After open heart surgery, chef Adam Hegsted has renewed energy for regional restaurants

Chef and restaurateur Adam Hegsted kept a busy pace with his Eat Good Group of regional eateries, but that screeched to a halt more than a year ago.

Hegsted, who exercises most days, hadn’t felt unhealthy when an insurance app prompted scheduling an overdue physical. That’s when Renee Mueller, a physician assistant, noticed a heart murmur and urged testing.

Two months later, his echocardiogram led within a week to open heart surgery in late September 2023 at Providence Heart Institute – to repair a life-threatening aortic aneurysm and leaking aortic valve – from a congenital issue.

After a six-month recovery and slow return, Hegsted hit a reset button that means more time back in the kitchen.

“I had two or three days to get my entire life together before the surgery, which I was not prepared for, not only with our books but my will and testament, all of the other things that I had just not thought about,” said Hegsted, 45, a 2016 James Beard Award semifinalist.

“I was more worried about the young people in our business and obviously my family and my kids, potentially leaving them, leaving them this chaotic mess.”

Hegsted said the scare also helped him reflect on what initially inspired him as a chef and toward more regular visits at his restaurants to collaborate with staff – even turns cooking.

His Eat Good Group includes Baba, Francaise, Yards Bruncheon, Le Catering Co., Honey Eatery and the Republic Kitchen + Taphouse.

“I’ve been able to get back into the restaurants more, and it gave me a chance to relook at my life in a way that was more purposeful and more taking the reins, instead of just going along in life,” Hegsted said. “Now, I get this chance to fix all those things.

“I forgot about really why I was building all these restaurants. I was building them for our community and our employees, helping them build careers. A piece of that is me being in there – not just building the recipes but building the restaurants with the team. It wasn’t until I had the surgery that I was able to relook at those things.”

His cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Matthew Forrester, said that because of Hegsted’s younger age and fitness, it wasn’t unusual that he didn’t notice symptoms.

“I didn’t have any symptoms,” Hegsted said. “I didn’t feel short of breath. I didn’t feel a murmur, so that part was a little freaky to me and should be freaky for anybody.

“If you’re not getting regular checkups with your doctor, you could have something lurking under the surface and not have any idea. I was that close.”

Catching the aneurysm and valve issue when doctors did, stemming from a routine exam, was crucial.

“His aneurysm was fairly large and was at high risk of tearing, which can be fatal,” Forrester said. “The other component was his aortic valve leaked severely.

“It’s fair to say it’s a lifesaving operation.”

The surgery required opening Hegsted’s chest and putting him on a heart-lung machine that circulates blood so the medical team could stop the heart. Forrester removed the aneurysm, which was replaced by a medical-grade fabric tube, then repaired the valve inside it.

“This is the valve as the blood comes out of the heart, so it’s a very important valve,” Forrester said.

With the aneurysm, the diameter of his aorta just above the valve had reached about 3 inches, which is roughly twice the size of a normal aorta, Forrester added.

Fittingly, Hegsted applied the size to a food concept. “It was about the size of a lemon,” he said.

Hegsted also is co-founder of the Crave Northwest food festival, along with the Crave TV show, both showcasing regional food and drink creators. He’s co-owner of Laughing Dog Brewery/Summit Cider in Ponderay.

The restaurant industry’s overall health still grapples with issues from post-pandemic resurgence to cost pressures, he said. But getting back into work has felt good, he said, while rating his health “more than 100%.”

“Now, I feel really great about the way things are going, and the way the restaurants are going,” he added. “It’s been great to get back in there and really work on the operations side a lot differently, hands-on, and really hone the things we’re doing.”

The inspirations led last year to starting Wandering Table pop-ups, inspired by his former Kendall Yards eatery that closed in 2020. The concept offers occasional multicourse meal events, with the next one scheduled April 4 at Yards Bruncheon.

“It’s how Wandering Table started,” Hegsted said. “We looked at whatever the season is, products that are fresh and seasonal, or just looked at inspirations from around the world. Then, we created a 12-course dinner for 30ish people.”

“We do the pop-ups now once every two or three months,” he added. “It’s a good way for me to work with our chefs but also to do some fun stuff we wouldn’t normally do that’s outside the everyday business menu.”

He’s always overseen building restaurants and recipe creations but had gone to glancing at menus and handing off details. He was more focused on future projects and overall vision. Now, Hegsted said he and company chef Aaron Fish go into the eateries more often to collaborate.

That might mean Hegsted sharing his experience for creating a pasta that he learned from someone who was taught directly by an Italian grandmother, or how to bring a better twist on a cocktail.

“I’m just in the restaurants a lot more, developing relationships with all the employees,” he said.

He laughed while describing his other return.

“Now, I’m the person who can help back them up as chef, instead of asking someone else to go over there,” he said. “It’s great. Plus, I have to show them I can cook.”