Seattle chef Ethan Stowell confirms new restaurant coming to Capitol Hill

BY Jamie Skorheim  on April 30, 2012 @ 11:23 am (Updated: 4:09 pm - 5/2/12 )

spaceneedle
With five restaurants and influence at Safeco Field, chef Ethan Stowell is certainly making his mark on Seattle. (MyNorthwest.com/Alyssa Kleven)

Seattle chef Ethan Stowell confirmed to 97.3 KIRO FM's Terry Jaymes Alive Show that he is opening a new restaurant on Capitol Hill.

Currently running five, soon to be six, restaurants in the area, and also working as a consultant for food at Safeco Field, Stowell is definitely making an impact.

"Just trying to do my part," said Stowell after host Terry Jaymes thanked him for "making Seattle a better place."

Stowell and his wife Angela are co-owners of five Seattle restaurants that include Anchovies & Olives, How to Cook a Wolf, Tavolata, Staple & Fancy, and newest addition Ballard Pizza Company.

Stowell was hush-hush about details of their next upcoming restaurant, but will confirm it is on 15th in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

In a discussion about how the now-notable Seattle chef's career began, Stowell said it all started here, with his first job around food being at catering company The Ruins in Queen Anne.

"I didn't know anything. I didn't know how to cook. I didn't know how to hold a knife. The only thing I was good for was taking out the trash and sweeping up stuff," said Stowell of his early days.

But from day one, he said he dug the restaurant lifestyle. He liked the hours. He liked the people.

"I liked really the unlimited amount of knowledge you can gain."

Stowell said he did everything he could outside of work to build up his knowledge.

"When I wasn't working, I was reading books. I was trying stuff out at home. I was going out to eat," said Stowell.

Travel, he said, is a biggie for chefs looking to learn.

"Anytime you can go out and anytime you can travel, you're gaining knowledge. I encourage all young cooks to go do some traveling. Go out and experience the world. Go out and learn how other cultures eat and how important of a part of their life it is. Doing things like that is hugely important."

But it's his knowledge of things close to home that made Stowell Safeco's chef of choice for offering some ideas on the ballpark menu.

"They wanted to make the food at the stadium a little bit more relevant, a little bit more local, a little bit more sustainable, a little bit more green, so they asked me to come in and work on some recipes and work on some product sourcing," said Stowell. "The Mariners are really leading the charge in having sports facilities purchase from their backyard, which in my opinion is super cool."

With baseball season and Ballard Pizza Company opening in April, Stowell definitely has his hands full. Thinking about all that will come with the new Capitol Hill joint, Jaymes asked Stowell how he manages it all.

"My thing is make sure you're running your business," said Stowell. "If you get into the habit of the business running you, it's gonna. It's heartless. You have to make sure you carve out time for your family and your friends."

Terry Jaymes Alive can be heard on the new 97.3 KIRO FM Weekends on Saturday at 3 p.m. Available anytime ON DEMAND at MyNorthwest.com.

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor

Jamie Skorheim, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Whether it's floating on Green Lake, eating shrimp tacos at Agua Verde, or taking weekend drives out to the Cascades, she loves to enjoy the Pacific Northwest lifestyle as much as humanly possible.
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