Greg Higgins

Greg Higgins is a “salt of the earth” kind of guy.  He’s a guy’s guy who is comfortable in the quiet progress of preparing meals alongside his fellow kitchen mates.  He’s a burly dude and has been sporting a scruffy goatee perhaps influenced by his upstate NY roots and his love of ice hockey. Outside of the kitchen, Greg can be found in his garden or relaxing with his wife and dog.

Greg has had huge commercial and critical success but he’s done it in an authentic, sustainable way.  He was one of the first chefs to link the process of feeding his guests with community outreach to the local farmers and fishermen.  He could have easily licensed his name, opened up a chain of restaurants, expanded into other markets, released a bunch of books or become a Food Network star but that’s not Greg.  Greg is happiest in his garden or his kitchen.  Plus, he legit, he’s anti-waste, rides his bike to work, and would never be a part of any type of mass marketing.  He prefers to be a low impact human being.

Greg started working with food as a kid in the family garden and as a teenager at the local creamery in Eden, New York.  He studied art at Hartwick College but, like many students, worked at a restaurant in the evenings.  This was his first taste of cooking for public consumption and fueled his post college European excursion where he learned about food in Europe. Like fellow American chefs at that time, returning to the states after working in Europe meant the challenge of procuring the European level of food quality and selection. The United States, and especially Portland, was still at a time when a frozen piece of beef and a frozen lobster tail constituted fine dining. Greg picked Portland, as most chefs do, for the agriculture – specifically the grapes.  The Oregon wine industry was just starting but it was putting out wine that was on par with our friends in France.  Greg had to go out and find local farmers and suppliers for his new gig in Portland, which was to open up and start the Heathman.  After over a decade at the Heathman, Greg was ready to start Higgins with partner, Paul Mallory.  They opened in 1994 and are still going strong.  Greg won the James Beard award for our region in 2002 and is Portland’s version of Alice Waters.

We had the pleasure of standing in his kitchen on an early December day.  It was the middle of a shift change and there were about twenty kitchen staff milling about the open faced, galley kitchen.  The kitchen staff at Higgins is about as mellow and down to earth as Greg.  They wear hipster t-shirts promoting Steve’s Cheese and are not pretentious.  The menu was in holiday mode, just having finished Thanksgiving, they were focused on heavier, richer dishes that everyone will be shunning come January’s weigh in.

Watch, as Greg prepares a goose stock reduction for a smoked goose breast and confit salad.  He explains what he’s doing to prepare the reduction, tells us a bit about the geese and shares his Christmas plans.

Rich Meyer

Rich Meyer’s dedication to culinary art is exemplified not only through the exquisite flavor of his dishes but also through his personal history.  For the last 13 years Meyer has dedicated himself to Higgins Restaurant & Bar, where he now serves as Chef de Cuisine. He completed culinary training at the Western Culinary Institute and started his informal education as a boy catching and cooking seafood on the shores of New York. Meyer enjoys the “freedom of expression” encompassed in his career, working with cured meats and seafood, and shaping his creations to the ever-changing climate of the Northwest.

Community

Photo by Nick Hall

Greg is one of the founding board members of the Portland chapter of Chefs Collaborative.  Chef’s Collaborative is a network of chefs who are focused on the sustainable food system – educating and advocating sustainable practices.  Right now Chef’s Collaborative is focused on saving Bristol Bay in Alaska.  There’s talk of putting in one of the world’s largest open-pit mines in the very place where the salmon spawn.  If the mine opens then it will ruin up to 45 square acres of the most beautiful, tranquil and abundant places on earth.  In Portland, what we can do to help is barrage the government with emails and phone calls to let them know that we, the people, do not want this to happen. You can also support with donations that are used for education, outreach and lobbying efforts.

http://www.savebristolbay.org/

SAMPLE MENU SELECTIONS

STARTERS & SALADS

Black Mediterranean Mussels             $11.50
steamed in white wine and plum sauce with sesame crisps
Gratin of Hood Canal Oysters             $14.50
with hazelnut-smoked salmon in a red wine matelote
Bruschetta                                               $14.50
of forest mushroom and bean & herb purée with a walnut & red wine vinaigrette
Higgins Charcuterie Plate                    $13.75
with house-made pickles
Warm Marin Wash-rind Schloss Cheese           $12.50
with roasted fingerling potatoes and house-made pickles
Select Pacific Oysters                              $16.50
on the half shell with carrot-thai chili granite
Salad of Gathered Greens                       $7.25
toasted hazelnuts and herb vinaigrette

DINNER
Rigatoni Pasta                                            $19.50
with spicy fennel sausage, broccoli, garlic cream, and pecorino romano cheese
Oregon Dungeness Crab & Bay Shrimp Cakes                    $29.50
with basmati rice pilaf and saffron-ginger beurre blanc
“Whole Pig Plate”                                     $27.50
sausage, braised belly, ribs, rillons, and crepinette, with molasses baked beans, braised greens, and piccalilli
Cotriade of Coho Salmon            $27.50
manilla clams, and mussels, with leeks and poached fingerling potatoes
Magret & Confit of LIberty Duck          $36.50
with dried cherry and Kirschwasser glace, braised greens and spatzle
Risotto                                                        $23.50
of habanero-smoked oysters with leeks, celery root, chevre cheese, and a Meyer lemon vinaigrette

• Northwest Cuisine
• Full Bar / Bistro Menu
• Exceptional Wine List
• Exceptional Beer List
• Organic Dining
• Reservations Accepted
• Menu Changes Weekly