Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel’s signature “upper casual” restaurant—had its grand reopening on November 11 as “Chinook crafted by Chef Adam Hegsted,” but it could be more accurately described as a returning. Adam’s Eat Good Group restaurants are ubiquitous in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, but it is Coeur d’Alene Casino where he developed his style, working as the executive chef from 2008 to 2013.

Chuck Spahn, Food and Beverage Director at Coeur d’Alene Casino, says Adam returning is a cool setup.

“Adam put a lot of time in here, and he went out on his own, continued to grow and come up with some great things. It’s just really nice that we are able to partner with him to help both of us.”

Chuck adds that Adam is easy to work with, he knows what he’s doing, and the food he has brought the restaurant is amazing.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” Chuck says. “I’ve never worked in a situation like this before, so it’s unique. We’re having great success so far.”

Chinook’s menu will retain customer favorites, but with a distinct Hegsted flair, as well as a major reboot to the cocktail, beer, and wine offerings. 

“Each restaurant has its own identity, and the managers and chefs there can put their own thumbprint on what’s happening at each place,” Adam says. “I think that’s what makes each place stand out.”

Adam and the team at the casino also wanted to expand the clientele—or better stated, the reason the clientele visit. In the past, Chinook has widely been received as a special occasion restaurant, and while those items remain on the menu, Adam and the team added items meant to be more accessible.

“We really wanted to appeal to all people, so that’s what Adam has done with this menu,” Chuck says. “We still have $50 steaks, but we also have entrees for under $20. We’re hoping that that brings in more guests.”

Another benefit to this arrangement is that Adam isn’t perceived as a newcomer. He had worked with many of the people on staff, and it was easy to establish a strong chemistry with everyone involved.

“It’s fantastic to come back and work in a place that I love,” Adam says. “There’s a lot of people I worked with previously who are still there. Being able to see some new faces and just to see the cooperation of the team and how quickly we were able to move forward on all of the food, server training, and the cocktail program we have going. We’re able to do that really quickly because we have a good chemistry there pretty quickly.”

Though all of Adam’s restaurants have their own feel, they share a commonality: commitment to locally sourced, seasonal ingredients—and Chinook is no different in this respect.

“What we’re trying to do is create this Inland Northwest identity,” Adam says. “When people come to the Chinook restaurant, they want to have a unique experience. They don’t want to have the same experience they could have at any other casino, they want to have something that’s very specific to the Inland Northwest. We do that through using local, seasonal ingredients.”

Instead of just having some generic menu that has asparagus twelve months of the year, we’re creating something that has an identity specific to the Inland Northwest, he says.

Due to this commitment, the menu items will change every four to six weeks, keep the offerings fresh and surprising. 

“I think I surprised Chuck with it, too, because we just got the menu out, we just had the grand opening, and I said, ‘Oh, it’s time to work on a new menu,’” Adam says.