Located along Tacoma's waterfront in Washington, Woven Seafood & Chophouse brings together the culinary traditions of Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest with a deep connection to the ocean. As an Ocean Friendly Restaurant, Woven is committed to sustainable seafood, reducing waste, and protecting the waters that sustain us. Read more in our interview below!
Tell us a little bit about your restaurant.
The concept for Woven was developed by Yamaguchi, a James Beard Award–winning chef and esteemed restaurateur known for his innovative fusion of Hawaiian and Asian cuisines and his long-standing commitment to sustainability.
Woven is designed to weave together the culinary and cultural threads of Puyallup with Hawaii's rich traditions. Our menu offers a modern, blended twist on steak and seafood, emphasizing local ingredients and traditional techniques.
Woven Seafood & Chophouse is owned by the Puyallup Tribe and sits on Puyallup tribal land along Tacoma's waterfront Ruston Way. The Puyallup Tribe purchased the Ruston Way property in 2021 as part of the Tribe's long-term effort to re-establish its presence on its original homeland.
What makes it a special destination for your guests and how is your location connected to the ocean?
What makes our location such a special place is that Chef Roy and Executive Chef Dexter's roots stem from Hawaii, a place surrounded by water and connected to the Pacific Northwest through the Pacific Ocean.
Woven brings together different culinary techniques and traditions from both the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Northwest. These regions are connected by the waters of the Pacific, which also influence the way we cook and serve our guests.
Can you share the story behind the founding of Woven?
What makes our location such a special place is that Chef Roy and Executive Chef Dexter's roots stem from Hawaii, a place surrounded by water and connected to the Pacific Northwest through the Pacific Ocean.
Woven brings together different culinary techniques and traditions from both the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Northwest. These regions are connected by the waters of the Pacific, which also influence the way we cook and serve our guests.
The ocean is central to your business. Can you share more about how?
With Chef Roy and the Puyallup Tribe's connection to the waters that surround and provide for them, it is important that we strive to be good stewards of the waters we share with one another. This helps ensure they can continue to sustainably provide for our peoples.
What ocean-friendly practices does your restaurant have in place? What sets your business apart in terms of its commitment to sustainability and ocean health in particular?
We do not use plastic or single-use utensils for packaging takeout food. Instead, we choose compostable and environmentally friendly products. We also avoid single-use products whenever possible and store food items in reusable containers.
We source and serve sustainable seafood to our guests, purchasing products from purveyors who support Native tribal fishermen, as well as those who practice sustainable fishing methods.
What inspired you to follow sustainable practices and to become an Ocean Friendly Restaurant?
Overall, we think practicing sustainability is important, and that's why we do it. If we can show everyone that it is possible, we hope others will follow. The more we practice sustainability, the bigger an impact we can have on the rest of the world.
We also want to make sure that the generations after us can enjoy the same resources we grew up enjoying.
With the ocean being one of our primary sources of food, it is important that plastic and other nonbiodegradable products don't enter our food system. These materials can affect the products we eat and serve our guests. Being from Hawaii and seeing firsthand how poorly our oceans are treated made me want to ensure that what I'm serving here at the restaurant is safe and sustainable for my guests, as I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of anything less.
Why do you think it’s important for the hospitality industry to prioritize sustainability?
The hospitality industry can go through a lot of products and generate a lot of waste. I think adopting sustainable practices helps us better understand how much we are impacting our oceans and how that negatively affects our future.
If we don't start taking care of the oceans that provide us with life, we could eventually run out of the resources they provide. Where will we then find the resources that sustain and keep us alive? I don't know the answer to that, but that's why we aim for healthier, more sustainable practices to ensure the longevity of our oceans' natural resources.
Do you find that customers are receptive to your mission and eco-friendly practices? What kind of reception do you get from the public regarding that commitment?
When guests hear that we prioritize sustainable practices, they get excited because they know what they're eating isn't going to negatively impact the world. They can indulge and enjoy their meal that much more!
What are your goals for the future?
We want to continue supporting sustainability and ensuring that we leave the places we steward better than we found them.
Make sure to visit Woven next time you're in Tacoma! Know another business that sounds like they would fit the Ocean Friendly Restaurant program? Ask them to sign up! If you want to get involved in Surfrider's work locally, learn more about Surfrider's South Sound Chapter here.