Edouardo Jordan was born and raised in St. Petersburg and attended college at the University of Florida. After graduating with dual degrees in business administration and sports management, he started his own (now defunct) online restaurant guide for his hometown called Tamburg.com. Then, Jordan decided to enroll in culinary school at the Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando. After school he spent time at The French Laundry, Per Se and Lincoln Ristorante. With thought of raising a family and opening a restaurant in mind, Jordan moved to Seattle where he began working at Sitka & Spruce as sous chef. He then took a brief hiatus to study traditional salami and meat curing with a sixth generation salumist in Parma, Italy.
In 2013, Jordan was asked to open the now-closed Bar Sajor as chef de cuisine and used this as an opportunity to learn as much as he could about opening a restaurant. Taking this knowledge and experience, Jordan officially opened the doors to his own restaurant, Salare, in June of 2015. Salare takes influences from France, Italy, the American South and the Caribbean—a modern day mom-and-pop shop with fine dining food.
Chef Jordan opened his second restaurant, JuneBaby, in April 2017. He and the restaurant have since received much recognition, including Best Chef Northwest and Best New Restaurant from the James Beard Foundation in 2018. His latest venture, Lucinda Grain Bar, opened in December 2018 and highlights ancient grains in both the food and cocktail menus.
What was the last thing you ate?
Steak at Bateau Restaurant, if I recall it was a sirloin cooked medium rare, with roasted mushrooms, cauliflower salad, mashed potatoes and broccoli gratin.
It's your day off. What do you order for breakfast and where? (Outside of your own restaurants.)
When I am able to get out for breakfast, it’s usually brunch before work. I like going to Joule and ordering the breakfast sandwich with buffet option. Joule's brunch features a monthly rotating themed buffet to enjoy along with a choice of dishes from the menu.
Controversial question: Do you believe in brunch?
I believe in brunch when I am eating it. Lunch with eggs is fun to eat but it's a difficult one to maintain as a business and chef. People come in cult followings or zero…hit or miss. See above answer.
What is your 2:00 a.m. food order or favorite spot?
Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant. It's a Chinese Restaurant in the International District of Seattle. I usually order the barbecue duck, buns, fried pork rice, bok choy and mushroom.
What is your local coffee shop and what do you order?
I rarely drink coffee. Unbelievable for someone living in Seattle, but I am a tea drinker. If I'm out drinking tea, I am usually at a meeting at the local coffee shop Ventoux Roasters and I order the "think" tea from Harbor Herbalist.
Where do you go when you travel to your favorite city?
Excluding New York, San Francisco is probably the next city that I love eating in. I've had wonderful meals at Rich Table and left the ordering to the chef and Benu where I had the tasting menu. Both are very amazing in their own way.
What is the "laziest" meal you put together for yourself this past week?
Ramen noodle straight out of the package—the shrimp flavored one.
What is your favorite snack food and why?
Not really a snacker, but maybe an apple, banana, salami or olives.
What is your guilty pleasure and why?
I freaking love a good burger. Such a soothing item. The burger from Lecosho is one of my favorites.
Photo by Shannon Renfroe.
