Tom Douglas skipped James Beard Awards in effort to change fortunes

Tom Douglas holds up his James Beard Outstanding Restaurateur Award at 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show. (MyNorthwest.com/Jamie Griswold)

Tom Douglas has been honored with James Beard nominations
several times, and when his name once again appeared as a
nominee in the Outstanding Restaurateur category, he was
both pleased and doubtful.

“You’re up against every restaurateur in America and the
people that vote are supposed to have eaten in your
restaurant, so it’s just a little bit difficult for people
to have tried our restaurants in Seattle,” said Douglas,
in an appearance on 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show in
March.

After past disappointments, Douglas decided he would take
a different approach to this year’s ceremony by not
attending.

“It just occurred to me that I shouldn’t go and maybe
something would change,” said Douglas.

He decided he would make the trip to New York, but instead
of attending the ceremony, he went for a stroll through
the city.

“My team of ten was there and I took a walk to my favorite
stores, Zabar and Fairway Grocery, and beautiful
brownstones on the upper West Side. Then I sat myself
down at a bar a couple of blocks away from Lincoln Center
to wait for my team.”

Douglas said he ordered some wine and whiskey and had a
reservation for ten awaiting his team’s arrival after the
ceremony.

“I had some big bottles of wine picked out because we were
going to drown our sorrows in wine and whiskey.”

The first buzz on his phone came from his daughter.

“I didn’t answer,” said Douglas. “I was in a restaurant so
I don’t usually answer at a bar.”

Then Douglas said his phone just went nuts.

“Two hundred and fifty texts later, and almost 500 emails
my phone was worn out,” said Douglas.

He had finally won in the category of Outstanding
Restaurateur.

Douglas said his partner, Eric Tanaka, who he describes as
the backbone of the company, accepted the award.

“He got up on stage and didn’t even introduce himself,
just went off. He can talk like nobody’s business,” said
Douglas.

The Outstanding Restaurateur definition calls for: “A
working restaurateur who sets high national standards in
restaurant operations and entrepreneurship.” Tom Douglas
owns 13 restaurants in the Seattle area. The award honors
his accomplishments across all his properties.

Tom Douglas can be heard every weekend on The
Seattle Kitchen Show. Hear him on 97.3 KIRO FM on
Saturday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Podcast available
anytime ON
DEMAND at MyNorthwest.com

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor