Paul Losch

In 2013, Chef Paul Losch opened the highly seasonal New American restaurant Ruddick/Wood with co-owner Kyle Lattimer in Newberg, Oregon. The restaurant was a long time coming for Paul, who started his culinary career nearly two decades earlier. At age 13, he was barely big enough for his apron when he started working at a snack bar in rural Pennsylvania. Life and his career took Paul across the country, through the Culinary Institute of America, Manhattan, and Colorado, before he eventually landed in Portland in 2008. Thoughtful flavor combinations and gorgeous plating earned him loyalists at restaurants Vino Paradiso and DOC, but he was restless for his own spot. A Craigslist post led him to his eventual business partner Kyle, and the two founded Ruddick/Wood a short time later. Paul seeks out skilled local farmers and purveyors and highlights their products with diverse techniques. While he came up during the “fusion food” boom, you won’t find any Frankenstein food monstrosities on Paul’s refined menus. Influence might be drawn from his Lebanese mother or his father’s love of pasta, and fiddlehead ferns might pop with fish sauce on a plate next to house-aged ribeye. The restaurant is a staple among locals and wine country visitors alike.