Meet the Team
José Ulises Montero Lombera, Executive Chef
Chef Ulises has been with Gard Public House almost from the start and has extensive experience working for some of the best restaurants in the world, including 3 Michelin star NOMA in Copenhagen.
Hailing from Michoacán, Mexico, Chef Ulises studied at the University Vasco de Quiroga, and started his career at the Hotel Villa Montaña restaurant where Executive Chef Manuel Gomez taught Ulises all the basics of the kitchen. He then had the opportunity to travel in Mexico and learn from some of the best restaurants in the country, including Alcalde - one of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America. He spent years working with the chef he considers his mentor, Matteo Salas, at the restaurant āperi and Jacinto 1930 in San Miguel de Allende Guanajuato. Those were years full of passion and determination.
Chef Ulises was then offered the chance to travel to Denmark for an internship at NOMA (3 Michelin stars, considered the best restaurant in the world in the list of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World). After three months interning, he was offered a position as chef de partie and spent over a year there.
Chef Ulises now raises his daughter Angelina together with wife Mariah in Moses Lake. He is as passionate about cooking good food as he is for enjoying it!
Annette McKernan,
General Manager
Born in Moses Lake and raised in Othello, Annette has worked in the restaurant industry for most of 25 years. While she took a break to explore other opportunities for a while, her love for food and hospitality drew her back. Joining the Gard Public House team in 2021, Annette has filled many roles. Originally starting in the kitchen, promoting to kitchen manager and lunch chef, she now manages operations at Gard Public House. She loves baking, especially desserts, but like many of us, her passion for all food is so much more. Along with providing the best service with hospitality, she loves every part of what we do here. Now raising her daughters in Royal City, where she now calls home, she loves spending time outdoors, exploring the Columbia River and everything the Basin has to offer.
Selena Vasquez, Sous Chef
Selena was born and raised nearby in Othello, where she grew up helping her dad with his catering business, which is where her love for cooking began. She has been working in kitchens for nine years and loves to cook a wide variety of food.
She has passion for living in the moment, continually learning in the kitchen, and crafting the best food, regardless of what dish it is.
Our Story
Gård Vintners opened Gård Public House restaurant in our hometown of Royal City in the spring of 2021 by Josh and Lisa Lawrence, also the owners of Gard Vintners, to feature scratch-made, locally sourced cuisine as well as the full line-up of our Gård Vintners estate wines, craft beer and cocktails. In the fall of 2023, we added 7 well-appointed guest rooms above the restaurant as the only lodging in Royal City to welcome guests and travelers.
We source from a variety of local purveyors, including Tonnemaker Hill Farm, Pure Country Pork, Big Sage Organics, Santa Fé Tortilleria, Huntzinger Beef, Griggs Apiary, Cascadia Organic Flour, Lawrence Orchards and many others. We offer a friendly, down-home atmosphere, and welcome all ages. Royal City is a small farming community located on the Royal Slope approximately 30 minutes from Moses Lake and 45 minutes from Ellensburg. Gård Public House is open for lunch and dinner daily. We offer indoor and outdoor seating. Reservations suggested, but not required. Our guest rooms feature well-appointed, fully furnished apartments available for short- or long-term stays.