MINTZ–HER WORDS BLOG

March 2004

WHO'S THE HUNK IN THE KITCHEN AT ALKI, YOU ASK?
He is none other than Dan Thiessen, the newly chosen Corporate Executive Chef for Salty's Restaurants. He hails from Washington State, born and raised on a cattle ranch. He loves to fish, hunt and he's passionate about food! What does he know about fish? I met him at a Grill Cook-Off competition where he won first prize for the second year in a row. He wowed the judges (all food critics and local writers) with his exquisitely prepared salmon dish.

Chef Dan has worked around the Greater Seattle area and most recently was executive chef for Schwartz Brothers Restaurants at Chandler's Crabhouse. When he's not teaching, guiding, planning or cooking, Chef Dan can be found contributing his time to charity functions. He was the auctioneer at Salty's annual Cooking for Class event held at Alki last September helping us raise over $13,000 for senior housing. What a guy! And what a Chef we now have in the kitchen at Salty's on Alki. Be sure to stop by, try his Market Sheet selections and tell him hello as he will be out and about greeting guests. For more on Dan Thiessen, please go to http://www.saltys.com/food_wine/chefs.asp. For more on Salty's on Alki market sheets, please go to http://www.saltys.com/seattle/menus.asp. For reservations, please go to http://www.saltys.com/reservations/.

TOM SKERRIT WILL JUDGE AT THE CHOCOLATE FOR CHOICE EVENT THIS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26.
Last year's Chocolate for Choice winner Salty's on Alki Pastry Chef Jane Gibson is entering the NARAL Chocolate for Choice Event again this year. She won in her division last year. She's a veritable Chocolate Ambassador. Can't wait to see what she will come up with this year. Celebrity judges include actor Tom Skerrit, writer Sherry Grindeland, author Cynthia Nims and Mayor Greg Nickels among others. The chocolate event is held at Safeco Field on Thursday, February 26, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Safeco Field is located at 1250 First Avenue South. Please call (206) 624-1990 to reserve your spot.

TASTE WASHINGTON OYSTER/SHELLFISH BAR ON SUNDAY, APRIL 18.
Salty's will be featured this year at the Taste Washington Oyster/Shellfish Bar on Sunday, April 18. The bar showcases Seattle's finest seafood restaurants with preparations of a different type of seafood. Restaurants will be paired with wineries pouring clean, crisp shellfish whites! The Taste Washington Oyster Shellfish Bar will be located in the middle of the Exhibition Center, so you won't be able to miss us. Be sure to join us for this event which benefits FareStart. For more information on Taste Washington, please go to http://www.washingtonwine.org.

Dec 2003

SALTY'S SUNDAY BRUNCH FOR LIFE! You could win this contest just by filling out a Salty's comment card the next time you come into Salty's. The guest who comes up with the most creative and fun way of telling us why they like Salty's in one sentence will win Sunday Brunch for life! Enter every time you visit us. Several runner-ups will win a Brunch for Two gift certificate. Enter until January 31, 2004. The winner will be notified via email on February 29, 2004, and if there is no reply to our email by March 15, 2004 the second runner-up walks off with the prize of the year. If your email address changes be sure to let us know at news@saltys.com.

THANKS FOR YOUR VOTE IN SEATTLE WEEKLY READER'S POLL. It's official, Salty's on Alki once again wins Seattle's Best Sunday Brunch award in the Seattle Weekly annual reader's poll. Not only did they win this award, but also Best Restaurant for a Date. I quote, "You dirty birdies. Those fresh oysters probably had something to do with your choosing Salty's on Alki Beach for this category. The waterfront location's not bad, either. The Seattle skyline may not be a known aphrodisiac, but it's one of the romantic views in town."

SALTY'S WINS WINE SPECTATOR AWARD OF EXCELLENCE. Salty's now join the ranks along with other prestigious restaurants in Seattle as a Wine Spectator magazine award winner with a 2003 Award of Excellence. Many thanks to Salty's Sommelier Tim O'Brien for a commitment to a wine list that includes 236 bottles of wine (there are 3,000 bottles of wine on the property at any given time). The award is granted to Salty's for having a selection of better producers along with a thematic match to both the menu and style.

"COOKING WITH CLASS"™ EVENT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. Salty's at Redondo Chef Gabe Cabrera received a rousing standing ovation from his students at his cooking class on Salmon en Croute. At the same time Pastry Chef Jane Gibson taught "All Chocolate, All the Time." Her students learned the art of decorating with chocolate. This annual benefit attracts many great chefs to Salty's. Many thanks to the Beneficiary Director Connie Adams and her magnificent committee.

CHEF'S FEST RAISES $31,000 FOR YWCA FAMILY VILLAGE. The Hyatt Regency in Bellevue was the scene for Chef's Fest 2003 as 17 chefs gave away culinary samples for three hours. Salty's at Redondo Chef Gabe Cabrera and his team brought in trays of Seared Day Boat Scallops on Poached Leek with a Pomegranate Reduction surrounded by an immense ice sculpture. Funds of $31,000 were raised through admission, a raffle and silent auction along with sponsorships.

Sept 2003

COOKING WITH CLASS TO BENEFIT PROVIDENCE
If you want to learn to cook with class, save the date, Thursday, September 25. The second annual Cooking with Class will be held at 6:00 p.m. at Salty's on Alki. Chef Gabriel Cabrera of Salty's at Redondo wants to teach you how to make Salmon en Croute, a wonderful party entrée. Alki Pastry Chef Jane Gibson wants to teach you chocolate techniques; her mini-class includes gift bags and easy decorating ideas. There will be 17 Seattle and Eastside chefs and instructors teaching small groups of 8. You get to select three classes which rotate every 45 minutes. Your donation of $50 benefits Providence Senior and Community Services, Providence Elder House and Heritage House at the Market. For more information, go online to http://www.providence.org/Long_Term_Care/e10Cooking.htm. To register, please call Connie Adams at (206) 749-7802 or email her at Connie.Adams@providence.org.

SALTY'S WINS WWW.CITYSEARCH.COM VOTES
A big "Thank You" to all of our guests who voted for Salty's in the recent Citysearch polls. Salty's on the Columbia won four "Best of Portland" awards: Best Seafood, Best Sunday Brunch, Best Special Occasion Dining and Best Outdoor Decks. Salty's on Alki and Salty's at Redondo placed in the top ten best of Seattle: Best Seafood, Best Sunday Brunch, Best Outdoor Dining, Best Romantic Restaurant. Thank you, dear guests, for your extraordinary appreciation.

MARCH OF DIMES
Chef Byron Shultz of Salty's on Alki was chosen as a Star Chef for the March of Dimes Star Chef Gala on September 21 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers. This elegant food-oriented philanthropic event benefits the March of Dimes' fight to save babies. The March of Dimes' mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. The Star Chef Gala event features 24 local chefs who donate their time and talents. Salty's on Alki Chef Byron will prepare a sample size Salty's signature dish for some 400 guests. Salty's owners Gerry & Kathy Kingen donated a Salty's Eight-Person Dinner (with limousine services included) for the Gala auction event.

PIKE PLACE MARKET COOKBOOK
On the shelf is Braiden Rex-Johnson's new Pike Place Market Cookbook. It includes anecdotes and recipes from chefs and personalities all around our treasured Public Market including "Celery Root Soup," a recipe from Salty's on Alki Chef Byron. As someone who has been a lifelong collector of cookbooks, I have to tell you this one is a must-have. It's on sale at Salty's on Alki Gift Shop for $18.95. Watch here for the date for the official book signing at Salty's on Alki with author Braiden Rex-Johnson and Salty's Chef Byron.

KATHY CASEY'S ALL ABOARD FOR VANCOUVER TREK
Food Diva Kathy Casey joined forces with Amtrak Cascades and designed a new menu for their dining car. I had a chance to sample some delicious breakfast entrees such as Woodring Orchards Northwest Fruit Compote and a Cascades Omelet with Tillamook Cheddar Eggs and Farmer-style Roasted Washington Potatoes and Aidells Chicken Apple Sausage. Lunch tasting included a Hot Selection of Kathy's Dish D'Lish™ Ultimate Four-Cheese Mac and Roasted Vegetable and Artichoke Lasagna. All aboard!

FERNDALE LOCAL IS NATIONALCULINARY WINNER
Hailey Kranz of Ferndale, Washington, was the First Place Winner of the Regional Cooking Competition at the Art Institute of California-Los Angeles representing all of the Western United States. In the National Cooking Competition in New York she placed 5th and received a $15,000 scholarship.
When asked what inspired her to go into the culinary world, she said, "My parents took me to Salty's when I was a little girl. Even at a young age I was so impressed with the food and presentation that I knew then I wanted to learn how to do the same thing." We were thrilled to see Hailey back once again along with her friends for Salty's Sunday Brunch. Manager Kevin Rowlee even arranged for a chef's tour of the Salty's kitchen. Thank you to Hailey Kranz for sharing her heartwarming story with us.

REFURBISHED BOEING STRATOLINER DEPARTS
It's official! The Boeing 307 Stratoliner, the World's First High Altitude Airliner, left Boeing Field on Sunday, July 27 for its new home at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, the companion facility of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Salty's on Alki Managers Jada Wood, Catering Director Mary Davis, Catering Operations Manager Jeffrey Young and I doted on the departing crew as they embarked on their journey to deliver the historic plane. I gave a short speech to the press and crew letting them know that Salty's owners Gerry and Kathy Kingen wished them well on their journey and at the same time thanked Pilot Buzz Nelson for not crashing into Salty's on Alki! As you know, Nelson had downed the plane in the waters adjacent to Salty's during a March 2002 test flight when they ran out of fuel.

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF WINE & FOOD
CULINARY COOK-OFF: BATTLE OF THE SEXES
This event was held at the Viking Showroom on July 21st to great success. Salty's Catering Chef Jaime Herrera and Catering Director Mary Davis presented a wine-theme seafood dish cooked on a Viking Grill. The delicious Salmon and Vegetables Kabobs in a Wine Glaze were enjoyed by all attendees. Chef Jaime and Mary impressed the Washington Sate Wine Commission program director so much that they asked us back for their next Cook-off this fall. Winner of this cook-off was Thierry Rautureau of Rovers. Next competition will feature a competition between two women chefs!

As a final note, be sure to sign up as soon as possible for Cooking with Class. It's selling out quickly.

Nov 2002

Salty’s Corporate Chef Byron Shultz was chosen to cook at the Northwest Bookfest event Grill Fest staged in the rooftop garden of Rainier Square with foodies like Seattle Magazine’s columnist Ernie Pino in attendance. Shultz also cooked at the recent March of Dimes Star Chefs Gala. Chef Thierry Rautureau of Rovers chose Shultz to demonstrate his magnificent Cantaloupe Soup at the Bon Marché with Bon’s 6th Floor culinary hostess Toni Keene assisting. Did you make it over to Seattle Cooks at the Seattle Exhibition Center on November 9th? Shultz was on the Beef Demo Stage with culinary queen Mauny Kaseburg. Check out recipes at www.seattlecooks.com.

Salty's on Alki Pastry Chef Jane Gibson is honored for making one of the top 13 desserts in Seattle Homes & Lifestyles magazine’s October issue for her rendition of Salty's prized White Chocolate Mousse Cake. It was featured by Braiden Rex Johnson. Jim Dever also featured the dessert on KING-TV Evening Magazine Show. Chef Gibson made the dessert in steps on KCTS Channel 9 (keep an eye out for repeats of the show). On KCPQ, she produced a special recipe for the George Forman Grill Competition. Chef Gibson taught 16 people all about chocolate at a Cooking with Class charity event benefiting Providence Health Systems and Pike Place Market Heritage House. Mina Williams, Editor of Seasoned Views magazine, was in attendance at the show which took place in Salty’s on Alki banquet room called "The Skyline Ballroom."

Salty’s at Redondo is featuring Susan Pascal, a sought-after jazz vibraphonist, "Jazz Mondays" at 8 p.m. Chef Gabriel Cabrera and staff helped to recreate a guest’s wedding proposal scene for Life’s Moments, a new morning show on CBS. Watch for Salty’s at 9:00 a.m. weekdays in one of life's moments as well as other heart-warming stories.

Salty’s on Alki is a Where magazine Visitors' Choice 1st Runner-up for Best View in Seattle dining. As a Where editor says, "From Salty's on Alki the city skyline is the view and at sunset the pinkish hues that wash the buildings are as impressive as the seafood meal in front of you."

The Weekly Best Sunday Brunch award goes to Salty’s once again: "Brunch at Salty’s is classic. . . . You name it, they’ve got it. . . ." Sunday-style Brunch is now available on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, January 1.

Salty’s Chardonnay by Hogue Cellars is now available to go at Salty’s Gift Shops for $18.00.

Crab, by premiere Seattle-based food writer and chef Cynthia Nims, pays tribute to Northwest crab in recipes, wine pairings, insights as well as a history of crabbing. A must to own!

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