Our Story

Staff

We work as a dynamic team and strive for excellence in all that we do. At Wild Ginger our staff and our principles create a unique culture…

Mat Hayward

Mat Hayward
Wild Ginger at The Bravern General Manager

Mat Hayward grew up in the Pacific Northwest restaurant industry.  At 15 he was washing dishes and by 25 he was the General Manager at McGrath’s Fish House where he worked over 20 years opening numerous restaurants up the I-5 corridor starting in Eugene, OR and landing at his home in South Everett.
 
Mat joined the Wild Ginger team in 2010 and spent his first year with the company as Manager at the Seattle location.  He transferred to Bellevue as Assistant General Manager in November of 2011 and was quickly promoted to General Manager.  Mat loves to meet and learn about new people, and the restaurant business has always been a natural fit.  “Wild Ginger at the Bravern feels like home and I couldn’t be more happy to be here!”

Mat married his wife Lea on April 1, 2000 (getting married on April Fools Day is indicative of his sense of humor).  Together they have two beautiful daughters Savannah and Sophie.  Mat is an avid photographer.  His camera has taken him as far as East Africa - where he was visited by a lion pride at his tent, to the sidelines of Century Link field for Seahawks games and backstage at countless rock concerts.  His photography can be viewed at mathaywardphoto.com
Cortney Lease

Cortney Lease
Company Wine Director:
Wild Ginger + The Triple Door

Cortney graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Chemistry and a minor in Dance. She began her wine career upon moving to Cambridge, England in 2005, with a job as a Wine Advisor at Odd Bins.  Cortney took the Wine Spirit Education Trust’s intermediate and advanced exams in London, passing both with Distinction.

Cortney made her way back to Seattle and pursued a job at the company for which she had worked in college, Wild Ginger and The Triple Door.  She accepted the position of Cellar Master in 2007; company Cellar Master in 2009 with the opening of Wild Ginger at the Bravern, then Wine Director for Wild Ginger Seattle and The Triple Door in 2010.  In that time, Wild Ginger Seattle was awarded the Grand Award by Wine Spectator in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, along with Wine Enthusiast’s Award of Ultimate Distinction and the Washington Wine Commission’s Grand Award for all three restaurants.  With 2012 came yet another opportunity, as Cortney took over the reins of the entire wine program to become Company Wine Director.

Cortney is an active participant in the Court of Master Sommeliers examinations.  Passing both the Introductory and Certified exams, she was selected for a tour of Australia through the Court and Wines of Australia in 2010 and passed her Advanced exam in 2012.  Cortney is continuing to cultivate her education in wine through study and tasting groups to pursue becoming a Master Sommelier, and desires to one day combine her love for wine and her degree in Chemistry to make her own wine.
 
When Cortney is not in the restaurants, she enjoys reading, playing outdoors, enjoying a craft cocktail with friends, and generally relaxing with her husband David, two cats Nora and Tybalt, and their ridiculously energetic puppy Adelaide while fixing up their house.
 
Brad Yoshitomi

Brad Yoshitomi
Kitchen Liaison Manager

Every restaurant has that one person who holds it all together – the one, who knows where to find electrical tape when you need it, or source a new fish for the kitchen or keep track of the glassware, dishes and silverware. At Wild Ginger, Brad is that man. He knows where things are or at least where they should be. Affectionately called ‘Yoshi’ by his co-workers, Brad’s day entails a lot of walking through 5 floors of kitchens,storerooms and dining rooms at both Wild Ginger and The Triple Door. He is the liaison between the predominately Cantonese-speaking kitchen and the mostly English-speaking front-of-the-house staff.

Born and raised in Seattle, Brad has always had a passion for great food and customer service. That led him to Wild Ginger, where he has worked for fourteen years. Best thing about his job? The ability to progress through the organization and find new ways to contribute. Brad has been a server, floor manager, and now happily sits in his current role as jack-of-all-trades. House-made curries with fresh coconut milk are his favorite dishes on the menu and his wife and 3 children love it when he brings home noodles and panko chicken. Following in his footsteps on a quest for great food, the whole family can often be found gracing one of the big booths in the dining room at Wild Ginger for a family meal.

Seattle

1401 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
206.623.4450

Bellevue

11020 NE 6th St. Ste 90
Bellevue, WA 98004
425.495.8889