Gordon Naccarato (born 1954) is a chef and restaurateur from
Tacoma, Washington.
Education and early life
Naccarato was born in Tacoma,[2] and grew up in the Tacoma area. He is the son of Stan Naccarato, a vice-president of the
Tacoma Stars soccer team, and a restaurant owner.[3][4]
Naccarato started his
restaurateur career as a chef working for Michael's in Santa Monica in 1979.[7] While there, he received Food & Wine Best New Chef award in 1988.[8]
Gordon Naccarato and his wife Rebecca Naccarato opened Gordon's Restaurant and Rebecca's Bakery in
Aspen, Colorado in 1984.[6][9][10]
Naccarato and his wife were granted a divorce, with Rebecca employed at a grill in
Kirkland and later opening a Seattle restaurant with brother Tim Towner in 1990.[11]
Gordon moved back to Tacoma in July 2001[2][12] after working under
Mark Peel of Campanile and in other Los Angeles restaurants, including Monkey Bar and Le Colonial, in the 1990s.[13][14][15] He started the Beach House restaurant in
Purdy in 2002.[4]
In Tacoma, Naccarato is president of Naccarato Restaurant Group, which operates Pacific Grill.[16] He opened Smoke + Cedar restaurant in 2014.[4][17] The Classics Cafe at
America's Car Museum is owned by Naccarato.[18] His brother Steve opened Shake Shake Shake in Tacoma.[2][19]
In September 2020, Naccarato announced the closure of the Naccarato Restaurant Group permanently closing Pacific Grill restaurant and Pacific Grill Events & Catering. The reasoning was due to the ongoing effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic on business.[20]
Awards and recognition
In addition to the Best New Chef 1988 award noted above, Naccarato was named by Aspen Magazine in 2014 as one of 40 individuals creating modern Aspen, a former "culinary wasteland".[21]
Other chefs have noted the influence Naccarato had on their expression.[22]