LOCAL SUSTAINABLE By Elizabeth Webster
Born and raised in Spokane, Elizabeth Webster is a 2010 graduate of Lewis & Clark High School and received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Western Washington University in 2014. Anxious to explore what she really wanted to learn, Elizabeth entered the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy immediately upon graduating from WWU. Since that time, she has participated in nearly every extracurricular activity available to students, such as the Chef & the Child dinner benefitting the Children’ s Miracle Network, Sip Swirl & Savor Gala for the CCS Foundation, apprenticed for many chefs during INCA After Dark classes, and entered various recipe and cooking competitions. In May 2016 Elizabeth and three classmates entered recipes in a statewide ACF( American Chef Federation) competition, where she was awarded the GOLD medal for her recipe presentation!
Beyond Inland Northwest Culinary Academy
Working as a line cook and exploring restaurants around town, I have come to realize how the local / sustainable / organic trend has caught on and is spreading like wildfire. I notice restaurants boasting local produce such as CasaCano arugula, garden grown radishes, and organic greens. Fresh sheets advertise farmers’ market specials and farm fresh eggs. I get to see first-hand how both chefs and diners get excited about Palouse grown lentils( and it’ s pretty hard to get excited about lentils). As a culinarian, I am excited about the emphasis that our society has begun to put on wholesome, healthy, ethical food. I graduate from INCA in a few short weeks, and I look forward to sharing all that I have learned and grown to appreciate about our own local bounty.
Hailing from a large extended family, Elizabeth’ s upbringing included many summers at Loon Lake, sharing a small cabin with any number of family members waterskiing( the famous“ Kinzer Pyramids of Loon Lake”!), running, reading and general cousin antics with her close-knit family. Her all-time favorite pastime is hanging out with her family – mom & dad Bridget & Geoff, and siblings Ellen( 26) and Colin( 21). On her way to a hard-earned vacation to spend the summer with her brother Colin in California this past summer, Elizabeth had the honor of meeting the inspiration for her ACF competition dish, world renowned Chef Mourad Lahlou of Mourad’ s in San Francisco. Chef Lahlou offered her a tour of his kitchen, a good chunk of his valuable time and the opportunity to come work a night with his team anytime!
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