About this episode
Chef Patrick McKee discusses his journey of opening Estes and the influences that shaped his culinary vision.
C hef Patrick McKee joins us for the third time on the podcast, sharing his journey of opening Estes through its popup iterations to now, his brick and mortar restaurant in the heart of a great restaurant block. We talk about his influences from Italy and family and of course, his mentor Vitaly Paley , and his vision for creating a space that honors heritage and community. We touch on how overcoming adversity shaped his character, and is a lesson to anyone that they can recover from extreme devastations. Also, Patrick talks about marriage and the challenges associated with the current political atmosphere and having an immigrant wife. Estes Restaurant - https://estespdx.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/estespdx/ Right at the Fork is supported by: Zupan's Markets: www.zupans.com RingSide SteakHouse: www.RingsideSteakHouse.com Portland Food Adventures: www.PortlandFoodAdventures.com
People in this episode
Guest: Patrick McKee
Topics covered
- restaurant opening
- cooking influences
- overcoming adversity
- immigrant experience
Keywords
- Estes
- Vitaly Paley
- community
- heritage
- marriage challenges
Sponsors
Zupan's Markets
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Estes Restaurant
Places: Italy
More episodes of Right at the Fork
- RATF Classic: #432 Jake Martin - Daphne / Astoria · April 17, 2026 · 1h 13m
- #448 Maylin Chavez - Nacar and Travel to Oaxaca · April 10, 2026 · 1h 25m
- #447 Meg Cotner - Bridgetown Bites April '26 Update · April 3, 2026 · 1h 8m
- RATF Classic: #374 Don Bourassa - International Adulting and Inaugural RATF Guest · March 20, 2026 · 1h 27m
- #445 Jackie and Adam Sappington Part 2 - Harlow, Country Cat, solpdx and their son's football journey · March 13, 2026 · 1h 8m
- #444 Jackie and Adam Sappington Part 1 - Harlow and The Country Cat · March 6, 2026 · 50 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Right at the Fork podcast page.