Art Chowder July | August 2018, Issue 16 | Page 53

What set of skills or characteristics do
you have that you think set you apart?
“Tenacity. Creativity. I perform my best
when I’m on a time limit.”
They do a lot of pharmaceutical dinners
at Zona Blanca where Chad creates five
course meals. He usually creates the menu
on the day of th e event because he wants to
use the best, freshest ingredients possible.
He is always pushing the boundaries with
his food and loves pushing flavors to their
limit.
He recently donated a dinner to Central
Valley High School, his alma mater, for
their Boosters “Auction Dinner” and he
says it was one of the most memorable
dinners he has ever created. He read me a
touching message from a former teacher
after she helped him serve the dinner at
Central Valley. She said, “Chad is proof that
kids who can’t sit still in their seats are the
ones who change the world.”
What do you like to do in your spare
time?
Chad enjoys cooking at home for friends
and family. He can cook whatever he wants
and doesn’t have to worry about pleasing
people or being critiqued. He also loves
snowmobiling, hiking, and traveling.
What ingredients do you like to work
with?
Chiles, citrus, seafood, insects. Try the
guacamole at Zona Blanca to see what he
means by insects.
What is your favorite thing on the menu
at your restaurant?
Octopus.
Chef Chad White returned to his native
Spokane to open Zona Blanca after he
saw the growth and potential of the food
scene. He said it just felt like the right time
to return home and, while we know San
Diego is pretty close to paradise, nothing
quite compares to the beauty of the Pacific
Northwest. 
July | August 2018
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