King County is a hub for culinary education. Fortunately for foodies, the breadth of culinary educational options in our area presents us with an opportunity to experience firsthand the benefits of the educational process. Many of these local culinary programs operate restaurants or outlets. While these exist to train the students in a practical environment, they also provide the general public an opportunity to sample their wares.
We set out on a search to discover eating establishments that are manned by these culinary institutions and outlets. Unfortunately, many of these establishments proved to be closed for the summer break. But we have tracked them down so that you may sample them once the school year starts again.
The spacious FareStart (700 Virginia Street, Seattle, www.farestart.org) restaurant, located near Westlake Avenue, is home to an intensive 16-week, on-the-job training and classroom program. The instruction is unique in its mission: prepare homeless and disadvantaged men and women to work in the food services industry. But this non-profit organization does more than education; it also provides a delightful lunch complete with tasty food, friendly staff and a calm atmosphere.
At our four-person lunch during the Monday rush, the service was attentive and the food came quickly. We ordered a variety: the trout special (the most expensive item on the menu at $12.95), a fresh veggie spring roll starter, a bowl of minestrone, a cup of clam chowder, a crispy pork sandwich and a veggie Reuben. The food ranged from good to excellent.
The trout, served over a cold, slightly sweet, whole-grain salad, was lightly grilled to perfection and flavorful without being overpowering. The veggie Reuben also was delicious, with the veggie “field roast” (replacing the usual corned beef) standing up to the melted Swiss cheese and piled sauerkraut in robust, molar-pleasing fashion.
Happy customers are returning customers, and it is hard not to be happy after a meal at FareStart. The institution also sponsors a series of guest-chef dinners to help raise funds for its training program. Upcoming events can be located on the website.
At the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Seattle’s Portfolio Restaurant (2600 Alaskan Way, 5th Floor, 206-239-2363), the excitement of tasting culinary school creations continues. The restaurant is intended to be the laboratory for culinary students at the Art Institute and commands an impressive view of Elliott Bay to complement its white-tablecloth setting.
The Portfolio Restaurant offers elegant fine dining for dinner at an affordable price. The meals are provided by upper-level students who work with Chef Instructor David Wynne, CCC, whose professional experience is international. But those wishing to experience the Portfolio must plan ahead. It is only open for dinner Wednesdays through Fridays during limited parts of the year and is currently closed for the summer semester.
Area community colleges also offer a number of great places to grab good food. For instance, South Seattle Community College (6000 16th Ave. S.W., Seattle, www.southseattle.edu), located in the Pigeon Point neighborhood of West Seattle, offers four separate student-staffed restaurants. Café Alki offers casual dining, while Alhadeff Grill provides a more formal culinary experience.
A food court provides cafeteria-line offerings, but the true gem is Bernie’s Place, the outlet for the pastry program. Former South Seattle Community College students have fond memories of Bernie’s Place. It is recommended that interested visitors come prepared to purchase one of the many intricate cakes available. If you are looking for Bernie’s Place, walk toward the cosmetology building and you won’t miss it.
And any review of culinary schools in King County must include the offerings from Seattle Central Community College (1701 Broadway, Seattle, http://seattlecentral.edu). Like South Seattle, the Seattle Culinary Academy at SCCC also has a four-restaurant offering, with something for everyone. The students run the Square One Bistro, which features bistro-style cooking from a variety of regional cuisines. Every two weeks, the Square One menu changes to reflect a different culinary tradition: the menu rotates through French, Italian, Hawaiian and local Pacific Northwest cuisine. At SCCC’s One World Dining, students offer up international menus in a fine-dining atmosphere. Both restaurants reflect SCCC’s emphasis on organic, local menu items, including wild seafood, sustainably raised meats and organically grown fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
In addition, Seattle Culinary Academy students also staff two more casual eateries, the Chef’s Express (where second-quarter students prepare international cuisine; takeout available!) and The Buzz (a baked goods and pastries outlet operated by students of the Specialty Desserts and Breads program).
As with most other dining experiences at local culinary schools, SCCC’s restaurant offerings are only available during limited time periods. Due to the school schedule, the restaurants are closed several weeks of the year. And even when school is in session, Square One, One World and Chef’s Express are only open from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the work week, while The Buzz is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The surest way to find out the restaurants’ schedules is to check the website or call the school directly at 206-587-5424.
Overcoming the scheduling challenge pays dividends, though: entrees, including soup or salad, typically range in price from around $5 to $6.50. And during the last two weeks of each quarter, as a final project, graduating students have the opportunity to work as “Chef of the Day,” planning and preparing a unique menu each day in one of SCCC’s two main restaurants. Consider obtaining reservations during that time, as the school reports that seating tends to book early. In short, the opportunity to enjoy the fresh tastes of fresh, new chefs in training makes a visit to SCCC worth the effort.
Our region is blessed with a range of educational opportunities for aspiring culinary professionals. Of course, the restaurants that local culinary institutions offer are educational for the aspiring eater, too. The above selection is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to local culinary educational and dining opportunities. Other possibilities await your discovery on the Eastside and South King County, all ready to educate the adventurous diner, hoping to learn a little something new.
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is a multiservice, Northwest regional law firm with offices in Seattle, Vancouver, Portland and Bend. For comments on this article, or to share your favorite places to learn to cook (and eat!) with the Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt attorneys, contact Benjamin Nivison at 206-407-1556 or bnivison@schwabe.com.
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