Justin Woodward, a chef who trained in New York and Europe before moving to Portland, where he ran the city’s preeminent fine-dining restaurant for nearly a decade, has died, friends and colleagues confirm. He was 43.

Woodward, who was best known for his work at the progressive Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard tasting menu restaurant Castagna, was born in Boston but raised in Southern California, where he first fell in love with cooking, according to family. The cause of death was liver failure.

“My brother struggled with alcohol issues in the industry,” said Rachel Ruiz, Woodward’s older sister. “We don’t want people to speculate about his cause of death. We want people to know how serious alcohol can be and to get resources. Even if you don’t feel like you’re sick, it’s doing dmaange to y

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