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Restaurant folk love to win awards. It’s serious business. But sometimes they just want to have fun. That’s why FareStart’s Guest Chef on the Waterfront (GCOW) and this year’s food contest winner are so perfectly matched. The contest is just for fun. And Barking Frog at Willows Lodge has a kitchen full of people, led by Executive Chef Bobby Moore, who like to have fun. This year’s top food prize—based on taste, originality and presentation—went to Barking Frog’s strawberry snow cone with basil syrup.

Photo: Executive Chef Bobby Moore, courtesy of Willows Lodge/Richmond PR

Bobby and his crew are dead serious about offering innovative, quality food to their customers. But when they go to an event, they like to unleash their playful creative side. They still offer intricate, challenging dishes that aren’t prepared ahead of time, but they create new and fun items like the strawberry snow cone.

"We were pretty sure it was going to be a hot day, so we wanted to offer something refreshing," explains Bobby. "The event itself is fun and we wanted to have a playful item to match. I have a friend at the Lake Forest Park farmers market who does shave ice. He wanted to be part of CGOW and donated his time, ice and dry ice for the snow cones. He was totally into how fun the event was! When we go to events, it’s our time to play. Our event food typically isn’t on our regular menu, but we can tell you that if you like what you had at an event, you’ll like the rest of our food."

Barking Frog’s kitchen staff produces an amazing number of menus: they provide room service to Willows Lodge guests; a banquet menu; items for Fireside Cellars (happy hour in the Lodge’s communal area); breakfast, lunch and dinner 365 days a year at Barking Frog; weekend brunch; a spa menu; a bar menu; and items for the many events they support. The menu changes four-to-five times per year. "There are two-to-three staff transitions each day. It’s difficult to maintain the caliber of our food with so many people involved," explains Bobby. "The fact that we can do it speaks to a strong chef staff. There are cooks in our kitchen now who I know will become something in Seattle over the next five years."

"I believe that some people are born with the ability to create amazing food—we’re artists. At Barking Frog, all the cooks are involved with menu design. It gives them a creative outlet. When people aren’t involved, the kitchen becomes stagnant," he says. Consistent with this theory, their tasting menu is their playground. "Chef de Cuisine Scott Lents creates the tasting menu with input from me and some of the cooks," says Bobby. "It’s where we really get to have fun."

Bobby considers himself and Scott "American cooks." "America is a melting pot, with a variety of world cuisine," he says. "We take our American roots and play with them, adding twists and turns using French and Italian techniques. You can also see an Asian influence. We like to keep people guessing."

With his dad in Texas and his mom in Hawaii, Bobby grew up in both areas. At 15, he worked in an Italian restaurant, starting as a dishwasher. Waiting tables supported him through college. In 1992, he and his wife Michelle moved from Hawaii to Seattle and he began work at Fuller’s at the Sheraton Hotel in 1993. He stayed until 2001.

For four of those years, he worked as a back waiter. No one without a culinary education was allowed to work in the kitchen. His attention to detail was noticed when he worked as a food expeditor and it was suggested that he attend culinary school. Graduating in 1997 from Seattle Central’s Culinary Academy, he was ready to move forward. At Fuller’s he worked with Monique Barbeau, Danielle Custer, William Belickis and Tom Black. "I grew up at Fuller’s and got to see other leaders. I’ve never been thrown into a leadership position; I was able to grow into them."

Since 2001, he has worked at Barking Frog. Like many chefs, he tries to be ahead of the food curve. "I’m sure there are a lot of chefs taking credit for sliders, but we were doing those 4-5 years ago. I’m actually taking them off the menu now simply because everyone has them. We try to be different and push the envelope," Bobby says. An example of this difference is their ahi tuna and short ribs combo. The organic ribs are smoked and the ahi is grilled. Paired with a Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling, it is, Bobby says, "unbelievably good."

Bobby has been involved with FareStart for over 10 years, supporting other chefs as they handled events and eventually becoming the event chef himself. In November, he’ll be a Thursday night guest chef. In addition to outside events like FareStart and the Auction of Washington wines, Barking Frog also does fun events at the restaurant. "Dine with your Dog" dinners offer four courses for four-legged guests courtesy of Three Dog Bakery. A portion of the proceeds go to the Gracie Foundation to help homeless, abused and neglected dogs.

It’s a busy life, but Bobby loves it. "You have to have a lot of energy to do this kind of job. I do have that energy," he says. "When the work you’ve put into it starts to pay off, it feels great. But my priority is my family and I make sure I get two days off a week to be with them. My kids Mason, 5, and Lucas, 3, are inventive little cooks themselves."

With the amount of passion in the Barking Frog kitchen, guests are bound to see and taste it on their plates. Add in nearly 60 wineries and a Willows Lodge bed beckoning you, it might just be time for a Woodinville getaway. Who says getting away has to be more than a 25-minute drive from home?

Connie Adams/August 2007

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