Thierry Rautureau, Seattle’s Chef in the Hat, dies at 64

Seattle’s Thierry Rautureau — aka The Chef in the Hat — died Sunday morning at age 64 from the effects of pulmonary fibrosis. The beloved Rautureau, who forsook the traditional chef’s toque in favor of his ubiquitous fedora, leaves behind a culinary legacy and a charitable one, along with a legion of those appreciative of his life and life’s work.

Fellow Seattle restaurant luminary Tom Douglas, who hosted the popular “Seattle Kitchen” radio show with Rautureau for decades, reflected in a statement: “He was a fabulous chef, a true friend, a generous soul, a loving father, a curious mind, a thoughtful husband … all the things and more that many of us try to be, but don’t always succeed at.

“When you define generosity,” Douglas continued, “it would be difficult to leave Thierry out of the conversation.”

Douglas noted that Rautureau used his culinary talents and standing to “help raise millions for charitable organizations across the country, especially in Washington state,” where Rautureau also served on the board of local nonprofit Food Lifeline. “When it comes to the almighty three T’s — talent, time and treasure — Thierry was never at a loss to offer all three,” Douglas said. 

Rautureau’s death is mourned by his wife, Kathleen “Kathy” Encell-Rautureau, sons Ryan and Adrian, more family and innumerable friends and fans in the restaurant industry and beyond.

Among many other laurels, Rautureau was decorated with the medal for James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest in 1998. At that time, he was running his first restaurant, posh, prix fixe Rover’s, in a hidden-away spot in the thick of Madison Valley. He characterized the menu there as “Northwest contemporary with a French accent,” as he applied classic technique to the best local foodstuffs. After Rautureau took over the restaurant in 1987, Rover’s became a Seattle fine-dining institution. Famous visitors included Nathan Myhrvold of Modernist Cuisine and Julia Child, with both in attendance for a fundraiser dinner and Myhrvold also cooking in Rover’s kitchen part time. Rover’s lasted for a quarter of a century, closing in 2013. 

Rautureau called those 26 years “a great adventure,” and he was not at all finished. By then, he had debuted his popular neighboring bistro, Luc, in 2010; his next foray took him downtown, where he opened fine-dining Loulay in 2013. He closed both in 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic and with his own health suffering.

Born and raised in the French countryside, Rautureau started cooking at home; his parents were farmers, and as the oldest child, it fell to him to become acquainted with the family’s hyperlocal and exclusively seasonal existence, eating what they grew. By age 14, he’d started a cooking apprenticeship. By 16, he was training in kitchens in various regions of France. At 20, he came to the United States, working in restaurants in Chicago and Los Angeles, where he met his wife-to-be, Encell-Rautureau.

Visiting Seattle, Rautureau was captivated by the culinary possibilities of the Pacific Northwest, and the rest would become Seattle restaurant history. Encell-Rautureau would become a floral designer, doing arrangements for the restaurants.

Rautureau had credited Encell-Rautureau for her essential support of all his endeavors; she also gave her husband the hat that became the genesis of his nickname. 

Seattle Times food writer Tan Vinh contributed to this report.