Seattle restaurateur Sarah Penn of Pair, Frank’s Oyster House dies at 57
Sarah Penn, a Seattle restaurateur who served small plates before the crest of the tapas craze and who was a mentor to many women in the industry, died Jan. 23 in hospice care. She was 57.
Her death was confirmed by her older sister, Amy Sommers, who said the cause was ovarian cancer.
Sarah Penn, with her ex-husband and chef, Felix Penn, opened the groundbreaking Pair bistro in Ravenna in 2004 and later Frank’s Oyster House & Champagne Parlor nearby. When the pandemic hit, Pair closed, and it didn’t reopen due to the labor shortage.
But last spring, Penn allowed a chef, Janet Becerra, to showcase her Mexican cuisine in the French bistro’s space. Called Pancita at Pair, the restaurant with fresh tortillas from heirloom masa became a sought-after reservation.
The prestigious James Beard Foundation anointed Becerra as one of the rising culinary stars in the country when it nominated her for its Emerging Chef award last week. Penn, who spoke highly of Becerra, died shortly before the announcement.
On Instagram, Becerra posted: “My heart is broken. Earlier this week I lost my mentor, business partner, and friend to cancer. Sarah, I will miss you dearly. You saw me for who I am and believed in me completely. You will always be a part of my journey.”
A successful woman in the male-dominated restaurant industry, Penn told the Seattle Times last year that she knows how hard it is for a woman to make it in this tough racket, and she vowed to help other women and chefs of color launch their projects.
Before the second act as Pancita, Pair was an innovative space for French food. Sarah and Felix’s corner bistro sat across from a cemetery, so “our neighbors never complained about the noise,” Felix quipped.
The couple rolled out several culinary concepts that were foreign to locals. Instead of big entrees, the menu focused on shared plates to pair with Old World wines, showcasing golden beets and other fresh veggies before the farm-to-table movement gained traction. Pair implemented communal table dining in a city known for the Seattle Freeze.
Diners came from across town for the brisket with horseradish creme fraiche and the Gruyere cheese puffs along with wintry, comforting roast chicken in duck fat and potato gratin.
In 2009, the couple followed up their first restaurant effort with the New England-inspired Frank’s Oyster House a few blocks away.
The couple divorced in 2018 but continued to work together until mid-2021, when Sarah bought out her former partner. In an email, Felix wrote of how fond he was of his talented ex-wife, who juggled many front-of-house duties at both restaurants.
“She was a stylish tastemaker with vision, who took all the fine service points and wine knowledge she acquired working in fine dining in San Francisco and brought it home to Seattle, where polished service points weren’t expected in a casual neighborhood spot,” he wrote to the Seattle Times.
Born on Oct. 14, 1966, in Seattle, Sarah Leech grew up in Mount Baker, a neighborhood facing white flight during the Civil Rights Movement. Sarah’s mother, Jane Leech, said she and her late husband lived in an era of racial discrimination, so they wanted their two daughters to be raised in a neighborhood with nonwhite neighbors.
Amy Sommers, Sarah’s older sister, said that upbringing made an impression on Sarah, who became inspired to help other women and people of color in the industry who didn’t have the same opportunities she did.
A Franklin High School class of 1984 graduate, Penn earned her film studies degree at Evergreen State College in Olympia before moving to the Bay Area for a master’s degree in film production at San Francisco State University. She paid her bills by working as a server, including at Kuleto’s in Union Square, where she fell in love with the sous chef, Felix Penn. The couple married in 2001 and moved back to Sarah’s hometown two years later.
In the summer of 2021, Penn was diagnosed with ovarian cancer but kept her busy schedule, cooking with family and friends and hitting art shows to support other women. She even attended a neighbor’s harp performance while she had stage 4 cancer.
Penn was always charming and put people at ease, never wanting others to feel sorry for her due to the diagnosis, her friends and family said.
“She had a snappy, witty quality about her, like Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck, with a modern sensibility,” Penn’s sister said.
In addition to her sister and mother, Penn is survived by her life partner, Tom Guyton, and nephews Ryan and John Sommers. In lieu of flowers, the family said the public can honor Penn by dining out at family-owned restaurants.