen. He helped with offsite events and cooking classes. In addition, at this very young age, he had a son. "I had a lot going on then, but since I was 15, I’ve always worked two or three jobs at a time. I like to work and I love kitchens and restaurants."

Emily, like Giles’ dad, had a huge garden and he helped plant and saw the whole cycle. "She was one of those people who kept me excited about food," he says. Giles still returns to Edmonds Community College every few months to stay involved.

After leaving the culinary program, a friend told him about an opening at Ponti. He started in pantry, moved up to sauté and then lead sauté. The college called and asked him to work at the school as a chef tech, working with new students and overseeing the kitchen. True to his pattern, he worked two jobs: the school in the morning and Ponti afterward. He stayed at Ponti just short of three years.

Giles was offered the sous chef position at Hotel 1000/BOKA Kitchen + Bar and he liked the idea of a new challenge. He was hired as lead cook for both BOKA and banquets but within a short time, it was clear that the banquet portion of the business was very busy. He shifted to banquets full time as a cook and was promoted after six months to sous chef. "I was completely in charge of the entire banquet operation, independent of the restaurant," he explains. "It was a good place for training. When we opened, we just worked to get things done. But after the craziness of opening, everyone was trained on the financial side of things so we all understood how the business was run. It was really informative." He stayed two years.

"I’m good friends with Josh," says Giles. "I never thought he’d leave Ponti because he cares so much about the restaurant and guests. But when he told me he wanted to do something different, I could understand that need for change. Josh is the other person who really got me excited about food. When we worked together, we talked about food every day. He’s really why I’m where I am now—he did a world of good for my career because he gave me his time and enthusiasm."

Giles plans to ease in slowly at Ponti without making major changes right away. "Ponti’s client base is very loyal to both the restaurant and owner Richard’s and Josh’s vision. Of course, Josh taught me the majority of my skills and their vision, so there’s continuity there." Giles will ensure that Ponti stays with fresh, local products and uses organic ingredients as much as possible. As always, that means seasonal changes to the menu.

As a former banquet chef, he loves finger foods and has a lot of ideas about small plates. "The happy hour at Ponti is very successful," says Giles. "I’ll want to take a look at it and see what changes make sense before doing anything."

Like any chef taking over a kitchen, Giles plans to lead by example, sharing his vision and expectations for everyone in the kitchen right from the start. "I’m proud of my work ethic and want to share that with the staff," he explains. He’ll keep the kitchen accountable for quality and consistency. "What I really want to do is get everyone in the kitchen excited about food. I want to take people out to farms and our suppliers so they see where our ingredients come from and develop relationships with the local producers. We all need to know where our food comes from, how fresh it is and why we choose to use that product. Then we can share that with our guests so they know what to expect from us."

Giles will also continue with his favorite hobby—fishing. He tries to get out at least twice a week and crab or fresh water fish, as well as travel to Alaska to fish each summer.

"Coming back to Ponti is a great opportunity for me," he says. At 24, he’s a young executive chef. He’s proven himself once before at Ponti and will continue offering fresh Northwest dishes that are Ponti’s hallmark. Welcome back, Giles.

May 2008

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