Kevin Murray

Restaurant craft on the waterfront is learned through service rhythms as well as schooling. Kevin Murray trained at University of Washington before working as a summer employee at Agua Verde Paddle Club in Portage Bay. The current post is Executive Chef of Ray's Boathouse, Cafe & Catering, held since 2020.

Seafood work at this level is not a generic category. It is timing, sourcing, weather, relationships, and the short windows when a particular fish is at its best. Seasonal buying sets the kitchen calendar. Copper River salmon from Alaska is Murray’s favorite fish to source at the restaurant in May, and one of his favorite ingredients to feature on the menu each spring. May, in that context, is a production cue: the point when a specific fish enters the kitchen and starts shaping the plate.

Stewardship on a seafood station means maintaining inherited traditions while adjusting to current sourcing demands. Murray likens the job to being the steward of a very large ship, responsible for seafood traditions while helping guide a growing sustainability focus through local fish-and-family relationships. The useful part of the image is operational: keep course, know the hold, mind the crew, and respect the waters that feed the room. Wine is also part of Murray’s specialty.

Signature dishes include Copper River salmon from Alaska and Roasted Sablefish in Sake Kasu.

Menu work shows its discipline in the handling of a named fish. Roasted Sablefish in Sake Kasu, served with jasmine rice, charred cabbage, quick pickled cucumbers, honey soy, and scallion oil, appeared as the second course for Ray’s FareStart Guest Chef Night menu at FareStart Restaurant in Seattle. The plate is built on controlled contrast rather than ornament. Sablefish supplies richness; Sake Kasu brings fermentation; jasmine rice steadies the dish; cabbage, cucumber, honey soy, and scallion oil add char, snap, sweetness, and green aroma. The craft is Pacific Northwest fish handled through a concise set of textures and flavors, with sourcing and timing doing as much work as technique.