26 J a » t M t ! august 15.2ÛÛ3
A sense of style
From well-established to up-and-coming,
these three gay and lesbian designers
are giving Portland a creative edge
PHOTOS BY
A decorated hero
Whether hosting a TV show or teaching a cooking
class, Ken Hoyt delivers style, class, tradition...and
a sense of humor
by TJ Norris
he world of style can imply anything from current
trends traipsing down the fashion runways of New
York and Paris to extreme cuisine a la Food Net'
work’s The Iron Chef. In Portland, however, one
man has ventured into every comer of style and
reinvented a way to use local resources to build a flair that is
conscious of the changing times.
Meeting Ken Hoyt was an immediately
welcoming experience. He and his partner
live in a lovingly appointed home in Port
land’s Alameda neighborhtxxJ. His wit and
charm were akin to the warmth of his imme
diate surroundings, and his personal style
could easily he described in his own words as
“a white shirt and khakis kinda guy— classic.”
Hoyt has worked in the Portland area as
writer, chef, interior designer, television show
host and teacher for several years. In mention
ing an off-the-cuff comparison to anyone who
wore as many hats in the public eye, he
retorts, “Yeah, the big queen Ben Franklin of
Portland!” Hoyt doesn’t take himself too seri
ously. Because he just plain works hard, he
gets to do what he likes.
Hoyt started his career as a model in order
to break into the world of style. But one day
while on a bus traveling across the state for a
fashion show with a hunch of 16-year-old
girls, he realized: “I cannot do this anymore,
hanging out with young people who are com
plaining about being paid hundreds of dollars
an hour. 1 realized I had to move on."
From mtxJeling for catalogs to photo-styling
D avid W. O wens
P.C. & ASSOCIATES
sm'ing the community since 1975
A ttorneys
at
L aw
While kids are watching their Saturday morning cartoons,
Ken Hoyt is up at the crack of dawn to host a television
program that focuses on regional food, homes and gardens
for stores such as Meier & Frank and Nord
strom, Hoyt expanded his portfolio, offering
seminars on interior design, writing about fcxxl
for The Oregimian and teaching cooking classes.
At In GtxxJ Taste and Sur Le Table, for
example, he teaches basic cixiking for people
who are afraid to ccxtk. He jokes around in class
and makes light of the current wave of serious
ness in the industry. He asks, If your guests are
going to be less accepting because ycxir souffle
has transformed to scrambled eggs in seconds,
are they really your best guests in the first place?
“I hope something fails each class because
when you are serving five courses, the ques
tion is how will you get through it alive?”
Hoyt reveals. “What made me successful with
the seminars and classes is that 1 am like the
anti-Martha (Stewart] in that I want to
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