KUOW Recipes

Chef Scott Samuel, formerly the Sous Chef at The Herbfarm, and now working as a Private Chef, has been in the restaurant industry for over 20 years. He was the original Chef for Brie & Bordeaux, a combination wine & cheese shop as well as an open-kitchen, 30-seat bistro, which opened in April 1996 in Wallingford, Seattle. The menus at Brie & Bordeaux were small but innovative, focusing on the best of the season. In the fall of 1998, Scott was a nominated by the James Beard Foundation as 'Rising Chef of the Year'.

  A graduate of Washington State University's Hotel/Restaurant Administration Program, Scott's intention to become a chef began as a teenager. His early experience started with various jobs in restaurants on Maui, and then an apprenticeship in 1991 at Gerard's Relais de Lyon in Seattle under chef Christophe DeGouix. Other employment included catering and working in the bistro at The Ruins, a private dining club; Café Juanita, working as Sous Chef and catering various events; and working as a Private Chef on a yacht touring southeast Alaska.

  In August of 1998, Scott completed a six-week apprenticeship at The French Laundry in Napa Valley with Chef Thomas Keller. Scott was drawn by Keller's vision and insistence on perfection, and he returned to Brie & Bordeaux reinvigorated and inspired. Scott left Brie & Bordeaux in 1999 to fulfill a Chef position at Gerard's Restaurant on Maui. He returned to Seattle in 2000 to help open Waterfront Pier 70 as Executive Sous Chef, then a year later accepted the position as Sous Chef of The Herbfarm Restaurant and helped re-open the renowned restaurant in Woodinville, Washington.

  Scott's menus reflect a commitment to local farmers and seasonal harvests. His style combines the Northwest bounty, classic French technique and an adventurous spirit. Scott has also been teaching cooking classes in the Seattle area for the past ten years, focusing on creating menus that are simple and brilliant.

 Also, Scott has cooked seasonal menus at the popular underground restaurant in Seattle called Gypsy. Take a look at the menu that was served to 18 lucky people on March 12th 2006.

  Currently Scott is a full-time Chef Instructor at Seattle Culinary Academy at Seattle Central Community College. The program is focused on sustainability by working with local farmers and producers. During the summer of 2006, our school worked with Skagit Valley Farmers, also known as Skagitonians, to have our students actually farm an acre of land. Every Monday we took a bus full of students up to La Conner Flats in the Skagit Valley and worked with 'The Geezers' to learn about the land, plant a garden, and harvest the food for use during the week at the school.
 We believe that it is our mission to educate the future chefs of the world the benefits of living a sustainable life and in turn helping rebuild local food economies.

"One cannot think well, love well,
sleep well, if one has not dined well"

-Virginia Woolf

 Over the past few years, Ashlyn Forshner has been working with me teaching classes in peoples homes. As my partner in Simply Brilliant, she brings a great sense of humor, wonderful presentations, and is very knowledgeable about all aspects of food. Ashlyn was a student in one of my classes at Seattle Culinary Academy and I found her passionate approach to food to be a perfect match for Simply Brilliant.

  Chef Ashlyn Forshner, a graduate of the Seattle Culinary Academy, also supplemented her culinary education with classes at the Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts in Ko Samui, Thailand and the Quillisascut Farm School in Rice, Washington. Passionate to explore many different roads on her culinary journey, she has an eclectic diversity in her background. She has worked as a food stylist in Los Angeles, assisted local chefs Christine Keff, Tom Black, and Danielle Custer in public cooking classes, been a private chef, caterer, and co-created Cherbey's, an all-natural pet treat business. Seattle restaurants that Ashlyn has been affiliated with include Sapphire, Crush, Gypsy, The Ruins and Coco la ti da.

  Outside of the kitchen she has been a T.A. for a Food Politics class at Seattle Culinary Academy, photographed the Academy's pilot chef/farmer program, and has had food-related photographs published in Northwest Palette magazine and the book Renewing the Countryside, Washington. She is currently a steering committee member for the Seattle Chapter of Chef's Collaborative and a member of Women Chef's and Restaurateurs.

"Cook with love, eat with passion"

 Garrett Doherty's passion for culinary arts was first sparked as a teenager working in the kitchens of restaurants in his hometown of Rockport, Massachusetts. Life adventures brought him to Boston, Los Angeles, and finally Seattle, where a twist of fate and opportunity led him back to the culinary world. While attending the Seattle Culinary Academy, Garrett has worked at Chow Foods' Hi-Life in Ballard and is currently working under Chef Adam Stevenson at Earth and Ocean at the W Hotel Seattle.

  He has worked under Chef Scott Samuel for the past six months and will be graduating in from SCA in the Fall of 2008. Garrett's flavor profiles are influenced by the seafood of New England, the diverse restaurants and communities of Boston and L.A., and the exciting noveau cuisine of Seattle.

 Inspired by the Sunday dinners of her childhood, Erin Brannan has strong belief that food is designed to fill the soul as well as the stomach. She sets out to create dishes that reflect her commitment to preserving past traditions while taking on the challenges of ever changing trends. Born and raised in Seattle, Erin understands the lifestyle that is uniquely Northwest and is devoted to showcasing local, seasonal flavors and promoting foods that encourage a sustainable way of life.

 After graduating from the Seattle Culinary Academy, Erin took a position with Microsoft Catering and was quickly promoted to Purchasing Manager in their catering division. Her eagerness to give back to SCA is fulfilled by quarterly visits to currently enrolled students where she speaks about her experiences "post-graduation". She has worked with Chef Scott for the past year and a half and shares with him a passion for developing flavors that are, at the same time, familiar and surprising.