Adam Hegsted

Executive Chef Adam Hegsted is a local product, born and raised here in the Inland Northwest. Coincidentally, he has become a master at using local products in his cooking.Educated in Spokane and the Seattle Institute of Art, Hegsted has built a name for himself with a bundle of culinary awards.His winnings have not only included local, regional and national competitions, he has won them in almost every category of food preparation.Hegsted has become a master at using local game, wild fruits, vegetables and locally-grown produce for the tables here at the Coeur dAlene Casino Resort. His inventive nature and the success its brought him resulted in the rare honor of cooking at the James Beard House in New York City in 2012, an honor he now shares with the likes of Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay and so many of Americas finest chefs.

Adam Hegsted’s Idaho® Potato Tot Casserole Wontons are a mashup of dishes from two of his Eat Good Group restaurants. Potato Tot Casserole, a classic Midwestern dish served at Gilded Unicorn, is the filling for wontons from Wandering Table. In a new twist, Hegsted constructs the wontons from Idaho® Russet potato slices that have been blanched in oil. Hegsted’s modern approach to comfort food highlights fresh seasonal ingredients from the Northwest. “I like to take classic flavors and put them together in a modern American way,” says Hegsted.

After culinary school, Hegsted moved home to Spokane, where he loved the outdoor living but missed an exciting food scene. Over the years he’s worked with the chef community to highlight local ingredients and support independent restaurants and producers. Now Spokane is getting recognition. “We’re sitting in a hotbed of great producers for beer, wine, lentils, greens, potatoes, mushrooms, trout and more,” he says. “I want the dining experience to be unique to Spokane.”

A high school job at Marie Callender’s and running multiple restaurants at the Coeur d’Alene Casino gave him the skills and systems knowledge to grow beyond one restaurant. “I always dreamed of owning a restaurant,” he says. “To have nine restaurants is crazy.” Hegsted is proud that his restaurants can offer good pay, health benefits, sick pay and the respect people deserve. “In the end, it’s a people business.”

Adam Hegsted was a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Northwest in 2016.
He operates nine restaurants in Spokane and northwest Idaho as well as the Crave Food and Drink Celebration, a showcase for the area’s tastemakers.