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James Beard award-winning chef Maria Hines has created special vegan and gluten-free menus at her acclaimed Wallingford restaurant Tilth. (Tilth image)

Award-winning Seattle chef Maria Hines cooks up gluten-free, vegan menus

BY Josh Kerns  on March 8, 2013 @ 1:39 pm (Updated: 9:03 pm - 3/10/13 )

Chef Maria Hines has always tried to accommodate gluten-free and vegan diners at her acclaimed Seattle restaurants Tilth, Golden Beetle and Agodolce. But when she found out a number of friends and colleagues were having to eat gluten-free, she decided to do more, recently unveiling a gluten-free menu at her flagship gourmet organic restaurant Tilth.

It's a first for the James Beard award-winning chef, who told KIRO Radio Let's Eat hosts Terry Jaymes and Providence Cicero she finally decided to do it after a recent dinner where the server suggested her friend simply scrape the Parmesan foam off her dish rather than prepare something special for her.

"There have been times where they're just telling her 'Well, we'll see what the kitchen can do' and they have to rattle through the whole menu," she said. "You know we're very accommodating in that way but it's like let's make it where they don't have to do any of that."

The gluten-free menu is everything you'd expect from a chef of Hines' caliber. The $65 tasting menu features a creamy Jerzy Boy Apple Soup, Juniper Coffee Beet Salad, St. Jude's Albacore Tuna, Grilled Dakota Beef Hanger Steak and a Theo's Dark Chocolate Sorbet.

The menu is accompanied by a $35 five-flight wine pairing featuring a number of fine varietals from Washington, France, Portugal and Spain.

Hines has also developed a gourmet vegan menu at Tilth, replacing the fish and meat from the gluten-free menu with a Farro Risotto made with kabocha squash, charred leek and cilantro, along with a Smoked Heirloom Bean Cassoulet made with truffle butter, wild mushroom and oven dried tomato.

"I've had some hit and miss meals and I just thought gosh it's really easy enough it's a no-brainer I'd love to try and provide something to Vegans that want to have a full service fancy refined dining experience that they're really going to enjoy."

While a number of restaurants have begun offering to accommodate gluten-free and vegan diners on their menus, Tilth is among the first of the area's high-end eateries to develop a specific menu. And Hines hopes it becomes widespread.

"Just a slew of people that I know were coming across this issue so it was like alright let's do this."

Let's Eat can be heard on KIRO Radio Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at noon. Available anytime ON DEMAND at KIRORadio.com.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.


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Comments (5)


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  • Country_Dog wrote...
    Yeah, she is leaving me out
    March 10, 2013 8:52 am
    How 'bout cooking me up a greasy burger and some fries with some BBQ sauce? This gluten-free nonsense is just some trendy excuse for people to feel some superiority in their meaningless Seattle lives. Amazing how so many people found out overnight they were allergic to gluten.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • TheBopeep wrote...
    So true
    March 10, 2013 5:33 pm
    Loved the comment, very funny and true. Elitist Seattle.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • tlmbrt wrote...
    Country_Dog
    March 10, 2013 10:43 am
    Yeah I'm with you here. It's become hip and fashionable to look down their noses at "regular" slobs while they eat their pansy organic tofu and charred leeks. Then tell us how horrible we are for eating and enjoying red meat, that we are destroying the planet. They should feed grass-fed vegans to the Kobe cows. That would be very eco friendly!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • thefoodguru wrote...
    Go Maria!
    March 10, 2013 7:02 pm
    Kudos to Maria. I hope others follow in her footsteps. Eating at Tilth is an amazing experience. I'm glad for Vegans and those with gluten issues that they can share in that experience. In the article I noticed meat spelled "meet" and truffle butter on the vegan menu.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    could we take the picture down
    March 11, 2013 4:15 am
    I'm about ready to lose it. To late all over my key board.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }