GG’s, an eclectic speakeasy led by Chef Julie Ann Guerrero, is in the works and will be located at 9501 Rainier Ave S.
The name GG’s comes from Guerrero’s mother, and her inspiration for cooking comes from both her grandmother’s good cooking and her mother’s not-so-good cooking. “She doesn’t like it when people say it, but it’s just the truth,” she jokingly told What Now Seattle in an interview on Friday about her mother. Her grandmother, however, was the more relaxed one in the kitchen and would say to just “put a little of this and a little of that in it with a lot of love.”
That led Guerrero to attending cooking school before her and her late husband opened Dulces Latin Bistro in 1991, her first restaurant. It began first as Dulces where the pair focused on pastries before realizing its cost effectiveness wasn’t quite right. So they altered the name and cuisine that then birthed their upscale restaurant, Dulces Latin Bistro. Advance to 2014 when she closed those doors for the final time and began working as a server and bartender keeping within the service industry. But at the end of 2022, Guerrero knew it was time to branch back out and open GG’s.
“It will be wine dinners focused on where the wine comes from and the winemaker’s expectations for the food it’s paired with. But the cuisine will vary. The day inspires me. I won’t put anything on the plate if I won’t eat it. I’m not reinventing the wheel, but I want to create something you’re going to enjoy.”
Chef Julie Ann Guerrero
She also plans to open up her kitchen to people who want to learn how to make a specific dish guided by her expertise. There will also be live music on occasion and GG’s will be set up to manufacture red pepper ravioli with chorizo to first sell locally, then possibly regionally and up from there.
“I like to keep it casual,” Guerrero mentioned. Which explains the varied daily menu and relaxed atmosphere she’s bringing to GG’s. That includes making little-to-no changes to the space unless needed, which happens to be an old garage. The exterior is super rustic with pillars and a utility door, and she plans to have no signage indicating her mother’s namesake is inside. “The entrance is all the way down the second driveway to the back to get inside,” she revealed. And when the utility door is raised, folding glass windows will reveal the innards Seattle’s upcoming speakeasy.
Guerrero expressed, “Life is short, and everybody loves to enjoy a moment. I’m tired of going to a restaurant and them pushing you out the door to get the next person in. I want people to come and stay for as long as they want here. I want a concept of enjoyment.”
There is no timeframe currently for the opening, but in true speakeasy-form keep your ears open for the name “GG’s” to start floating about and then look for that second driveway next to a rustic garage leading you to the entrance to discover the day’s inspired menu from Chef Julie Ann Guerrero.
