Sarah Toce
Famed Seattle Chef Tamara Murphy died on August 10, 2024, with beloved family by her side. Murphy was 63 years old.
“Tamara Murphy, a James Beard award recipient and leader in Seattle’s culinary and small business community passed away Saturday evening, surrounded by family and friends after suffering a stroke,” a post shared by Terra Plata’s Facebook and Instagram feed stated. “One of Seattle’s most celebrated chefs, Tamara helmed some of Seattle’s most cherished dining establishments over the past several decades including Campagne, Brasa and Terra Plata, which she co-owned with her life and business partner, Linda Di Lello Morton. Together, Tamara and Linda epitomized the spirit of hospitality and community service.”
A Life of Advocacy
Louise Chernin served as President & CEO of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) for almost two decades. Murphy left an indelible impression on Chernin. The powerhouses bonded on their innate ability to champion the underdog and lift others up for the betterment of society.
“Tamara and her beautiful life and business partner, Linda DiLello Morton, have been a force for good in our community. Tamara created a gathering spot and nurtured us all with love and food,” Chernin remembered. “I met Tamara around 2000 through GSBA, which she immediately joined when she opened Brasa. She was quick to volunteer for GSBA’s first fundraiser for the Scholarship Fund, Taste of GSBA.”
Chernin added, “Tamara continued to support this event which morphed from a Chef contest at a small venue to one of the largest fundraisers in the LGBTQ community. But, Tamara was not comfortable with competing in a chef contest, which she won every year, so she gave me a call and suggested we change the event to one in which all chefs were showcased and came together to raise funds for the GSBA Scholarship Fund. Being our lead chef for so many years, raised thousands and thousands of dollars for the GSBA Scholarship Fund.”
Chernin added, “About five years ago, Tamara, Linda and I came up with the idea to bring together a group of lesbian leaders and auction off a ‘Power L dinner’ with food prepared by, of course, our number one celebrity chef Tamara Murphy. Again, Tamara generously gave of her talent and time and raised thousands more [dollars] each year for LGBTQ students. So many students owe their ability to go to college because of the generosity of Chef Tamara Murphy.”
Chernin shared a personal photo with The Seattle Lesbian from her 2021 wedding to her life partner Mary Klein. Of course, where better to hold the celebration than Terra Plata?
“It was during COVID, so we were limited in number of guests and, of course, had to be outside, Chernin recalled. “It was a warm and loving gathering, so beautifully prepared by the incomparable Chef Tamara.”
Front and Center Behind-the-Scenes
“Our nonprofit community and progressive elected officials, have been supported and strengthened through the countless fundraisers hosted at Terra Plata,” Chernin said. “How often we all got a call to an event at Terra Plata, whether to raise funds for Seattle Storm basketball player, Simone Edwards, fighting cancer; supporting local farmers or candidates running for office, whether for City Council or U.S. President, such as Hillary Clinton.”
Chernin summed up, “Tamara loved her community and was a passionate evangelist for small business, especially for locally owned restaurants. Always available to encourage and mentor, she and Linda monitored legislation that would impact small business, always ready to testify before the City Council or State Legislature. But, central to the fundraising and advocacy, was the exquisite food that was always present. Terra Plata was our home away from home.”
Chernin said she used to “tease Tamara and Linda that I was there so often, I should have my name on a table. I would walk into Terra Plata and within minutes some of those delicious homemade potato chips were sent over or, if available, she and Linda knowing how much I love Tamara’s crudo, a plate was set before me. It wasn’t just me that received personal attention, but all of us who walked through those doors, were treated like family.”
A Legacy of Friendship
Murphy’s friend for over a decade, Barb Wilson, succinctly summed up her effervescent contributions.
“I first met Tamara over a decade ago at a GSBA event. I was immediately taken with her—funny as hell, warm, and gracious,” Wilson shared. “My friendship with Linda and Tamara grew over the next 10 years, and they have become family to me. Tamara and Linda together had a way of making everyone feel loved. Tamara’s giant capacity to love was what made her so special, and it’s what we will all grieve and miss.”
Wilson added, “It’s very fitting that Tamara’s last act was to give others life through organ donation, and already many lives have been saved through successful transplants. It makes my broken heart feel joy.”
Seattle Storm President & CEO Alisha Valavanis also shared her “cherished” memories with Murphy.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our cherished Seattle chef, community champion and member of the Storm family, Tamara Murphy. Tamara and her partner Linda have been part of our Storm family for years – sitting courtside cheering on the team. A team they truly championed and a team they hosted on so many occasions at Terra Plata.”
In fact, the team relished their sacred times together at Terra Plata.
“Everyone loved Tamara’s cooking, and how Terra Plata felt like going to a family dinner,” Valavanis said. “Over the years, so many team meals, special occasions and celebrating championships, but also times when it was just to feel the comforts of a family meal.”
Valavanis added, “It was inspiring to watch Tamara use her beautiful talent and platform to bring people together and to make a positive impact on so many lives. She made a positive impact on mine and so many in the Storm family. Chef was a true champion and will be greatly missed.”
Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu spent her birthdays at Terra Plata with friends and family, including Murphy and her wife/co-owner Linda Di Lello Morton.
“Tamara was not only an exceptional chef, she was also an extraordinarily kind, loving, compassionate, insightful, fun, funny human being who never took herself too seriously,” Justice Yu remembered. “People could laugh at our pickleball skills with the Picklebacks, but no one could discount the degree of fun we had on those Georgetown cracked courts. Tamara was a role model for maintaining perspective and for how to live a good and just life.”
Justice Yu continued, “Tamara and Linda, together, taught us all what love is and how it is manifested in our world. When the majority of restaurants closed during COVID, Tamara never abandoned us; she fed us and our community because she knew we needed her. And, most importantly she stretched us to be generous during this time and asked everyone to help her feed the families in need.”
Justice Yu shared the following personal photos with The Seattle Lesbian.
“I will miss her and I will miss celebrating my birthday with her; there was no place to go on my birthday other than Terra Plata,” she said.
Realtor and close friend Victoria Odell spent countless hours by her pal’s side and remembered, “’Tamara and Linda’ (said fast) rolls off the tongue so naturally. I met Tamara and Linda in 2008 and since then our friendship has been the ultimate gift and one of the greatest honors of my life. Tamara was warm, kind and gentle, funny, sassy, and bold.”
Odell would soon come to find that Murphy’s medicinal heart would serve as a salve to heal her own.
“Early in the pandemic, she and Linda took a short trip to Sun Valley. I was living alone and entering a very dark place. She noticed this and without hesitation texted, ‘Get on the next plane and be with us,'” Odell recalled. “That short trip during the pandemic saved me. I will carry with me the conversations, funny texts, the family dinners, and I will remember all the times we spent together.”
Murphy’s friends and loved ones are on a journey to keep her spirit alive.
“We are still trying to wrap our arms around the enormity of the loss of Tamara Murphy, but I do know she will live on through all of us committed to carry on her legacy of speaking out for what is right, nurturing each other, enjoying food at locally owned restaurants and always coming together as a community,” Chernin offered.
Terra Plata is located at 1501 Melrose Ave in Seattle. A celebration of life will be announced by their team at a later date.
