If you’ve been around the Portland food scene for a while, you were probably familiar with Robert Reynolds and his cooking school. Robert was an institution in the community, and when he died in 2010, a dedicated group of people formed Good Keuken, a new school in his honor. Now that school has closed, at least for the time being:
Robert Reynolds
Good Keuken can no longer stay in our current location at Old Salt Marketplace. We wish them well in their success and future.
Good Keuken had a successful first year and we are looking forward for what’s to come! Our first year of business succeeded beyond the black and truly showed that business is a vehicle for positive change. With this success we continue on with belief in the permaculture of business, community and soil.
Good Keuken is proud our partnerships. It has been a privilege to learn, grow and connect with so many talented professionals, gifted students and wonderful clientele. We saw and thank:
- Incubated the up-and-coming supper clubs of The Irreverent Spoon, Thali Supper Club, Foster’s Craft Cooking, Morgan Street Theater and Host.
- Grew our urban farm with Stacey Givens of The Sideyard Farm
- Built community partnerships with Feast, Hacienda, Northwest Earth Institute and The Cully Grange
- Lead two sold-out culinary tours to France with Courtney Sproule and Gabrielle Esbeck
- Tapped to host future filmings of PBS’s Moveable Feast & Fine Dining and ABC’s Chopped
- Connected to talented cookbook authors and Portland chefs with through classes and dinners
- Provided an umbrella for others to host cooking classes; Leena Ezekiel, John & Caprial’s Kitchen and Lauren Chandler.
- Expanded our reach with private dinners and classes for companies and groups of friends, families and corporate training for Whole Foods Market.
Most importantly, we graduated 8 students from the professional training program. Twelve in all came our way and for 8 to 24 weeks, we shared the recipes and we shared the table. Just recently our full-time family grew to include David Padberg and Julie Haleen whom Good Kueken is deeply indebted to. Also beautifully leading the learning charge were instructors Andrea Slonecker, Karen Bedi, Courtney Sproule and Robert Hammond.
And to the Chef Studio community – What’s to be of the Lacanche? Robert’s magic blue stove that has seen the craft of beautiful meals and the hand of learning? The stove, library and Le Creuset has been donated to the Robert Reynolds Scholarship Fund. Progress was made this year with Jennifer Bryman and Paula Austin stepping in to charge the process. An advisory board has begun to form, in conjunction with a mission and structure to benefit culinary learning across Robert’s vast community, not just in Portland.
What an honor to see dreams and livelihoods take root, including my own. It is with gratitude to you for the last year that brought momentum, success and learning. What is exactly next? I do know is that dreams don’t die; they just change location. My wife Tray, who was a business partner with Old Salt marketplace until March, and I have some exciting personal and professional opportunities ahead.
Thank you to our supporters, our students, our friends and ultimately the family we grew in very short order.
Never underestimate the power of silver linings.
Peace,
Blake
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