Bio:
John Gorham, chef-owner of Portland's Toro Bravo and Tasty n Sons, has worked in top kitchens nationally and internationally, and is a four time James Beard Award nominated chef.

John began his career with an apprenticeship at ACF in Williamsburg, VA.  During this time, John cooked at the Fort Magurder Inn, Greenbriar Inn, Williamsburg Lodge and the Trelis.  After that he made his way to the west coast via Wyoming where he was a saucette [should this be saute?] cook at the Grand Teton Lodge Company.

John landed in Eugene, Oregon, where he lived and cooked off and on for the next six years.  During that time he traveled to Ghana, West Africa, where he worked to open a restaurant during the day, and by night as a pit boss in a casino. After a six month stay, he returned to Eugene to focus on charcuterie at Cafe Zenon.  It was there that he learned the importance of the relationship between farmers and restaurants, and was introduced to chef Bill Hatch, who inspired John with a quote he still lives by: "Routine maintenance is the only defense against the onslaught of chaos."

In ‘99, John moved to the San Francisco bay area to cook with Chris Rossi of Citron, with a focus on classic French cuisine and a connection to the Napa Valley.  While in the bay, John staged at many restaurants he admired, including Cafe Zuni, Gary Danko, The Fifth Floor, Rivolli, Kokari and Chez Panisse.  John landed in the kitchen at Lulu, which lead to the opening Cafe Centro, with John Pierre-Moule of Chez Panisse. While there, Cafe Centro was listed on the Top 100 Restaurants by San Francisco Monthly and the Chronicle, as well as receiving three stars from the Chronicle.  It was during this time that John fell in love with Italian cuisine.

Moving back to Oregon in ‘01, John took the helm at Fratelli.  This was an eye opening experience for John, and he began to develop his skills designing small independent restaurants.  Fratelli inspired John to design and general contract future projects including Simpatica, Toro Bravo, and Tasty n Sons.  John purchased Viande Meats and Sausage in '03, leading Portland’s trend in artisian charcuterie.  Viande was awarded Artisan of the Year from Portland Monthly in '06.  It was also in '06 that John joined Oregon Public Broadcasting to host a series about farmer connections called Endless Feast.

From Viande, John created Simpatica supper club, hosting the first dinners in the market.  Simpatica quickly outgrew the space, pushing John forward, moving the underground supper club into the former La Luna Rock Concert Venue.

From the Simpatica Dining Hall, John started hosting Spanish tapas dinners.  USA Today named the Tapas dinner number one meal in the world for '06, referring to his paella as, ‘the best the writer had ever had.’  Realizing Portland deserved a great tapas bar, John sold both Simpatica and Viande, and set his focus on Spanish cuisine.  In 2007 John traveled to Spain, bringing back recipes, ideas, and a vision for what Toro Bravo would become upon opening in the summer of '07. Gorham is a very hands-on chef-owner and can be found running the exposed Toro line four nights a week.

In it’s opening year, Portland Monthly magazine declared John Chef of the Year, and the Willamette Week named Toro Bravo Restaurant of the Year.  Over the last three years, John had some drastic transformations in his personal life, including loosing over 100 pounds, completing 7 triathlons, and marrying the love of his life.

In the spring of 2010, John opened Tasty n Sons, which further defines John’s festive family style dining.  Tasty n Sons also received Willamette Week’s Restaurant of the Year.  In 2013 John opened his third restaurant Tasty n Alder.

John worked with Portland food writer Liz Crain on , the Toro Bravo cookbook. The book will hit shelves in the fall of 2013.


Toro Bravo

At the heart of Portland’s red-hot food scene is Toro Bravo, a Spanish-inspired restaurant whose small plates have attracted a fiercely loyal fan base. But to call Toro Bravo a Spanish restaurant doesn’t begin to tell the whole story. For chef John Gorham, each dish reflects a time, a place, a moment. For Gorham, food is more than mere sustenance. The Toro Bravo cookbook is an honest look behind the scenes: from Gorham’s birth to a teenage mother who struggled with drug addiction, to time spent in his grandfather’s crab-shack dance club, to formative visits to Spain, to becoming a father and opening a restaurant. Toro Bravo also includes 95 of the restaurant’s recipes, from simple salads to homemade chorizo, along with an array of techniques that will appeal to both the home cook and the most seasoned, forearm-burned chef.