Walter brings a lifetime of experience well beyond his years, having started cooking in his  childhood home of Seattle and all over the world. He is an alumnus of James Beard award  winners Maria Hines and Jason Wilson’s enterprises in Seattle, along with Michelin-starred  restaurants across the globe.  

Growing up, food played a big part in Walter’s life. At 15, he started working in restaurants,  and was immediately hooked. After cooking professionally as a teen, he formalized his  credentials by attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. While in his 20s,  he gained experience cooking across New York, Philadelphia, Florida, Los Angeles, Barcelona,  Beaujolais, and Antwerp.  

Walter’s culinary personality is distinct and draws heavily from his years spent in the Pacific  Northwest, where he was continually inspired by the unparalleled ingredients available.  Walter, his wife Cindy, and their good friend Forrest Brunton, have long shared the dream of  opening a restaurant where the warmth and hospitality of the South could meet with a pure  and distinctly Northwest culinary style. This vision will come to life with Chasing Sage, an intimate, neighborhood restaurant opening  at 262 Rutledge Avenue in 2019.