Ville Magazine l Insider Access for City Lifestyle Jan/Feb 2016 / Premiere Issue | Page 28

TOM DOUGLAS
Photo Credit: Robin Layton
Favorite dish:
Whatever my wife Jackie is cooking.
Favorite place to eat other your
restaurants:
I don’t have a favorite. I just love
restaurants. Restaurants are my work, my
hobby and my life!
Favorite thing about Seattle:
Seattle continually says it wants to be a
small vibrant city yet it continues to grow
like crazy. It’s an odd juxtaposition.
An invention you hope exists in the
future:
Moving aerial sidewalks so you can walk
and be above traffic at the same time, with
entrances only at my restaurants... haha.

What was Seattle’s culinary scene like when you
arrived compared to how it is now?
The scene was vibrant, not as exciting as it is today.
For excitement we would go to Vancouver, BC. New
York, or San Francisco. Now Seattle has an exciting
scene full of lively restaurants, leading the way with
sustainable practices, exciting new techniques, and a
customer base that is burgeoning.
How have you and your cooking style changed
since you opened up your first restaurant in 1989?
I still cook in a very similar way, although I’m a
cleaner cook than ever. I like the simplicity of finding
the most pristine products and getting out the way
and letting them shine.
What has been your most interesting experience
while working as a chef?
Throughout my career I have worked with many chefs
who’ve gone on to become world famous. While
that’s all well and good, the funnest part of my job is
when a young cook comes through our system and
shows the talent and effort needed to become a great
chef and does it.
With 19 restaurants, how do you keep coming up
with new concepts? Is a number 20 on the horizon?
I have ADD.
What sets a Tom Douglas restaurant apart from all
the rest?
Nothing other than we really believe in our people.
28 l VILLE l PREMIERE ISSUE