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, how many have worked at
the same location and how many moved to new locations together. 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.
 The
first venues we’ll look at were/are owned by Joe McDonnal*—Market Place
Caterers and The Ruins, a private dining club on lower Queen Anne. Joe
closed the catering company prior to opening The Ruins. He started out
as a floral designer and decorator in New York City, and then cooked in
the catering kitchen at the Plaza Hotel around 1960. He moved to Spain
where he owned and operated two restaurants at different times in
Marbella. In 1975, he moved to Seattle. A year later, he started Market
Place Caterers in what is currently the dining room of Chez Shea,
designing the space, including the chandeliers, and doing a great deal
of the handcrafted work in the space. In 1993, he opened The Ruins. It
has three kitchens—catering, lunch (the dining room) and dinner (the
bistro or elephant room). Joe is known for giving his employees the
chance to prove themselves.
Photo above: Pisano Dining Room, courtesy of The
Ruins
The list of known names that have come through Joe’s businesses is
long. Jackie Roberts worked with Market Place Caterers in the late
70s/early 80s, leaving to open The Pink Door in 1981. Her current
website refers to Joe as her mentor.
 Joanne
Herron started work at Market Place Caterers and worked with Joe for 12
years. During her time there, the catering business closed and The Ruins
opened. She moved to The Ruins and was in charge of service and did a
great deal of decorating for events. Jim Drohman (whose wife is Joe’s
niece) cooked for Market Place Caterers in 1987-1989 and again in
1991-1992. Joanne and Jim met there and eventually opened Le Pichet and
Café Presse together. "When I was considering leaving engineering, Joe
took me on as a cook for two years so I could see if it was going to
work. He also helped make the contact for the culinary school I attended
in France and then I cooked for him for a year on my return. I have so
much respect for him."
Photo above: Jim Drohman at Café Presse
Scott Carsberg worked with Market Place Caterers in the late 80s. He
went on to open Lampreia in 1992.
Carolin Messier de Jiménez took a catering sous chef job in the early
days of The Ruins. She met Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez when he began
working there; they married and now own Harvest Vine and Txori.
Philip Mihalski worked at The Ruins in the 90s while planning his own
place, Nell’s.
 Ethan
Stowell’s parents were friends of Joe who gave Ethan the job of cleaning
while he waited for a kitchen opening. He became a prep cook, then
catering chef. He met Philip Mihalski while there and they did some
catering together after they left and Ethan helped Philip open Nell’s.
"More than anyone else, Joe gave me the passion for cooking," says
Ethan. "I saw him go into work every day and the amount of passion and
care he put into every event we did was amazing. It just rubbed off on
me. He was a huge influence on my career, maybe the biggest."
Photo above: Ethan Stowell at Tavolata, photo by Tom
Barwick
Christine Keff worked at The Ruins for close to a year. She went on
to open Flying Fish and Fandango (now closed).
Craig Serbousek worked for Joe in the bistro kitchen then left to
open Stumbling Goat. He returned to The Ruins later, meeting Jesse
Thomas who was also cooking in the bistro kitchen. They left to open
Crow and then Betty.
More recently, Diana Culbert, who goes by "Ba," left The Ruins to
open Tillicum Place Café at Cedar/Denny/5th Avenue.
|
The Ruins
Private dining club
with catering facilities
570 Roy Street
Seattle, WA 98109
206-285-7846
www.theruinsonline.com
Pisano Ballroom |
Mitch Newell has spent 14 years at The Ruins, the first five cooking
under Joe’s direction. He is now the catering chef and the president of
The Ruins. "The catering aspect of working with Joe was what drew me
in," says Mitch. "We’d load up the car with flowers, plates, glassware,
candles, food and drive across town and transform someone’s dining room
into this excellent venue. Joe demanded perfection; he set a very high
bar. If you’re a chef, you’re attracted to a challenge like that."
Virginia Wyman, Joe’s partner, feels that it wasn’t so much that The
Ruins or Joe created culinary professionals, it was more that, with
chefs especially, they sought the Ruins out, responding to its
reputation and wanting to cook with Joe.
We’ll be looking at Campagne/Café Campagne and Yarrow Bay Grill/Beach
Café in upcoming issues.
Connie Adams/March 2009 * Joe
McDonnal passed away January 31, 2011, at the age of 79. |
