Featured Chefs

This year's featured chefs will take you on a five-course culinary adventure. Click below to learn more about the chefs behind the food!

Eric Banh

    Monsoon

Natives of Saigon, Eric and Sophie Banh began cooking at an early age and were heavily influenced by Chinese and European cooking traditions using fresh ingredients. The brother and sister duo opened Monsoon in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1999, earning instant acclaim for their creative spin on contemporary Vietnamese cuisine. They continue to be recognized for their innovative food that showcases the bounty of fresh product available in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to spending time in the kitchen, Eric maintains an award-winning wine list of old world and new world wines.

In December 2008, the Banh’s opened Monsoon East in Bellevue. In July 2011 they opened Ba Bar, a casual eatery that pays homage to the street food of Eric and Sophie’s youth. 

Kurt Dammeier

    Beecher's Handmade Cheese

At a young age, Kurt knew he had more than a passing interest in pure, full-flavored food. A fourth generation Puget Sound native, he has always loved local products and hated grey roast beef and army green broccoli.

Kurt’s love of great cheese and commitment to all-natural foods free of harmful additives inspired him to create Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in 2003. With locations in Seattle’s Pike Place Market and the Flatiron District in New York, Beecher’s is esteemed not just for its award-winning cheeses, but also for its popular café and restaurant dishes.

With Kurt at the helm as chef and proprietor, Beecher’s is part of the Sugar Mountain family of food destinations, including Pasta & Co, Bennett’s and Maximus/Minimus. In 2004, Kurt established the nonprofit Flagship Foundation to educate children about the benefits of healthy eating and nutrition. 

Renee Erickson

    Boat Street Café

Renee Erickson, the chef-owner of Seattle’s Boat Street Café, Boat Street Pickles and co-owner of The Walrus and the Carpenter, has been cooking since she was 22. While earning an art degree from the University of Washington, Renee worked at the then-fledgling Boat Street Café. After a stay in Europe to study art and food, she entered into the exciting world of restaurant ownership by purchasing the very same Boat Street Café.

In the summer of 2010, Renee and her partners opened another popular restaurant. This time it was an oyster bar, The Walrus and the Carpenter, in old Ballard. Her extensive knowledge of food, flavors and wine is reflected in the delicious and classic dishes offered in both restaurants. Renee began her cooking career dedicated to providing the best fresh, local, foraged and farmed organic ingredients in all her dishes. Her commitment to the best ingredients continues as her connections within the community of food providers grows. Renee lives in Ballard with her cat Lucca, her new puppy Arlo, eight chickens and a potager.

Ted Furst

    Le Grand Bistro Americain

Ted Furst has been a force on the Seattle food scene for more than 30 years and was a pioneering chef of Seattle’s food renaissance in the mid-80s. After early stints at places like Il Bistro, Crepe de Paris, Marcello’s, and the Manor House, Ted moved on to chef positions at Saleh al Lago, Place Pigalle and Bravo Pagliaccio. In 1983 he opened Cafe Sport as co-chef with Tom Douglas. In 1985 he opened Campagne with Peter Lewis. Two years later Ted joined Schwartz Brothers Restaurants as corporate chef. In 1993 he was named vice president of food and beverage for Cucina! Cucina! Inc., where he remained until 1995.

During his career, Ted has seen more than 40 restaurants from the planning and creation stages to successful openings. The concept of Le Grand Bistro Americain brings Ted full circle, to his roots and his great love and appreciation of the French way of handling food and eating out. He is enjoying applying his hard-won knowledge and experience to his own restaurant, and relishes the opportunity to bring it patiently to perfection, day by day. 

Matt Janke

    Lecosho

Matt Janke began cooking professionally while pursuing studies at the University of Washington. Pretty soon he had dropped out of school and was cooking full time, working his way up through the ranks in such places as Café Sophie, Daniel’s Broiler, Marco’s Supperclub and Il Bistro. After a short stint as a freelance consultant, opening restaurants for other people, Matt opened the eponymous Matt’s in the Market in the summer of 1996. In the fall of 2010 Matt and Jill Buchanan opened Lecosho on the harbor steps in downtown Seattle. 

Shaun McCrain

    Book Bindery

Originally from Eugene, Ore., Shaun grew up in Seattle and attended Seattle Central Culinary Program. While in school he worked at The Painted Table.

After graduating, Shaun worked in San Francisco at Masa’s as well as La Folie. Encouragement from chef Roland Passot led Shaun to Paris and the kitchens of both Les Elysées du Vernet and Taillevent. Heading back to the U.S., he was honored to accept a chef de partie position at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York City, where he rose to the positions of sous chef and executive sous chef.

Missing the West Coast, Shaun then spent time at Michael Mina in San Francisco before heading to Seattle to lead the kitchen at Book Bindery. 

Donna Moodie

    Marjorie

Born in Jamaica and raised in Chicago, Donna found her way into her mother’s kitchen at an early age. What left the biggest impression wasn’t just the food, but her mother’s gracious hospitality.

Donna moved to Seattle in 1993 and opened her first restaurant, Marco’s Supperclub, with former husband and business partner. It opened to great acclaim and by 1997, the pair had a second smash hit on their hands with Lush Life, which featured regional Italian cuisine in a sleek, romantic setting. Both restaurants’ globetrotting menus and mix of sophistication and funky charm anticipated important trends on the Seattle dining scene, and their popular success helped revitalize the city’s then derelict and deserted Belltown neighborhood.

Moodie branched out on her own, transforming Lush Life into Marjorie, paying tribute to the inspiration for her lifelong affair with hospitality. Enjoying six successful years in Belltown, Marjorie relocated to Seattle’s vibrant and eclectic Capitol Hill neighborhood, opening its doors in the spring of 2010. 

Tyler Moritz and Aleks Dimitrijevic

    La Bête

Tyler Moritz developed a passion for cooking as a dishwasher in high school and from watching “Great Chefs” on PBS. After attending the C.I.A. in Hyde Park, N.Y., Tyler returned to Arizona to cook with James Beard Award winner Janos Wilder at Janos and Rulon Taite Pearson at Linen Restaurant where he first experienced true creative freedom. Moving to Seattle in 2002, Tyler worked with John Sundstrom at Earth and Ocean and later, at Lark. Prior to opening La Bête, Tyler was the chef de cuisine for Ethan Stowell at Union Restaurant where he met his friend and business partner, Aleks Dimitrijevic.

Cooking has been a major part of Aleks’ life since he was a child, having grown up in a very food centric family. During his first year of college, Aleks decided cooking was what he would pursue professionally. After graduation he enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America. After completing an externship in Spain, he graduated and went to work for a year at Bouley as well as its sister restaurant, The Danube in New York City. After a year, Aleks returned to Spain and completed a six month stage at Mugaritz. Aleks then moved to Frankfurt, Germany to become the sous chef for Mario Lohninger’s restaurant, Silk. Missing family and friends, Aleks decided to move back to Seattle and call it home. While working under chef Ethan Stowell, he met Tyler, who became both a close friend and his business partner.

Kyle Nicholson

    The Bluff

Following graduation from Evergreen State College, where he studied both business and sustainable agriculture, Kyle Nicholson couldn’t decide whether he wanted to start his career wearing a suit while sitting at a desk, or wearing rubber boots while working the fields. Hailing from a family with a habit of preparing daily home-cooked meals from scratch helped shape Kyle’s interest in food preparation and cultivation, and pushed him in the direction of pursuing an additional degree from the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Ore. Following graduation, he perfected his craft at various fine dining establishments throughout Utah while managing a successful culinary program with Sur La Table in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Now, as chef/innkeeper of Friday Harbor House and The Bluff, Kyle utilizes his business management skills as he oversees the daily operations of the Inn, as well as his farm-to-table philosophy. His passion for leveraging local, sustainable agriculture is exemplified in The Bluff’s straightforward and pure cuisine created from ingredients cultivated from the surrounding land and sea.

Tamas Ronyai

    FareStart

Starting in Budapest, Hungary, Tamas Ronyai completed his international chef’s papers and apprenticed at the famous Hotel Gellert. Working with foreign embassies, he became exposed to cuisines of all nations.

Teaching the new generation of culinarians is something Tamas takes seriously. He has taught and developed courses at Paul Bocuse Institute in Lyon, France; George Brown College in Toronto, Canada; and The Arts Institute in Vancouver, Canada. He worked with the Salvation Army in Vancouver to establish a culinary program for the disadvantaged.

In 2007 a great opportunity presented itself in Seattle for this dynamic, international award-winning chef. Tamas accepted the challenge of providing high quality and healthy food options to the fans of the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, focusing as much as possible on local products. While working at Safeco Field he had the opportunity to hire graduates of the FareStart program. Now working at FareStart Tamas is combining everything he loves – cooking, teaching and assisting others.  

Jason Stoneburner

    Bastille Café and Bar

Jason Stoneburner brings years of experience and immense creativity to his position as executive chef of Bastille Café and Bar. A self-taught chef, Jason began his career in Boulder, Colo., at the famed Flagstaff House Restaurant. He later became the chef de cuisine under James Mazzio at 15°.

In 1998, Jason ventured to Seattle to open Stars under celebrity chef, Jeremiah Tower, where he also had the opportunity to work alongside rising star chef Jason Wilson. Since landing in Seattle, Jason has spent time cooking with some of the city’s most established and celebrated chefs. He spent three years honing his skills with Daisley Gordon at Campagne before joining the Ethan Stowell Restaurants team – first at Union as pastry chef and later chef de cuisine, before moving on to open Stowell’s highly-acclaimed How to Cook a Wolf. Jason also did a stint with Renee Erickson at her beloved Boat Street Café before joining the opening crew at Bastille. In June 2009, Bastille opened to critical acclaim with Jason acting as chef de cuisine under Shannon Galusha. Jason was named executive chef in May 2011.

Blaine Wetzel

    Willows Inn

Chef Blaine Wetzel was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He started working in kitchens when he was 14 years old, and has never stopped. Blaine has studied and apprenticed widely, notably as Rene Redzepi’s sous-chef at Noma in Copenhagen, considered by some to be the best restaurant in the world. Redzepi has called the 25 year old Wetzel a “rare and amazing talent.”

Since coming to Lummi Island, Blaine has attracted international attention. In 2011, The New York Times declared Willows Inn “One of the 10 Restaurants (in the world) Worth a Plane Ride.” His meals are characterized by commitment to local ingredients and traditions, and a provocative yet honest relationship to food. Those who make the journey to the small, green island just south of Canada are treated to salmon caught around the corner, seaweed gathered from the beach out front and berries plucked from the back fields. Blaine’s food brings you into an intimate relationship with the landscape he loves, allowing you to touch, taste, see and smell the ocean, the coastal lands and the soft gray light on the water.