Poke Mon Hires New Executive Chef After Firing Former Head of Kitchen

The restaurant briefly closed after employees walked out in protest.

IMAGE: Shaun Daley.
By Andi Prewitt

There's a new executive chef at the helm of Poke Mon, after a staff walkout following the firing of the former head chef briefly closed the Hawthorne Street restaurant.

The Oregonian reported that ownership let go of Colin Yoshimoto two weeks ago due to a division about the direction of the business.

"The owners and I had disagreements on where the company was going," Yoshimoto told the paper.

Workers upset by the decision protested by abandoning their shifts. That resulted in a sign being posted on the front window explaining the closure was for "much-needed maintenance."

While shut last Sunday and Monday, a call to the restaurant on Thursday revealed they were back to business, with a new chef in charge of the kitchen: Steven Woerdehoff, previously the chef at several Portland eateries, including Produce Row Cafe and North 45.

In a brief phone conversation with WW, Woerdehoff confirmed his new position and said that the staff at Poke Mon is "all brand new."

Last year, WW named Poke Mon one of the top 10 restaurants in the city, thanks to its carefully prepared fish, low prices and surprisingly long list of sakes. A staffer who took our call last week said there were no immediate plans to change the menu.

Related: If Being Obsessed with Poke Mon's Donburi is Wrong, We Don't Want To Be Right.

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