Eden Hill

Emotional cuisine

Shared plate by shared plate, you connect over food, talking about what you're eating and what happened during your day. By the end of your meal, you're relaxed, back in touch and full. This is the dream of Chef Maximillian Petty and his wife Jennifer for Eden Hill on top of Queen Anne hill.

"I call our food avant-garde New American, meaning experimental or different, because it's what I'm inspired by and what I've been exposed to. It' can't be defined like 'Italian,' or 'Japanese.' American food is about what drives the American person to cook, whether it's Mexican street tacos or Chinese dishes. America is a blending of cultures," says Max. "We do head to tail and have fun with it. Like our pig head candy bar, using a sweet word in a savory dish. We've served Bloody Mary mussels, and smoked trout with apricot and onion mostarda. I've learned a lot from chefs I've worked with like José Andrés in Washington, D.C., Ben Nadolny from King Estate Winery, and Andrew Francisco from Olivia in Austin."

Seasonal menus consist of dishes guests choose to build their own tasting menu. Each dish comes out on its own so people can fully enjoy the flavors. Open since September 4, 2015, Max is fine-tuning the menu, like creating their own cultured butter. "My menu is like my food play list," he laughs. "With so much good local food ingredients, we have a lot of leeway."  

They offer a small, local, seasonal cocktail program. Despite starting her own psychotherapy practice, Jennifer has been the driving force behind the beverage program that includes Northwest and French wines, local spirits and local beer and cider. Jen grew up in Eastern Washington surrounded by great wine. One of their cocktails is a honey/whiskey/lemon concoction that takes a turn by 'painting' the glass with honey, lighting a cedar plank on fire, and turning the glass upside down on the plank to allow the honey to absorb the smoke.

"I think food helps build relationships. My grandma and mom cooked and taught me and my three older sisters as we grew up in Bothell and Bellevue. My sisters and I are still best friends. One works with Food & Wine magazine and has been living in France. She's now moving to Napa; her husband is a winemaker. I have a sister in Seattle who works at Tulio, and one who lives in D.C. My grandparents owned a store on the way to Mt. Rainier; my aunt owns it now. Mom cooked and baked. When I was 11, we moved to Port Angeles. My sister opened Joy's Wine Bistro and I worked there every day during high school. The day I graduated, I went to live with my sister in D.C. She knew a chef who hired me. I staged with José Andrés Restaurants. At 18, I got my ass kicked in the kitchen, but it taught me discipline and respect."

Max missed Northwest trees. Friends were heading to Oregon, so he moved to Eugene and attended the Culinary Arts program at Lane Community College. When he arrived, he met Jennifer who was attending the University of Oregon. "Even though we weren't dating, I made her a salmon birthday dinner. Her birthday is in September and we put a salmon dish on the menu to honor that memory."

After graduation, Max got a job at King Estate Winery. "Down the road, they have a full charcuterie kitchen and bakery. I cooked on the line and worked my way up, taking over charcuterie. Chef Ben Nadolny is one my biggest inspirations in terms of how I run my kitchen. I'm known as being silly in the kitchen: singing, dancing, joking. I believe that kitchen attitude shows up at the tables. I want my cooks to be happy. I call it the Lady and the Tramp effect. I want to create menus that draw people in, one dish at a time. Once shared, there's a connection, like with the spaghetti and the dogs. The staff are the ones who make this happen for the guests."

Jen took a job in Austin. Max found one at Olivia, a Bon Appétit Top 10 Restaurant. He worked with Andrew Francisco, "a great chef who re-enhanced my take on things. I started as brunch and salad chef. Within nine months I was sous chef and two months later, chef de cuisine. It was a big place and I was 23 and terrified. It was great and not: I rarely saw my wife. She took a job there, even though she was going to school and had a full-time job, just so we could see each other. I was on Zagat's 30 Under 30 list, and Austin's Under 40 list for culinary arts. After close to three years, I realized it wasn't sustainable. I heard about a family looking for a private chef in D.C. I met them and they were incredible. In 2014, I left Austin. Jen stayed to finish school."

Jen and Max are drawn to Queen Anne when visiting Seattle. Recently, Max saw a little restaurant on top of the hill. It wasn't open, but he met the owner who told him he wanted to sell. Max wanted to buy. A month later they owned it. "I went back to work and Jen got the restaurant ready. I was talking to my lawyer from a boat and answering calls on a jet ski. I'd been refining my menu for a year while with the family."

Recently, Jen signed a lease for her practice on Queen Anne. "It's a dream come true. We're both business owners. Life is so different, it's surreal. We've worked very hard and saved our money to be ready for this moment. We're creating this sophisticated but casual neighborhood spot. We're so happy."

Eden Hill
2209 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
206-708-6836

www.edenhillrestaurant.com

Photos courtesy of Eden Hill

Connie Adams/October 2015