Seattle Chef and Culinary Icon Tamara Murphy Dies at 63

Celebrated Seattle chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, television personality, and 1994 F&W Best New Chef Tamara Murphy died on Saturday at age 63. A statement on the Facebook page of her restaurant, Terra Plata, announced that Murphy suffered a severe stroke on Wednesday while in Boise, Idaho, and she died peacefully after being kept on life support to donate her organs, according to her wishes. This was confirmed by her family to the Seattle Times.

On Sunday, an official announcement was posted to Terra Plata’s website:

“Tamara Murphy, a James Beard Award recipient and leader in Seattle's culinary and small business community, passed away Saturday evening, surrounded by family and friends, after suffering a stroke. One of Seattle’s most celebrated chefs, Tamara helmed some of Seattle’s most cherished dining establishments over the past several decades, including Campagne, Brasa, and Terra Plata, which she co-owned with her life and business partner, Linda Di Lello Morton.”

Murphy was named a 1994 Food & Wine Best New Chef for her work at the restaurant Campagne. The August 1994 profile that accompanied the accolade included a recipe for rabbit with fava beans and chanterelle mushrooms.

“Murphy never wanted to be a chef; she only worked in restaurants to support herself," Food & Wine editors wrote. "But she couldn't resist the urge to try her hand at cooking and found herself at the stove. When she started at Campagne, the menu reflected her preference for Provençal food, with its simple but flavorful ingredients. Now Murphy relishes using the bounty of the Pacific Northwest for dishes that are ‘a little more rustic, but just as rewarding and tasty.’”

Murphy won the 1995 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest and Hawaii, appeared on Iron Chef: America in 2005, and wrote the cookbook Tender: Simple Ways to Enjoy Eating, Cooking, and Choosing Our Food in 2010.

Her restaurant Terra Plata opened in 2010 and quickly became a neighborhood institution. Its self-described “earth to plate” approach was rooted in close relationships to farmers and a menu broken down by “Land,” “Earth,” and “Sea.” According to Edible Seattle, the signature dish at Terra Plata — still on the menu to this day — is a roasted pig with Manila clams, chorizo, sofrito, hot smoked paprika, bay-scented potato, and chicharron. Terra Plata was named one of Seattle’s most essential restaurants by the Seattle Times in 2018 and by the New York Times in 2024.

Murphy was known for her community service, activism, and mentorship. In 2005, according to Seattle Met, Murphy founded An Incredible Feast, an annual event and fundraiser that paired local farmers with chefs. Terra Plata’s Facebook account shared a statement underscoring the importance of Murphy's ideals and intent to continue the charitable work that she and her partner supported.

“Together, Tamara and Linda epitomized the spirit of hospitality and community service. They hosted fundraisers for small local farms, championed LGBTQ+ rights, and united the community in support of Democratic and LGBTQ+ elected leaders," the statement read. "Their efforts earned them the Greater Seattle Business Association’s Community Leaders of the Year award in 2016. In 2020, they launched the Food is Love Project, which provided over 38,000 meals to families facing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is this civic commitment and dedication to service that Linda will continue to uphold in Tamara’s memory.”