TRAVERSE CITY — Harlan “Pete” Peterson, a pioneer of Northern Michigan’s fine dining scene and a former automotive designer, died February 26, 2026, at MediLodge in Suttons Bay, Michigan. He was 82.
Peterson was best known as the owner and chef of Tapawingo, a destination restaurant in Ellsworth that earned national acclaim during his 26-year tenure. His culinary career began after a chance meeting with Julia Child led him to transition from designing cars for Ford Motor Company to professional cooking.
Peterson was born March 3, 1943, in Valley City, North Dakota, to Harry and Sophie Haugen Peterson. He grew up in Leal and graduated from North Central High School in Rogers in 1961. He attended the University of North Dakota before moving to California to study at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, where he graduated in 1965.
Following his graduation, Peterson worked as a car designer for Ford Motor Company for 10 years. His career path changed after he joined a cooking club in Dearborn and met Julia Child. Child invited him to attend her cooking school, LaVarenne, in Paris. Peterson subsequently left Ford, moved to Northern Michigan and worked at the Rowe Inn to learn the restaurant business.
In 1983, Peterson purchased a summer cottage in Ellsworth and opened Tapawingo. The restaurant became a premier dining destination, earning him James Beard Award nominations for Best Chef in the Midwest for three consecutive years. His recipes and the restaurant were featured in national media outlets such as Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and the Detroit Free Press.
“Chef was admired by so many, not only for his culinary talents and innovativeness, but also for the generosity of his time, working with and developing so many in the future of hospitality,” said Jeff Lobdell, owner of Restaurant Partners Management.
Eric Patterson, co-chef and owner of Traverse City’s Cooks’ House, says Peterson’s talents put a spotlight on the culinary arts in our area.
“At the top of his game, he was one of the top chefs in the country,” Patterson said. “The respect that he had from everybody — from chefs in New York to food writers to critics.”
Peterson also taught at the Great Lakes Culinary Institute at Northwestern Michigan College.
“As I was coming up as a chef in the ’90s and early 2000s, when I was in culinary school and a young chef, Tapawingo and Chef Pete were what we strive to be, and to be like and to honor.”
The college was scheduled to hold an event celebrating Peterson on March 12, but that’s now been postponed.
Morse says that the event will happen shortly after Peterson’s family arranges a celebration of life.
Peterson retired in 2009 and moved to Traverse City, where he operated a small catering business. He spent his retirement traveling the world to lead food and wine tours and collecting art and matchbooks. An enthusiast for high-speed vehicles, Peterson once kept a favorite Norton motorcycle on display inside the home he designed.
He is survived by his sisters, Mary Lou Wilkins of Anoka, Minnesota, and Sharon Caine of Jamestown, North Dakota. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Laurie Peterson and eight nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Donald and his brother-in-law Ward Wilkins.