Chef Justin Woodward Has Died

It feels strange to be writing this on such a beautiful, sunny fall Portland day: Chef Justin Woodward has died. He was only 43. He was best known in Portland as chef at Castagna (now closed) and OK Omens.

Cause of Death

As I draft this copy, two articles have been published already—one by Portland Monthly and one by The Oregonian (not paywalled). They are both worth reading. The obituary has stated the cause of death: liver failure due to alcoholism.

The O’s Michael Russell spoke with Rachel Ruiz, Justin’s older sister, who said this: “We don’t want people to speculate about his cause of death. We want people to know how serious alcohol can be and to get resources. Even if you don’t feel like you’re sick, it’s doing damage to your body.”

Also according to his sister, he was just seven days away from getting a liver transplant. A heartbreaking revelation. “Unfortunately he had an internal bleed and couldn’t be saved,” she said. Justin died on October 2, 2025.

Justin’s Work

I really enjoyed reading this old Oregonian article from 2011, where Michael Zusman interviewed Justin as he was poised to take over the kitchen at Castagna. At the time he was just 29 years old.

Where He Cooked

Born in Boston and raised in San Diego, he attended culinary school (Art Institute of California–San Diego) there, too. He went on to work in the kitchens at Noma in Denmark; Mugaritz in San Sebastián, Spain; WD-50 in NYC; and L’Auberge Del Mar in San Diego, where Justin first met Matt Lightner. He went on to work at Castagna as sous chef to Matt, and then stepped into the role of executive chef when Matt left to open Atera in NYC.

Castagna closed temporarily in March 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. During that time they created takeout meals, like a lot of restaurants did, and their OK Omens (FKA Café Castagna) opened the patio for outdoor dining service. In 2023 Castagna closed, and Justin shifted focus to OK Omens. He left in 2024.

Awards

He garnered multiple James Beard Awards nominations over the years. In 2013 he was nominated for the “Rising Star Chef” award, and in each year from 2015 through 2019 he was nominated in the “Best Chef, Northwest” category.

He also won the Culinary Excellence Award, Chaine des Rotisseurs 2020, and was a 2018 StarChefs Rising Star.

I was actually at a Portland StarChefs event in 2018 where Justin was on a roundtable with other local chefs. He talked about the importance of challenging himself: “If you’re standing still, then you’re not moving forward. Challenging yourself to do something that you haven’t done—that’s one of my major sources of inspiration. And sometimes that means going backwards, doing something more simple.”

Justin’s Move Back to California

According to The Oregonian, Justin moved back down to California this past summer to be closer to family and work on drinking “a little less.” I guess it is a small blessing that he was living near family at the end.

You can read his obituary here. It mentions those remaining who will remember Justin:

“He is deeply mourned by his parents, Charisse Mondiadis, Jonathan Woodward and stepmother Naimeh Woodward. siblings; Rachel Ruiz, Anthony Ruiz, Melody Woodward and Mahsa Olamai, and nieces and nephews; Julian Ruiz, Isabel Ruiz, Wesley Sonico and Lucille Sonico and his beloved cat, Felix as well as countless friends and colleagues who will dearly miss him.”

A Few Final Words

While I no longer consume alcoholic beverages—I gave them up when I got breast cancer in 2018 (fun fact: I got my cancer diagnosis via phone while on the bus to that aformentioned StarChefs event)—I do not judge anyone on their relationship to alcohol, and any challenges that come with that. I am very sorry to know that alcoholism was part of Justin’s life. With that in mind, his family included this sentiment in the obituary:

“Our family would encourage anyone struggling with addiction to reach out to resources. There is often shame associated with these struggles, and we hope this transparency will help inspire others to get help when needed.”

Next week in the San Diego area there will be a funeral service for Justin in Oceanside (about 38 miles north of San Diego). It’s on October 13, 2025, at 11am. It will take place at Eternal Hills Mortuary & Crematory at Eternal Hills Memorial Park, 1999 El Camino Real, in Oceanside.

I am sending love and support to Justin’s friends, family, and loved ones during this difficult and surreal time. And if you, too, are grieving, my heart goes out to you.

Final words in the obituary, from Justin’s loved ones:

“Like most of us in this life Justin had joys and struggles; but unique to him was a sensitive soul and infinite empathy. He always was making sure other people were cared for, often without words, preparing meals and feeding the people he loved. In his final days, his close family surrounded him, returning the favor, caring for him, feeding him and loving him.”