#368 Aaron Barnett - St. Jack / Heavenly Creatures / Giant Squid

Canada born, LA-bred chef Aaron Barnett was on the path to becoming a veterinarian when he decided to bail and pursue his passion. From an early age, Aaron Barnett’s parents instilled in him a love of food. He was eating snails and dining on his mom’s home-made ceviche when other kids were munching PB & J. He attended culinary school in California before working in Vancouver, BC, and back in San Francisco. He moved to Portland and served as Executive Chef at two culinary icons.

Portland proved to be exactly the market Aaron was looking for and gave him the confidence to open his dream restaurant, St. Jack. While Aaron had experience in different styles and cuisines, he became known as one of the best French chefs in the West. As a result, the Lyonnaise eatery garnered Eater Restaurant of the Year and Aaron became a StarChef Rising Star.

Aaron opened another restaurant, La Moule, before consulting with other restaurants like Scotch Lodge, both of which opened to significant fanfare.  In 2022, Aaron opened a fun spot, Heavenly Creatures, with his long-time friend and colleague, Joel Gunderson.  Both decided they could help other businesses to benefit from their experience, and so recently they launched their own consulting firm, Giant Squid.

Aaron is hands-on at his restaurants, but works to balance the rigors of chef life with his love of travel and cuisine.  Most keenly, his priority is his beautiful family of four.

Right at the Fork is supported by:

Zupan's Markets: www.Zupans.com
RingSide Steakhouse: www.RingSideSteakhouse.com
Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com