James Beard Award winner
Barbara Figueroa
- Discipline
- James Beard Award winner
i. Biography
Barbara Figueroa is chef of The Hunt Club in Seattle, Washington, and one of the first female superstar chefs the city produced in the 1980s and 1990s. Her work is tied to the polished dining room of The Hunt Club at the Sorrento Hotel, where she made her name in a culinary scene that was changing around her. From there, she moved into restaurateur work at B. Figueroa in Seattle, extending her presence from the pass to the broader business of shaping a restaurant’s identity.
The Climb
She made her name at The Hunt Club at the Sorrento Hotel in Seattle. In a trade that prizes endurance as much as flair, Barbara Figueroa became one of the defining figures of her era, emerging in the 1980s and 1990s as part of the small group of women whose visibility helped redraft the city’s culinary profile. The Hunt Club gave her a stage that matched the demands of the room: service rhythm, standards, consistency, and the pressure that comes with all four. There, her reputation took shape course by course, service by service, with the kind of steady authority restaurants remember.
Today
She serves as chef of The Hunt Club and works as a restaurateur at B. Figueroa, both in Seattle. That dual role places Barbara Figueroa in two familiar but distinct positions: one rooted in the daily discipline of the kitchen, the other in the wider craft of running a restaurant and sustaining a point of view over time. At The Hunt Club, her name remains linked to the house she helped define, while B. Figueroa reflects another dimension of her career, one that carries her imprint into Seattle’s dining landscape beyond a single room. Together, the two venues speak to longevity and range, to a career built on staying power.
Recognition
Barbara's honors include James Beard Foundation Award for Best Northwest Chef (1992). The award marked a significant moment in a career already distinguished by her early prominence and by the role she played in Seattle’s ascent as a city with serious culinary ambitions. In 1992, that recognition placed Barbara Figueroa among the region’s notable chefs and affirmed the stature she had earned through years of work at The Hunt Club and beyond.
FAQ What recognition has Barbara Figueroa received? James Beard Foundation Award for Best Northwest Chef (1992).
