Food, Glorious Food!

Tom Douglas • Friday and Saturday
Tom Douglas, along with his wife and business partner, Jackie Cross, owns six of Seattle’s most exciting restaurants: Dahlia Lounge, Etta’s, Palace Kitchen, Lola, Serious Pie, and most recently, Seatown Snackbar. With almost 30 years in the biz, Tom helped put Seattle on the culinary map by cooking global cuisine with regional and seasonal ingredients.

Tom also runs a retail bakery (Dahlia Bakery), a catering business (Tom Douglas' Catering and Events), and an event space (Palace Ballroom). All of Tom's restaurants are located in downtown Seattle.

Tom is the author of three cookbooks, Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen (Morrow, 2001), Tom's Big Dinners (Morrow, 2003), and I Love Crab Cakes (Morrow, 2006). In addition, Tom's specialty food line, which includes "Rub with Love" spice rubs plus barbecue and teriyaki sauces, is sold nationwide.

Tom lives in Seattle, Washington, with his wife, Jackie. His daughter, Loretta attends Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. 

Matthew Dillon • Friday
thecorsonbuilding.com, sitkaandspruce.com
Back in seventh grade, Matthew Dillon spent some time working in a local café bussing tables, prepping food, and learning knife skills. Despite the unglamorous work, he was hooked. After receiving a Culinary Arts degree from Seattle Central Community College, Dillon began to work in the best kitchens of Seattle: The Georgian and Stumbling Goat.

However, it was his time at the Herbfarm in Washington that was life-changing. Innovative chef Jerry Traunfeld taught Dillon about gardens, foragers, and local purveyors, which became the foundation for Dillon's philosophy toward fresh, simple cuisine.

In 2006, Dillon created Sitka & Spruce, serving dishes with a Mediterranean influence. His work at the restaurant earned him the honor of being named Food & Wine's Best New Chef of 2007.

In June of 2008, chef Dillon opened the Corson Building. Serving as a communal dining restaurant, event space, larder, food studio, and urban farm, this establishment is the culmination of Dillon's aspirations.

Renée Erickson • Saturday
Renée Erickson has been involved in cooking and art since the age of 22—when she simultaneously finished up an art degree at the University of Washington and learned to cook at the then, fledgling Boat Street Café. Not many years later, after a stint in Europe learning to eat and cook, she entered into the food fray as the young new owner of her very own restaurant, none other than the Boat Street Café.

Here her talents in food and her charming style flourished. Clearly Renée had found her true métier. Over the years since, her knowledge of food and her commitment to fresh, local, foraged and farmed, preferably organic ingredients has expanded significantly.

She lives happily in Ballard with her dog Jeffry, two cats, and a potager. She is the chef/owner of the Boat Street Café, Boat Street Pickles, chef and co-owner of The Walrus and the Carpenter and a frequent traveler to Europe.

Robin Leventhal • Saturday
Before becoming a chef, Robin was an artist. While pursuing a Masters in Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, she took a job in the catering department. This was only intended to be a summer job, but it quickly became clear she had a passion for food.

Robin's Pacific Northwest roots are the foundation of her cooking, which is accented by the flavors of her world travels. Robin formerly owned and operated Crave, a popular Seattle bistro, and currently uses her cooking and culinary connections to help raise money for Lymphoma research and is closely involved with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Matthew Lewis • Friday and Saturday
Growing up in New Orleans, Matthew Lewis was always happy to help his mom and grandmother in the kitchen. Standing on a stool so that he could see over the counter, he learned a lot of the traditional Creole dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffee.

After graduating from Xavier University in New Orleans, Matthew waited tables at Breckinridge Brewery in Birmingham, Alabama, and as a waitstaff trainer helped open a restaurant for the company in Memphis, Tennessee. He started to cover shifts in the kitchen to help fill some voids and found that he was naturally drawn to it.

Remembering his love for cooking when he was little, Matthew sought out chef Frank Stitt and started working for him in his restaurants Bottega and Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, Alabama. While working with Frank, Matthew also had the opportunity to work with another leading chef, Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club. These chefs inspired Matthew to attend the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York where he graduated second in his class.

After graduating from the CIA, Matthew moved to Seattle where he worked at The Four Seasons Hotel, Restaurant Zoe, Canlis, and currently Toulouse Petit where he is once again pulled back to his roots of Creole cooking.

In August 2010 (and to rave reviews) Matthew launched Where Ya At Matt, a food truck that brings New Orleans staple foods—po-boys, beignets, muffulettas, and more—to the streets of Seattle.

Matthew no longer needs a stool to reach the counter, but he continues to learn, enjoy and share his culinary curiosity and knowledge with his family, friends and community.

Delicatus, A Seattle Delicatessen • Friday
Delicatus was formed by and for those who think that dining should be an experience that resonates. Derek Shankland and Mike Klotz founded Delicatus on the simple concept that people in the greater Seattle area deserve a better sandwich. Until now, the idea of a deli in Seattle has been broadly misrepresentative of the traditional European delicatessens and the ones that European emigrants founded in the Eastern United States.

At Delicatus the vision is to meld both local and European traditions by using primarily Northwest- sourced ingredients purchased directly from local farmers, artisan producers and suppliers of the finest regional products. Principles of sustainability, superior quality, and commitment to service all combine to offer guests a dining experience unlike any other in Seattle.

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Music for the reception will be provided by Michael Bristow and Karen England (Friday) and Les Chattes Créoles (Saturday).  Bios here.