Chefs Brian McCracken and Dana Tough

Brian McCracken and Dana Tough are the chefs of Flyte and Spur Gastropub which they opened in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood in the Summer of 2008. The friends' collaboration dates back to their time in the kitchen at Maria Hines' Earth and Ocean restaurant, plus joining Hines' traveling team at the 2005 James Beard Dinner in New York.

Since Spur's launch, the Chefs have received national attention including being mentioned one of the top six gastropubs in the country by Food & Wine magazine. They were selected as "Rising Star Chefs" by the industry insider magazine StarChefs. Antoinette Bruno, StarChefs editor and frequent judge on Iron Chef America, called Spur's Chefs "those two crazy kids" and cited their food as "effortless... delicious... playful... amusing..."

With recognition for turning out some of the year's "Best Dishes" of 2008 in both The Seattle Times and The Seattle Weekly, McCracken and Tough have garnered positive reviews from food experts. Including culinary-focused trips to the McCracken family cranberry farm and food-rich cities like New York, the Chefs draw inspiration from local farmers and purveyors.

Born into a family of fisherman, farmers and restaurateurs Chef Brian McCracken has trained with some of the nation's top chefs in culinary capitals such as Boston, New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and his home town of Seattle.

A Montana native of Cuban heritage, Chef Dana Tough's culinary background spans a dozen years in the Puget Sound region. Beginning with the opening of Waterfront Seafood Grill at Pier 70 with his first mentor, Vicky McAfree, in 1999. Tough is a graduate of the Culinary Arts Program at South Seattle Community College.