Seattle chef Ethan Stowell confirms new restaurant coming to Capitol Hill

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