A South Dakota native, Dustin Clark began work in restaurants as a teen. At 18 he enrolled at the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. One of his externships was at Wildwood, where he is now a chef. Cory Schreiber opened Wildwood Restaurant on Portland’s Restaurant Row in 1994. Wildwood’s menus evolve from the wealth of ingredients found only miles away in Oregon and Washington. The James Beard Foundation named Cory “Best Chef Northwest” in 1998. “I hadn’t been introduced to Cory yet,” says Dustin, “when he followed me around on my first day. He thought my method for cooking asparagus was unusual. Then he tried one!” Cory has trusted Dustin ever since. “Dustin’s influence on Wildwood’s menu has brought a deeper focus on the unique foods of the Pacific Northwest.” Dustin interprets the cuisine in its simplest form, which emphasizes its true flavor.