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1 4 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t You've been manning the Lotus Farm to Table kitchen since 2012. How have you evolved as a chef over the last four years? Our focus at Lotus has been securing the best prod- ucts we can for our dishes, and working in a way to highlight them. As the last couple years have passed, I feel I have become more restrained in my cooking. My focus has been mainly on flavor development and bal- ance of entire dishes, while trying to absorb as much information as I can. As a scratch kitchen, we can control almost everything from start to finish, whether it's the texture and flavor of a marshmallow to manipu- lating the sweetness of a jam paired with a cheese. You've garnered praise for your outside of the box thinking and ability to meld unusual combinations of ingredients together. What are some of your favorite locally inspired plates? It's not always two ingredients being paired together that make it unusual, but the sum of all of the components on the plate that work together. Our desserts are where we are always pushing these "unusual combinations." Most people crave something sweet at the end of a meal, and if you can give them something special that they have never had before, they will remember that. A few of our dessert pairings include: rye flour cake, celery leaf, cola sorbet, house marshmallow, lime zest, sorrel parmesan cake, vanilla bean crema, shaved bourbon ice, pavlova and vanilla bean olive oil ice cream. When all of the components are eaten together, it tastes like an old-fashioned ice cream cone! Matt Broussard Line Cook at Palace Kitchen in Seattle, WA If you are a culinary professional inter- ested in being featured here or want more information on Chef's Roll, please email featured@chefsroll.com. Steve Brown Executive Chef at Cosecha/The Shipping Yard in San Diego, CA Ryan Sulikowski Executive Chef at Lotus Farm to Table in Media, PA Farm, forest and boat-to-table aren't a lifestyle choice, but a way of life in the Pacific Northwest. What sort of food do you believe serves as a culinary symbol of Seattle? I'm learning something new in this city each day and can say the symbol here is everything. Who wouldn't want to cook here? We have the best seafood, thanks to the cool ocean, the most beautiful produce and amazing dairy farms. In the Pacific Northwest beautiful ingredients are the symbol. As a chef, you're known for your creative use of the region's stellar ingredients. Which produce do you most enjoy working with each season? During the warmer months I'm stoked on summer stone fruits and delicious berries. And Copper River Salmon is gorgeous that time of year. As for ingredients for fall and winter, I'd say root veggies. For more on Matt Broussard, see our cover story on page 55. We've partnered with Chef's Roll, the global chef and culinary professional network, to learn more about chefs from around the country. PHOTO: CHAPIN HERMAN (BAR SHOTS) PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT BROUSSARD ■cr What was the inspiration behind your farm-driven roving dinner series, Cosecha? The inspiration behind Cosecha is based on celebrating the local sustainable food movement and the people that make it happen on a daily basis. We are shooting the tour as a documentary showcasing each community and what they do. You directly base your menus off the "harvest" of our local farms. What produce are you most look- ing forward to working with this season? Ingredients that I'm looking forward to using this winter is just what looks good at the farm, but I'm a big fan of winter squash, yams and the later months of heirloom tomatoes! A Cherokee tomato in November is much better than a Cherokee in July!