Meet Aaron Bedard, Executive Chef, Stephanie Inn Dining Room

Growing up in the small ranching town of La Grande in Eastern Oregon, Aaron’s childhood was peppered with summers on cattle ranches, working on the line at his dad’s restaurant, and Sunday aromas of mom’s hearty stews simmering on the stovetop. Subsequent training with top honors at the Western Culinary Institute and a chance encounter with some of the Oregon coast’s top chefs at a charity event landed him at the beach, where he’s been ever since.

Ask Aaron what he loves to cook and he immediately jumps to those early influences – Osso Bucco, lamb shanks, the anticipation of slow-cooked short ribs – but then pauses, as the Pacific bounty of Dungeness crab, oysters from Netarts Bay, and sleuthing out chanterelles in the coastal range vie for first place in his heart. When Astoria fisherman flag the first spring run Chinook salmon just for Aaron, well, it doesn’t get better than that (except on days off, when he angles the waters himself). Beyond the 8 chickens and heritage blueberries on his 2-acre coastal homestead, what Aaron loves most is being a part of so many guests’ special life moments, where beautiful, seasonal food makes for an unforgettable celebration.