Read My Mind: Tom Douglas of Tom Douglas Restaurants

 

Among the renowned chefs that make up the Macy’s Culinary Council, there sits a Seattle Chef.  Launching the Macy’s Great American Chefs Tour was Tom Douglas who offered his culinary presence at the Macy’s in downtown Seattle.

The evening opened with Devin Alexander who shared her recipe for a "healthier" McDonald's Big Mac. 

Then Chef Tom took to the kitchen.  The cooking demonstration was – well, let’s just say that Chef Douglas won’t be hosting his own TV show on the Food Network anytime soon.  I was a little disappointed at the lack of actual cooking (demonstration) – but pleasantly surprised at how much I learned about him.  He talked about his restaurant empire, his childhood food memories, winning the James Beard award and his family.

We sampled pre-made duck spring rolls in a sweet chili sauce and seared duck breast with what seemed like the same sauce.  Although he cut up a whole duck, there wasn’t much instruction or demonstration on the actual process, rather Chef Douglas engaging in polite conversation while doing his thing.

There were plenty of copies of his new book for purchase: I Love Crabcakes.  He was gracious enough to sign books and pose for pictures.  We also left with recipes of everything we sampled.

Chef Douglas has made his mark as a successful restaurateur.  I especially enjoy Lola, where I love their brunch menu and have fond memories of nighttime meals and happy hours when I worked in Seattle.