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