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Tom Douglas (chef)

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For other people of the same or a similar name, see Thomas Douglas (disambiguation).
Tom Douglas
Douglas at the grill in front of the Dahlia Lounge during a pre-Thanksgiving food giveaway in 2008
Born (1958-08-02) August 2, 1958 (age 66)
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
SpouseJackie Cross
Culinary career
Cooking stylePacific Rim, Italian, Greek
Current restaurant(s)
    • Dahlia Lounge
    • Etta's Seafood
    • Lola
    • Palace Kitchen
    • Serious Pie
    • Cantina Lena
Television show(s)
Websitetomdouglas.com

Tom Douglas (born August 2, 1958) is an American executive chef, restaurateur, author, and radio talk show host. He is known for winning the 1994 James Beard Award for Best Northwest Chef. In 2012 he also won the James Beard Award as Best Restaurateur.[1] He is the author of Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen, which was named the Best American Cookbook by the James Beard Foundation and KitchenAid, in 2001. In 2005, he appeared on an episode of the Food Network's Iron Chef America, in which he defeated Chef Masaharu Morimoto .

Early life and education

Tom Douglas was born on August 2, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware.[2] Douglas moved to Seattle in 1977.[citation needed] Soon after arriving, he started working in a variety of jobs from general construction to serving as a railroad car mechanic.[3][self-published source][dead link‍] As of 2006, Douglas lives in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle as well as Prosser, Washington with his wife and business partner, Jackie Cross, and their daughter, Loretta.[citation needed] Their farm in Prosser provides a variety of produce for use in his Seattle restaurants.[4]

Restaurant career

Wilmington, Delaware

Douglas's first restaurant job was working at the Hotel duPont, where he served as an assistant to the hotel's cook.[2][better source needed] He never attended professional culinary school, but developed his natural talents while travelling and eating at various world-class restaurants throughout the U.S. and Europe.[3][better source needed]

Seattle, Washington

In 1984, following working in a series of general labor jobs, Douglas began working at local restaurant, Café Sport. In November, 1989, he opened his first restaurant, the Dahlia Lounge, which quickly became a prominent fixture in quality dining in the Pacific Northwest. In 1994, he was recognized as the Best Chef in the Northwest by the James Beard Foundation. In 2001, he opened the Dahlia Bakery, to complement the food of Dahlia Lounge.[3][better source needed]

In February 1995, Douglas and his wife opened Etta's Seafood, named after their daughter, Loretta. The following year, they opened the Palace Kitchen, which offers a considerably more rustic style, utilizing Northwest cuisine cooked on a wood-fired grill. During the first year of operation, the Palace Kitchen was nominated for a James Beard Award as one of the best new restaurants in the United States.[3][better source needed]

In July 2004, Douglas opened Lola, which serves a fusion offering of Greek-inspired, Northwest cuisine. In 2006, he opened a pizzeria, known as Serious Pie. The original location, Serious Pie Virginia, is in downtown Seattle, and the second location, Serious Pie Westlake, is located in the South Lake Union neighborhood.[3][better source needed]

COVID-19 Response

Douglas was one of the first restaurateurs in Seattle to close due to the coronavirus. Work-at-home orders from companies near his restaurants had reduced his sales by up to 90%, and on March 11, he announced that 12 of his 13 restaurants would close until further notice, effective the following Sunday (March 15). Dahlia Bakery remained open to service a contract with a hotel across the street.[5] The move proved prescient, as Washington governor issued a statewide closure on the following Monday, March 16.[6] Later he revealed that it had cost his restaurant group nearly $3 million to settle payroll, benefits, and other debts for the shutdown, and that it would be "tough" for half of the restaurants to return.[7] Soon after, though, he was able to open a no-contact carry-out pop-up restaurant in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, called "Serious TakeOut".[8] In July he announced that two closures, of the Brave Horse Tavern and Trattoria Cuoco, would become permanent, as both restaurants were reaching the end of their ten-year leases and the future remained uncertain.[9]

Restaurants

Dahlia Lounge, in Seattle, Washington
  • Cantina Leña — Mexican
  • Dahlia Lounge — modern Asian, Pacific Northwest regional. First Tom Douglas restaurant founded in 1989
  • Etta's — seafood
  • Lola — Greek
  • Palace Kitchen — new American
  • Seatown Seabar and Rotisserie — deli-style seafood
  • Serious Pie — pizza (downtown Seattle)
  • Serious Pie and Biscuit — pizza (South Lake Union)

Radio talk show

Douglas co-hosts a weekly food radio show with longtime friend Thierry Rautureau. The show, Seattle Kitchen, regularly focuses on local and national cookbook authors and personalities.[10] The show is broadcast weekly on Saturdays and Sundays on KIRO-FM, 97.3. It is recorded on Tuesday mornings in front of a live audience at the "Hot Stove Society", Tom Douglas's cooking school in Seattle.

TV appearances

Published works

  • Douglas, Tom (2000). Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen, William Morrow Cookbooks, 288 pages. ISBN 978-0688172428
  • Douglas, Tom (2003). Tom's Big Dinners: Big-Time Home Cooking for Family and Friends, William Morrow Cookbooks, 288 pages. ISBN 978-0060515027
  • Douglas, Tom; and Shelley Lance (2006). I Love Crab Cakes! 50 Recipes for an American Classic, William Morrow Cookbooks, 160 pages. ISBN 978-0060881962
  • Douglas, Tom; and Shelley Lance (2012). The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook, Sweetness in Seattle, William Morrow Cookbooks, 390 pages. ISBN 978-0062183743

Honors and awards

  • 1991: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant – Dahlia Lounge (nominee)[11]
  • 1992: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant – Dahlia Lounge (nominee)[11]
  • 1993: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant – Dahlia Lounge (nominee)[11]
  • 1994: James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest (winner)[11]
  • 1996: James Beard Award for Outstanding New Restaurant – Palace Kitchen (nominee)
  • 2001: James Beard Award/KitchenAid Book Award for Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen
  • 2005: Named Food Network's Iron Chef (defeating Masaharu Morimoto)[12]
  • 2006: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant – Dahlia Lounge (nominee)[11]
  • 2008: Bon Appétit Magazine Award for Restaurateur of the Year
  • 2008: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (nominee)[11]
  • 2009: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (nominee)[11]
  • 2010: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (nominee)[13]
  • 2011: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (nominee)[13]
  • 2012: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (winner)[11]

References

  1. ^ "Awards Search | James Beard Foundation". Jamesbeard.org. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  2. ^ a b "Interview: Culinary Everyman". Private Clubs Online Magazine. Jan–Feb 2008. Archived from the original on 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Message". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  4. ^ Hoefer, Jessica (June 2017). "Prosser Farm supplies fresh produce to Seattle-area foodies". Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  5. ^ Vinh, Tan (2020-03-11). "Seattle chef Tom Douglas is closing his restaurants temporarily because of new coronavirus". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  6. ^ Statewide Limits: Food and Beverage Services, Areas of Congregation (PDF) (Proclamation). March 16, 2020.
  7. ^ Guarente, Gabe (2020-04-02). "Tom Douglas Gives a Reality Check About His Restaurant Group: 'We Are Broke'". Eater. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  8. ^ Walker, Meghan (2020-04-08). "Tom Douglas's Serious TakeOut opens today in Ballard". MyBallard. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  9. ^ Clement, Bethany Jean (2020-07-06). "Seattle's Tom Douglas permanently closes his 2 Amazon-area restaurants". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  10. ^ "Seattle Kitchen with Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau - Seattle Kitchen". MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "Search | James Beard Foundation". Jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2012-11-25.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ "About Tom and Thierry". MyNorthwest.com. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  13. ^ a b "Search | James Beard Foundation". Jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2012-11-25.[permanent dead link‍]
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