Meet our team.
Chef Kari Shaughnessy
Chef Kari moved to McMinnville, OR in 2020 from the Michelin-starred kitchen of Sons & Daughters in San Francisco. She previously held positions at Bay Area institutions like Frances and Marla Bakery. Before falling in love with the Willamette Valley, Chef Kari immersed herself in the cycles of local seasonality, getting to know small farmers, ranchers, and fisherpeople. She honed her skills with vegetables, taking notes from mentors like Frances’ Melissa Parello, and challenged herself to learn the ins and outs of whole animal butchery. A foundational ethos of Chef Kari’s cuisine is knowing that all things, including meat, are seasonal.
Chef Kari has rooted her work in the Pacific Northwest and has immersed herself in the community around McMinnville. Her connection with the neighbors of Hayward, especially the small-scale farmers and local purveyors who supply the kitchen, has been essential to creating a place-based dining environment with a focus on sustainability. Her kitchen is invested in shining a light on the true nature of time, terroir, and community at play in farm-to-table dining.
Sous Chef Jon Inonueri
Sous Chef Jon Inonueri joined the Hayward team in 2021 after cooking his way down the I-5 Corridor from Bellingham, WA. Originally from Albuquerque, NM, Jon and his brother took it upon themselves to prepare dinner for their family every night throughout high school. With over a decade of kitchen experience, Jon has mastered the ability to take any assortment of ingredients from the walk-in and transform them into an extraordinary dish at the drop of the hat. His passion for seasonality is rivaled only by his enthusiasm for Mediterranean cooking, and his talent with bread and pasta is elevated by his curiosity and can-do attitude. Both in and out of the Hayward kitchen, Jon actively seeks ways to reduce waste and strengthen the interconnectedness of the McMinnville community.
Chef de Cuisine Søren Kalbfleisch
Chef de Cuisine Søren Kalbfleisch approaches cooking with a deep, focused passion, often dedicating weeks to mastering the nuances of a single seasonal ingredient. Søren’s goal is to provide guests with a truly memorable dining experience, offering dishes they might never take the time and effort to make at home. His technical expertise and drive to learn fuel his immense creativity, while his collaborative nature ensures that the whole team thrives. When Chef Kari arrives to work with bags of fresh chestnuts, Søren devotes himself to making them an unmissable component of the week’s menu. Like his colleagues, Søren enjoys the challenges of hyper-seasonality, reveling in the bursts of flavor that define the Hayward menu. Whether perfecting the crispy skin of seared trout or diving into the spicy, messiness of spicy buffalo wings, Søren brings deep intention and engagement to every dish he creates.
Front of House Manager and Wine Director, Emily Howard
Emily Howard, Front of House Manager and Wine Director at Hayward, has played a pivotal role in shaping the dining scene in her small Willamette Valley hometown. After many years as a wine buyer, Emily opened the beloved McMinnville restaurant Thistle in 2009. At Thistle, Emily was deeply involved in sourcing and customer service, serving as Front of House Manager and Wine Director. The restaurant broke new ground as the first in McMinnville to source nearly all its produce and products from local farmers, ranchers, and fishers. Emily’s work is guided by her passion for creating thought-provoking food and wine experiences. Now, Emily continues to leave her mark on McMinnville’s dining scene, working alongside Chef Kari Shaughnessy and the Hayward team to build upon her remarkable legacy and the legacy of her hometown.