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KENNEWICK -- A longtime restaurant owner and chef who helped introduce the Tri-Cities to tapas and was well known for his creativity died Sunday.
Charles "Chaz" Freeman, 49, of Kennewick, owned Olympic-Blue Restaurant & Wine Bar with his partner of many years, Jim Schirado.
Freeman had struggled with diabetes and died of complications from the disease, Shirado said. Freeman had been working as of Friday.
Schirado described his partner as having a big personality and a big heart, and someone who very much enjoyed his customers.
"He was very creative," he said. " He kind of pushed the envelope as much as the Tri-Cities could handle."
Future plans for Olympic-Blue are up in the air, Schirado said.
"It was a breath of fresh air to the Tri-Cities restaurant scene," said Coke Roth, a Tri-City attorney and wine aficionado. "They always tried to create an adventurous wine list so their clientele would be able to select from some of the world's finest wines.
"They truly tried to create a varied atmosphere from the norm ... and they weren't afraid to try and make international fare in a sort of town that's pretty well meat and potatoes."
Freeman and Schirado opened the Kennewick restaurant in 2005 as a re-invention of their 18-year-old eatery Chez Chaz. The pair also used to own Aioli's, a tapas and wine bar in Richland that is now Amici's.
They shared duties, though Schirado said Freeman led kitchen efforts while he ran the front part of the restaurant.
"An awful nice fellow, Chaz was," Roth said. "He was a fine man and a very creative restaurateur."
Roberta Berg, events manager at Columbia Crest in Paterson, worked with Freeman for more than two decades.
Olympic Blue catered many of the winery's events, she said, from a simple lunch for two to five-course, sit-down dinners.
"He was great," Berg said. "He would take suggestions from me and we'd match the food and the wine, and we'd have lots of fun."
When another person was added to an event's guest list at the last minute, Freeman always was able to make it work, she said.
"He was happy, he was always laughing," Berg said.
She and Freeman shared recipes a few times too, she said.
Freeman was well respected by the local catering community, said Cathleen Williams, owner of Catering by Cathleen.
"I used to run into him at the grocery store, and we would talk and compare notes," she said. "He was always coming up with ideas for new recipes and presentations."
The Kennewick restaurant uses Northwest ingredients inspired by international flavors, and a weekend "fresh sheet" offers selections of in-season items.
One thing was clear. Those who worked with Freeman and enjoyed his food will miss him.
"It's awful when creativity is silenced," Roth said.
Mueller's Chapel of the Falls is in charge of the arrangements.
