CASEY ROBISON
Bar Director, Barrio & Lot No. 3

A native of the Eastside, Casey got his start in the business as a barback at The Garage on Capitol Hill. He always admired the bar team and thought "it just looked like they were having so much fun" said Casey.

At the onset of his spirits education, Casey learned a great deal by simply frequenting well-known Seattle cocktail hangout, Zig Zag and watching the famous Murray Stenson work behind the bar. Over the years, Casey refined is craft at local establishments such as the Clever Dunnes, Café Presse, Smith, Can Can, and The Saint.

Casey joined the Heavy Restaurant Family in 2008 and has been leading our bar team at Barrio ever since. In addition to his work with us, Casey was also a founding member of the Washington State Bartenders Guild and has had many of his cocktail recipes published in recipe books and magazines such as Imbibe, Wine & Spirits, and Left Coast Libations.

Lately, Casey has been focused on Tequila, Mezcal, Cachaca, Pisco and Rum. When not at work, you can find him relaxing with a Mexican Beer and a Mezcal or Blanco Tequila.

CHRIS FABER
Bar Manager, Lot No. 3

Chris is our Bar Manager at Lot No. 3 and has been with us since we opened in 2010. He loves the dynamic, always changing nature of the industry and he has found that his favorites tend to be well educated classics, with good ingredients. He also enjoys using fun ingredients from the kitchen.

Even on his night off you can often find Chris bellied up to the Lot 3 bar sipping on Fernet, an Old Fashioned or a good Negroni. In addition to utilizing his skills at Lot 3, Chris is also president of the Eastside Bartenders Association.

CHRIS HORN
Wine Director, Purple Cafe and Wine Bar

Chris found his love for wine shortly after college while bussing tables at an Italian restaurant in the University District. He would sit down at the end of the night with a plate of food and a glass of wine and think to himself, "Man, I have to make this my life."

Chris has been Wine Director at Purple Café, Seattle since the day we opened the doors in 2006 and has built one of the most interesting and dynamic wine lists in the state. According to Chris, "The best thing about my job is that I have at least 100 bottles of wine open every day." He loves finding things "off the radar" that most people have never tried.

Currently, Chris is exploring indigenous Italian varietals and both Austrian reds and whites. One of his goals is to find wines of intent and not wines created through focus groups and marketing strategies. Wines made by people with the objective of expressing their land, their culture, their food and their individual personalities. According to Chris, you can certainly taste the difference.

CHRISTENE PRENTICE
Director of Liquids, Heavy Restaurant Group

Christene joined Purple Café and Wine Bar in Kirkland in 2003 as a wine bartender, and that same year was promoted to wine director. A year after the opening of Seattle Purple Café she became the Director of Liquids, overseeing the beverage program for the company.

A  graduate of the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Washington, D.C., her attention and passion slowly turned towards wine. While working at a popular steakhouse in New York City, she had the opportunity to try amazing wines from all over the world, but a glass of 1983 Chateau Margaux changed the way she felt about wine and life forever.

Currently, she is excited about all beverages of quality, especially the number of great micro-breweries popping up all over the Northwest. She feels lucky to be living in a region that is producing world-class wine, beer, and spirits.
Prentice is a holder of the highly esteemed Wine Diploma from the International Sommelier Guild and an Advanced Member of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust.

CYNTHIA BLEWETT
Executive Pastry Chef, Purple Cafe and Wine Bar

A culinary arts graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle, Cynthia got her start in sweets at Lisa Dupar Catering. Cynthia enjoys the precise nature of pastry and baking and likes how everything has to be just right. "I don't do well with just adding a pinch of this and a pinch of that and hope it tastes good" says Blewett.

Cynthia specializes in cakes and decorating but is happy simply by staying busy learning new things. At the end of the day, she enjoys baking the simple things that people can fall in love with all over again.

HARRY MILLS
Executive Chef, Heavy Restaurant Group

Mills grew up eating Italian food, and has always been fascinated by its simplicity, timelessness and ingredient-driven process. As a kid he lived for pizza, an obsession still to this day. After graduating from the University of Washington, Harry began a career in the lobbying and political field yet was drawn back to food after a few years and went to culinary school at the Art Institute of Seattle where he eventually becoming a teacher.

Harry joined Heavy Restaurant Group as Sous Chef at Purple Café and Wine Bar in 2006. Mills was an integral part of Seattle's opening team, and spent a short time as interim head chef before being promoted to Executive Chef of our Bellevue restaurants.

Harry's current food obsession is cooking with wood fire and other natural fuel sources as well as experimenting with meatballs.

KATELYN PEIL
Wine Director, Purple Cafe and Wine Bar

Katelyn has been running our wine programs at Purple Café in Kirkland and Woodinville for the past few years. She loves traveling to vineyards and experiencing things first hand. To that end, she truly found her appreciation for wine on trips to South America, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. She views wine as a liquid art form and is fascinated by the way that different winemakers can do unique things with the same fruit.

The 1996 Vega Sicilia Unico was the one that made her see the light and convinced her to make wine a lifelong pursuit. Currently she drinking Portuguese Red Blends, German Rieslings, and Loire Chenin Blancs.