Ray's Boathouse Snags Andaluca's Wayne Johnson

After a nationwide search, Ray's Boathouse announces the hiring of Wayne Johnson to be its executive chef. Ray's recruited Johnson from elegant Mediterranean restaurant Andaluca, where he held the same position for 12 years. We asked Johnson about his reasons for moving from a hotel restaurant(Andaluca is at the Mayflower Park Hotel) to Ray's, and he told us, "I am always interested in expanding and creating all types of foods and flavors; this will allow another set of creative juices to flow." Johnson also noted that Ray's is committed to seasonal, sustainable, local food "which is in line with my commitment to Seattle Chefs Collaborative." Johnson's tenure at Ray's begins February 6th.

Ray's longtime chef Peter Birk left the iconic institution in October 2011 and began working at Harborside(formerly known as the South Lake Union McCormick and Schmick's) the next month. Puget Sound Buziness Journal's Glenn Drosendahl says that Johnson's replacement at Andaluca will be Sarah Lorenzen, who worked with Johnson for nearly his entire tenure there.

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[Photo: Wayne Johnson/Facebook]