Category: Kitchen Talk

Is steelhead salmon? It looks like salmon and tastes like salmon so what is the difference? These questions have been raised to me throughout the years and I always answer the same. Steelhead and salmon are vastly different in many ways but their flavor profile is very close. Baby steelhead start out their life as…

The classics have always been a staple in the culinary scene. Back in the good old days of the 60’s 70’s and 80’s you could not go into a restaurant without seeing the words Rockefeller, Thermidor, Diane or Napoleon.  These dishes were comprised in a precise way and customers what they were getting. New school…

Comfort is a word that gets thrown around a lot when the weather turns. I love the comfort of a warm meal, cozy blanket and loved ones. To be awarded a comfort food I feel that it needs to be cooked for a large part of the day. The aromas of braising chicken or scratch…

While growing up in the Pacific Northwest I have had many loving encounters with mollusks (shellfish). My fondest memories were raking steamers on Willapa bay in long beach Washington or getting my knees dirty hunting delicate razor clams. The yearning truly started at age 5 when I tried my first oyster off the Barbie. My…

At the end of summer I always get a chill that is not induced by the cold weather. The chill comes from raw excitement for all the amazing local seafood starting to come around the markets. One of the most under appreciated catches is the amazing albacore tuna off the Oregon coast. Albacore is wild…

You will ALWAYS find one ingredient in my professional and home kitchen; the god of the citrus world, the amazing, tart and delicious lemon. I use lemons in almost all my cooking and cocktails. Sometimes I overuse it in a gin and tonic and then give a little spritz or zest to brighten up soup.…

I have been cooking with wood for a large part of my career. Over the past 7 years I have really gone into the nuances of smoking meat with our partner restaurant Pecos Pit.  Smoke is an ancient technique that was used for preservation, tenderizing and flavor. Smoking is also a regional sport using local…