Seattle-based chef Tom Douglas has been cooking up Pacific Northwest cuisine since 1984, opening his own restaurant, Dahlia Lounge, in 1989. For the last 30 years, Douglas made a name for himself alongside business partner and wife Jackie Cross and business partner (since 2006) Eric Tanaka by opening 13 full-service restaurants (Tom Douglas Restaurants), an event space (Palace Ballroom), a cooking school (Hot Stove Society) and a product line including rubs, spices and knives.
Beyond the restaurants, the James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur award-winner has a weekly radio show (Seattle Kitchen), where he talks food, wine, and anything else that is on his mind. The recognizable chef — self-described as “middle-aged, tall, and round” — can be found at any of his restaurants on a given day putting in the work to create a successful restaurant group. As Douglas has been known to regularly reminds himself and his staff: “No one can outeffort us.”
I had the pleasure of writing some questions for Chef Tom Douglas about his past, present and future as a top-level chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur. Below are video highlights from that Q&A. More on Douglas, his team and his various projects can be found online at www.tomdouglas.com and via following him on Twitter via @TomDouglasCo.
