Will Leroux
Executive Chef
Featuring true oceanfront dining at its best, the full service Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge wows visitors and locals alike with a fresh approach to northwest coastal cuisine. As an avid fisherman, wild game hunter, clammer and forager of wild berries and mushrooms, Executive Chef Will Leroux thoroughly understands the profound connection between nature and the food he presents. Highlighting each ingredient with color, texture, seasonings, and special cooking techniques, he showcases northwest cuisine in what he describes as "simple elegance."
Will attended The New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, where he earned his Associates Degree through The Culinary Arts Advanced Placement program. A six-month internship at L'Auberge De Sedona, in Arizona, was followed by five years as a chef for the four-star Los Abrigados Resort, also in Arizona. While working at Los Abrigados, Will was honored to study with Madeleine Kamman at The School for American Chefs at Beringer Vineyards.
Lured by the majestic Pacific Northwest, Will landed a job at the prestigious Skamania Lodge, in Stevenson, Washington, where he worked for nine years, before accepting the position of Executive Sous Chef for the Stephanie Inn. At the Stephanie Inn, Will worked alongside the chefs, before being promoted to the position of Executive Chef for the company's Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge, where he has worked from April 2002, to the present. "I was born with cooking in my blood," admits Will, who, when he is not out in the local forests or waters hunting, fishing and gathering, is dreaming up new ways to showcase Pacific Coast cuisine.
