On Monday night, the grand midcentury modern building perched over the Ship Canal lit up on its day off as the restaurant bid farewell to third-generation owner Brian Canlis. On Wednesday morning, the 75-year-old restaurant lit up the food world with news of its new executive chef, a choice most surprising in its predictability.

Today Mark Canlis—now alone at the helm—announced that Canlis promoted executive sous chef James Huffman into the top spot in the kitchen.

The choice demonstrates a clear desire to keep a steady ship in turbulent times. Brian stepped away after 18 years of the brothers’ shared ownership, the entire industry faces steeply rising costs, and the only thing certain about the current economy is its unpredictability. Huffman steps into the executive chef role with nearly a decade of experience at the restaurant, most recently as executive sous chef, bringing continuity and familiarity—a marked shift from the last three chefs at Canlis.

Both Jason Franey in 2008 and Brady Ishiwata Williams in 2015 came from New York hot spots (Eleven Madison Park and Roberta’s/Blanca, respectively), and Aisha Ibrahim in 2021 from Bangkok after crisscrossing the globe cooking at the world’s best restaurants. While Williams stayed in Seattle to open his own place, Tomo, both Franey and Ibrahim cited a desire to earn their own Michelin star as part of their reason for leaving Canlis—and Seattle.

Huffman, on the other hand, seems unlikely to go anywhere quite so soon: Canlis’s eighth chef in as many decades is the first one to be born in Seattle, per The Seattle Times. Prior to his extended stint at Canlis, the Lake Forest Park–raised chef cooked at Cafe Juanita and the Kirkland outlet of Purple Café and Wine Bar. In place of the recognizable restaurants on the resume of previous chefs are nine years of working at Canlis, deep knowledge of the team, and a clear understanding of the restaurant’s unique balance of sensation-hungry foodies and loyal regulars.

Some of that audience may already be familiar with Huffman’s cooking, both as executive sous chef and because he has already been acting executive chef since Ibraham left in April, when Mark Canlis told Eater that 65 chefs remained under consideration, but named only Huffman individually. As the menu transitioned into spring, Huffman started putting out his own dishes, like a cured king salmon and sunchokes with yogurt and Meyer lemon, and charred pork belly with broccolini and pear consommé.

In February, Mark Canlis told the New York Times that he wasn’t sure the restaurant had a future beyond this year. But in all the years of innovative scavenger hunts, pandemic pivots, and wild parties featuring Barbie-pink paint jobs, two things remained consistent: the Canlis salad on the menu, and that the restaurant’s management meets every challenge with creativity, aplomb, and a well-thought-out plan. Hiring Huffman seems to indicate that as Canlis prepares to celebrate its 75^th anniversary in December, it also plans to celebrate many more after that.