One of the brightest stars in Portland’s culinary pantheon, chef Sarah Pliner, was tragically struck and killed by a truck on October 4 at the age of 50. Pliner’s career began in the ’90s, cooking under pioneering Portland chef Philippe Boulot at the Heathman Restaurant and Bar. Pliner, a three-time James Beard Award semifinalist, gained local and national acclaim at the French-Asian bistro Aviary, which she co-founded with Jasper Shen and Kat Whitehead; she eventually assumed sole ownership of the restaurant. In August 2020, Pliner closed Aviary partially due to the pandemic; she had most recently been lending her talents to Rick Gencarelli’s Greek restaurant Bluto’s, as well as
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