Chef Spotlight: Eugene Dining Eugene’s talented chefs spend their days blending flavors and styles into one-of-a-kind dining experiences. You might see them behind the counter at their own eateries or catch a glimpse of them at one of their favorite spots to savor on their days off. Eugene, Cascades & Coast Visitor Center | 754 Olive St, Eugene 30 CHEF ISAIAH MARTINEZ, YARDY Yardy chef and owner Isaiah Martinez, who recently moved from a bright-yellow food truck to a brick-and-mortar near the Whiteaker neighborhood, brings Caribbean sunshine to town. Martinez’s family connections are to the West Indies and Puerto Rico, but he was encouraged by a friend — another high-profile local chef, Rocky Maselli of Osteria DOP pizzeria — to come share his culinary talents in Eugene. Martinez makes the city’s best brined, skillet-fried chicken, made from pasture-raised birds. Pair it with a signature rum drink and dip it into peppery sauces alongside doubles, a Trinidadian dish of yeasted flatbread with warm spices, fried and topped with curried chickpeas. When he’s not at his friend’s pizza place gilding a slice of bianca with green olives, Martinez heads to Hideaway Bakery, which has not only delicious pastries but also full meals at the adjacent food cart, Farm Cart. Martinez particularly loves the chilaquiles, which are made of saucy fried tortillas topped with pico de gallo, cheese, black beans, sour cream and two over-easy eggs. Pro tip: Martinez asks for them scrambled. “It’s authentic and makes me feel like I’m back in the Bay Area,” he says. Yardy TODD COOPER
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