Seattle’s Culinary World
A small connected community
One of the fascinating things about Seattle’s restaurant scene is how
many people have worked together at some point. We thought it would be
fun to take a look at several culinary venues that have employed an
amazing number of culinary professionals who have left to make a name
for themselves at another restaurant or opened their own place. Last
month we looked at Market Place Caterers and The Ruins. This month, Dave
McDonald gives us the scoop on Campagne.
In large restaurant-cities, chefs are often able to move around
almost without leaving a trail. Chris Bauer of Garage Billiards on
Broadway once told me about growing up in the business in Chicago.
Because of its immensity, a chef could work the north side of town, get
in all sorts of trouble, burn every bridge and then move to the south
side and start all over again. No can do in Seattle. It’s a big, little
city and everyone knows everyone. The amount of connections here are
amazing.
Many culinary professionals have come from Campagne and Café Campagne.
Unlike large corporations, restaurants don’t always maintain exact
historical personal records. This means some of our dates are
"estimated."
Tamara Murphy chef from 1990-1997. She now co-owns Brasa with
Bryan Hill.
Bryan Hill worked at Brasa from 1992-1998 as general manager and
wine director.
Michelle Lucier worked as a sous chef with Tamara. She became a
chef at The Ruins.
Sue McCown, pantry work and pastry chef from 1990-1992, hired by
Tamara. She worked at Earth & Ocean, started Cocolatida, created
desserts for many restaurants, worked at Starbucks and has her
fingers in many pots (pans?) now.
Jim Drohman cooked from 1992-2000 (chef from 1997-2000). He
opened Le Pichet and Café Presse.
Jonathon Sundstrom cooked in the early 90s (estimated). He opened
Lark and Licorous.
Scott Emerick cooked under Tamara Murphy and Jim Drohman. He was
the owner/chef of Crémant until recently.
Campagne Restaurant
86 Pine Street
Seattle, WA 98101
206-728-2800Cafe Campagne
1600 Post Alley
Seattle, WA 98101
206-728-2233
www.campagnerestaurant.com |
Shannon Galusha, cooked from 2000-2001 (estimated). Opened Veil.
Now opening Bastille (Veil closed in 2008).
Jamie Guerin, line cook 1994-1999, a sous chef in 2000. Now chef
at White House Crawford in Walla Walla.
Kelly Gaddis cooked at Campagne prior to 1995 (estimated). He
opened Porcella, closed it and moved on to become the chef at McCaw
Hall.
Brian Yeck was a bartender and server from 1995-2000 (estimated).
He started Zeitgeist Coffee.
Craig Serbousek worked as a cook. He was co-owner of Stumbling
Goat, left to open Crow and then Betty.
Daisley Gordon 1995-current. He became executive chef in 2000.
Chris Peterson, Café sous chef 1997-2000 (estimated). He is the
chef at Bis on Main.
Jim German, bartender "for years." He now owns the jimgermanbar
in Waitsburg.
Bryant Bader was a cook. He now owns WhoopemUp Hollow Café in
Waitsburg.
Kristin Rudy Mills worked at both the Café and Restaurant for six
years (estimated). She was the sous chef the last two years she was
there. She is now the chef at Barrio on 12th.
Jim Roberts was the line cook for nearly a year and briefly lead
line at Campagne. He moved to Rover's as sous chef, then left to
open a hotel restaurant in the San Juan Islands.
And this doesn’t begin to look at servers and others who have moved
on or stayed, like Jasiu Nagroki who started at Campagne in 1992, or
Philip Pichette who was at Campagne for 16-17 years and also worked at
Brasa. Or the four former employees working for Amanresorts in Bhutan.
 "Peter
hired me after Susan Vanderbeek," Tamara Murphy recalls. "I had been at
Dominique's Place, where Peter, Maria and Mario came to dinner often.
Campagne was the greatest gig for me. It was my first chef job and I
feel very good about that experience. It was there I was nominated for
Rising Star and where I received my James Beard award. Peter Lewis was a
great boss. He could bring the best out of a person. Really remarkable.
He was a mentor. I hired Jim Drohman, Jonathon Sundstrom, Daisley
Gordon, Scott Emerick, Sue McCown and many other cooks who work in the
city. Campagne was a magnet for talent. At that time, I had the most
coveted chef job in Seattle. Very few small restaurants existed that
were not chef owned."
Photo above: Tamara Murphy
Tamara has had a number of her chefs from Brasa move on to other
projects of note. I met Holly Smith when she worked at Brasa. She bought
Café Juanita in 2000 and took a great restaurant and made it greater.
She does consulting now besides running her own business.
Another ex-Brasa chef who has been a part of other projects including
Campagne, is a Tacoma guy by the name of Sean Maxey. Sean went to
culinary school in the area, worked for Tamara, then helped get Bis On
Main going. Sean built the menu and ran the kitchen at Fira on Queen
Anne (now closed). Chris Petersen never worked for Sean at Bis, but he
is another who helped make a great restaurant greater.
 Jim
Drohman is the perfect example of a chef who exemplified the classical
French techniques that helped create Campagne’s success. Once I
presented a wonderful veal t-bone steak for him to try that I knew would
be a big hit. It had everything: a local contact for the product, we
could supply it fresh, and it had a low price point for veal. But as I
finished my sales speech, Jim smiled at me and said "This veal is
lovely, but I cannot use it. In French cooking, the use of a t-bone
steak is prohibited because it contains two primal parts, the tenderloin
and the strip loin." Jim was so into observing the French method that he
passed up this deal to maintain the restaurant’s integrity.
Photo above: Jim Drohman
When Jim was hired by Tamara in 1992, there was no Café yet and they
served lunch during summer only. He was hired for that seasonal position
with no guarantee of a continued job. As summer ended, Sue McCowan was
leaving her pastry position to move forward. Jim said "sure, I know
pastry" in order to stay on. And stay he did, working in almost every
position including sous and ultimately chef. "It was a great place for
me to land," Jim says. "I have such respect for Peter Lewis’ taste and
knowledge about food. He’s not a cook, but he has wonderful instincts.
As my first chef job, it was wonderful to be able to take my ideas to
him and get his opinion. If he said "Are you sure?" I’d know I should
rethink it. It was a safety net that gave me the ability to flesh out my
style of cooking. Campagne was so well known that as chef, I gained the
visibility that allowed me to open my own place."
 Campagne Executive Chef Daisley Gordon
(shown at right) and General Manager Gordon Kushnick find a number of reasons Campagne attracted great talent.
"These were quality people when they arrived and they made their
contribution. They created a culture of excellence and that attracted
others," says Daisley. "Also, culinary school graduates find French
restaurants appealing. The language and technique is what they learn in
school and they can hone their skills at Campagne."
"If someone is committed to the history and quality of the
restaurant, they can learn and become excellent at what they do," says
Gordon. "We don’t have hard and fast rules about service; professionals
can create their own style."
Considering the number of chefs who have moved on, why has Daisley
stayed so long? "I like the place. I had the opportunity to become the
chef much earlier than I expected. One year out of culinary school, I
was the lead here for two years and a sous chef for three. I assumed I’d
move on for more experience, but when the job was offered, I knew it
wouldn’t come around again. The first year as chef was very intense;
there’s a lot to sink your teeth into. I feel lucky to have stayed in
the same place to hone my skills."
Dave McDonald/April 2009
Click here
to read part 1 of the series.
Dave McDonald sells food to restaurants all over Puget Sound for The
MacDonald Meat Company in Seattle. He worked as a cook for numerous
restaurants in the area including Anthony’s Home Ports and Restaurants
Unlimited, Inc. He has been in food sales since 1988 and is proud that
Seattle has become one of the great restaurant towns in the U.S. |
