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We’d all be happy people if we could spend our working hours doing something we love. Chef Kevin Davis and wife/partner Terresa Davis are very happy people. With the opening of their Steelhead Diner at Pike Place Market, they have created a family business that allows Kevin to do what he likes best—cooking. His other favorite thing, fly fishing, is incorporated into the Diner. Restaurant operation is something Terresa has been doing for 20 years. She will complete her accounting degree at Seattle Pacific University this spring and has now been accepted to Seattle University law school. Making dreams come true seems to be a specialty of these two.

Twenty/twenty hindsight says the Steelhead Diner was inevitable. Terresa and Kevin met at Bacall’s, a hip American restaurant in Adelaide, Australia. By this time, Kevin had already cooked in Florida (American, Italian and Caribbean cuisines), apprenticed with Jacques Chiboux in France, and become sous chef at the renowned New Orleans restaurant Arnaud’s. His goal was to become executive chef but knew Arnaud’s wouldn’t put someone so young in that position. He met Terresa on his first day as executive chef at Bacall’s in 1989.

In 1991, the surprise call came. Arnaud’s wanted him to act as executive chef. Kevin and Terresa married and moved to the U.S. "I was responsible for all functions of cuisine for Arnaud’s," says Kevin. He stayed nearly six years. While in New Orleans, Terresa became a general manager/partner for Cajun Crawfish House, Inc. "It’s a Bourbon Street business containing two live music restaurants, an outdoor dining patio, 400 seat concert venue and recording facility," explains Terresa. "I was responsible for all the operational issues and also acted as controller—learning a great deal about finance and accounting from the company’s owners."

"After the fifth year at Arnaud’s," says Kevin, "I realized I didn’t know enough to keep growing." The quest to learn more ended up being a move to Napa Valley to Tra Vigne, a high-concept Italian hot spot where he acted as executive sous chef. "It was a difficult transition for me but I grew tremendously in those three years," he says. Throughout this time, Terresa maintained her connection with Cajun Crawfish House as well as acting as an accountant with Showley’s at Miramonte Restaurant, owned by the St. Helena-based Sterling Winery.

While in Napa, Kevin met Jan Birnbaum who eventually opened Sazerac in Seattle. Jan called Kevin and asked him to become the executive chef at Sazerac. Both Kevin and Terresa wanted to move to Seattle, so they jumped at the chance and moved in 1999. After nearly two years at Sazerac, the Oceanaire Seafood Room called and Kevin became the opening executive chef and stayed five years.

Terresa became a restaurant manager for Wild Ginger in 1999 supervising the company’s 200 employees and managing the move from the Western Avenue to the Third Avenue location. In 2002, she became the accountant for The Oceanaire Seafood Room, also managing human resources functions. From 2005-2006, she was an accountant for local restaurant mogul Tom Douglas.

In mid-2006, Kevin’s five-year commitment to Oceanaire ended. He and Terresa felt it was time to take the big step—their own restaurant. "It was clearly the right time," laughs Kevin. "The menu just flowed naturally. It’s like a greatest hits list—the songs you know by heart. These are the dishes I’ve honed over the years; the ones I love to cook and eat." Almost as quickly, Terresa put together a business plan. This is their family business, one they intend on running for years to come.

Their tagline Diner, evolved, portrays their desire to offer a diner atmosphere (a place where people go to relax, socialize and eat comforting food) with a menu that takes casual diner food to a new level. As architect Elizabeth Grace explains, "The interior evokes a traditional diner atmosphere where dining is a community-based experience. For example, there’s a counter right in front of the kitchen so people can talk with Kevin as he cooks. We used booths with low backs to allow conversation between tables. Another dining counter runs through the center of the room and there is the bar counter as well."

The diner concept also works well with what Kevin likes to cook. The menu ranges from his famous gumbo to his equally famous crab cakes to a Wagyu beef burger and Kilt Lifter fish and chips. They also offer dishes like kasu marinated black cod, spice-rubbed Alaskan King salmon and a grilled dry-aged Washington beef New York strip steak. Don’t think those Southern roots show only in the gumbo; you can also munch on smothered collard greens, crisp hominy cakes and red beans and rice.

A Pike Place Market location is perfect for these urbanites. They live downtown and shop at the Market themselves. Much of their menu comes from the Market—Uli’s sausages, Beecher’s cheeses, Kilt Lifter from the Pike Pub and Brewery, produce, fish. "We want Steelhead to be a place where locals hang out," explains Terresa. "We’ll keep the menu interesting and make it a comfortable place to come alone or with friends. We also want it to be the first place a visitor to Seattle comes to eat. The Market location is perfect for that."

Staying as local as possible also applies to beverages. The wine list is 100 percent Pacific Northwest and they offer nonalcoholic specialty cocktails and beverages like the local DRY Soda. A full bar with windows overlooking Pine Street, Market activities, Elliott Bay and the Olympic mountains offers a very Seattle view.

If you’ve thought about spending your working hours in a happier way and need a whiff of inspiration, just head down to the Steelhead Diner. Ask Kevin how things are going and watch him smile then say "I’m livin’ the dream." We should all be so happy.

February 2007

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