Grayson Corrales
Restaurant Name | City, State
December 2025
On a farm in Eastern Washington, Grayson Corrales developed an early love for her family’s Spanish culture and cuisine from her grandparents, who lived just down the road. At 19, she dropped out of college, where she was competitively weightlifting and studying nutrition, to enroll in culinary school instead. While taking classes, she worked for Lisa Dupar Catering and became an apprentice to Pastry Chef Ewald Notter, who taught her how to work with chocolate and sugar over the next year. After working at Midori Bakery as Baker Jeremy Gadouas’ viennoiserie specialist, Corrales moved in with her grandparents, learning family recipes and how to speak Spanish, before backpacking through South America, Europe, and Asia over the several months that followed.
When she returned to the United States, Corrales was eager to learn more about savory cooking. She spent time at Chef Bruce Naftaly’s Marmite before joining the team at Rising Stars alum Maximillian Petty’s Eden Hill Restaurant. After a brief stint at JuneBaby, she moved to Spain. In Galicia, Corrales interned at Culler de Pau, where she reconnected with her roots, learned new techniques, and cooked with hyper-local ingredients. While living abroad, she also began to dream up a concept of her own.
In 2022, Corrales moved back to Seattle and opened MariPili Tapas Bar. There, she offers a nostalgic, progressive menu that draws on the traditions, flavors, and techniques of Galicia as well as her time in professional kitchens. Corrales is telling her family’s story with dishes like cochinillo con zorza with roasted pork, chistorra, and braised greens. Since opening the restaurant, Corrales has also launched a smaller, cafe-style location at the Frye Art Museum, raised money for local organizations like Mary’s Place, and focused on being a leader and teacher for her growing team.
