Part culinary adventure, part serious cookbook, Sea and Smoke
chronicles the plucky ambition of a young chef to establish a
world-class dining destination in an unlikely place.
A native of the Pacific Northwest, two-time James Beard winning chef
Blaine Wetzel saw Lummi Island, a rugged place with fewer than 1,000
residents off the coast of Seattle, as the ideal venue for his unique
brand of hyperlocalism. Sea and Smoke is a culinary celebration of
what is good, flavorful, and nearby, with recipes like Herring Roe on
Kelp with Charred Dandelions and Smoked Mussels creating an intimate
relationship between the food and landscape of the Pacific Northwest.
The smokehouse, the fisherman, and the farmer yield the ingredients for
unforgettable meals at The Willows Inn, a reflection of Wetzel's
commitment both to locally-sourced ingredients and the sights, smells,
and tastes of the foggy, coastal environment of Lummi Island.
Award-winning journalist Joe Ray tells the tale of the Inn's rise to
stardom, documenting how all the pieces came together to make a
reservation at Wetzel's remote restaurant one of the most sought-after
in the world.