Blaine Wetzel is the chef at The Willows Inn on Lummi Island. He began working in kitchens at age 14, and he’s never stopped. A dozen years later, he has studied and apprenticed widely, notably as Rene Redzepi’s chef-de-partie at noma in Copenhagen that repeatedly garnered recognition as the best restaurant in the world.

Redzepi refers to Wetzel a “rare and amazing talent.” Since arriving on Lummi Island and becoming a partner in the new ownership group, Wetzel has attracted international attention. Last year Food & Wine magazine named him Best New Chef of 2012 and he became a James Beard Award semifinalist in the Pacific Northwest for the third year in a row.

In 2011, the New York Times declared Willows Inn on Lummi Island “One of the 10 Restaurants (in the world) Worth a Plane Ride.”

Wetzel brands his exquisite meals with a commitment to island and locally-sourced ingredients and the traditions of farm-to-table preparation. He designs a provocative, yet honest food presentation, delivering much of it to the tables himself.

Wetzel’s food brings you into an intimate relationship with the landscape he loves, allowing you to touch, taste, see and smell the ocean, the coastal lands, the soft gray light on the water.

Food & Beverage, Chef, For Cooking Demonstrations, Cooking, Celebrity Chef, Food industry, James Beard Award Forbes, Forbes Top Lists,