John Gorham

Coming Up

"The No. 1 rule at Tasty is it's going to taste good." Training at the American Culinary Federation shows up in John Gorham’s work as a bias toward fundamentals: flavor first, method second, and no interest in overstatement. In Portland, that approach carried through a run of roles that steadily widened his footprint in the city’s dining scene, with each step adding another room to the same practical project. Ownership at Viande Meats & Sausage in Portland, Oregon, began in 2003 and put Gorham inside a trade that depends on precision, yield, and respect for product. By 2006, co-founding Simpatica Supper Club in Portland, Oregon, shifted that same discipline into a more intimate format, where the work still depended on timing, execution, and a clear point of view. In 2007, he became owner at Toro Bravo in Portland, Oregon, a role he held until 2020 and one that anchored a long stretch of his career in the city. The next phase extended that same operating logic across multiple kitchens. As chef / owner at Tasty n Sons in Portland, Oregon, beginning in 2010, Gorham put his name on a room where the standard was plainspoken: it had to taste good. In 2013, he added ownership at Tasty n Alder in Portland, Oregon, broadening the reach of the same approach. Those runs continued until 2020, marking a concentrated period in which his work moved through several formats without shifting away from the central rule of the kitchen.

Where They Are Now

The creative process here is less about fixed formulas than about the prompt that starts the work. Gorham has said, "It’s pretty basic—a book that inspires me to cook." That points to a method built on outside input, where a page can become a starting point and the kitchen does the translating. The same preference shows up in his approach to measurement. "I’m looking more for inspiration than exact measurements" frames a way of cooking that relies on judgment, timing, and feel. For an artisan working across different rooms, that leaves room for adaptation without giving up control.

In Their Words “I’m looking more for inspiration than exact measurements.” “The No. 1 rule at Tasty is it's going to taste good.”