Bloglander

Ian Wingate, one of the region’s most respected chefs who developed the Davenport Grand’s Table 13, has left the hotel and moved to the west side of the state to start a new restaurant venture there.

Taking the helm is Evan Tewel, who had worked side by side with Wingate as his sous-chef when launching Table 13, according to Matt Jensen, director of sales and marketing for Davenport Hotels. Most recently, Tewel worked at the Historic Davenport Hotel, running its Palm Court Grill.

Wingate did not return phone messages seeking comment, but Jensen wished him well: “He’ll certainly be missed. He’s a very creative guy and is absolutely in his element in the kitchen, and it showed in the product he produced.”

Wingate had previously made a name for himself having opened several local restaurants, including Moxie, Agave Bistro, Blue Fish and the Inn at Sand Creek in Sandpoint. The Inlander last featured him in a story in 2015, under the headline "Comeback Chef," detailing his revival at the Davenport after having been sidelined with health issues.

Like Wingate, Tewel brings a passion for fresh and local foods to the position, which oversees both Table 13 and the hotel’s Grand Restaurant, Jensen says. “He certainly knows the lay of the land there,” he says of Tewel, “and we’re excited to see what he does in the future.”