Word quickly spread this weekend through Seattle’s food and drink social network that one of the city’s biggest names on the drink end of things is battling illness and unable to mix the cocktails that have made him famous.
From Jamie Boudreau, owner at Canon:
Murray Stenson joined 12th Ave’s Canon one year ago this month but it’s not really accurate to tie him to a single entity. The respected 63-year-old has been highly influential as craft cocktails have grown in cultural — and economic — importance across Seattle and, especially, on Capitol Hill.
From MurrayAid
MurrayAid, a page dedicated to supporting Stenson describes the situation:
This page has been established to help Murray defray medical expense associated with a heart ailment that is preventing him from going back to work. Click button to right or this link to donate: –
Murray has been serving people for over three decades from behind Seattle’s most esteemed bars. Now, he has a heart ailment that prevents him from working in the profession to which he has given so much. This online fund, MurrayAid, has been founded to raise funds for his medical expenses. Watch this page for upcoming events and way to help our friend who has brought so much joy and laughter to so many people.
I loved being able to make a small donation in hopes it will help dear Murr the Blur. As Paul at the Cocktail Chronicles notes, the direct donation website assures all donations go to Murray’s care without Facebook taking a cut – maybe update your link to include it? http://murrayaid.org/
Facebook one way, Paypal the other. Pick your poison.
If you donate through the murrayaid.org website and specify your donation is a personal gift, there’s no PayPal transaction fee, and all the funds go to Murray. The process to do this is described on the website.
We love the zig zag when he was there… If we couldn’t get a seat at the bar, we would just wait until a seat became availble. Yes, he is a great bartender, but he also is a great teacher.