From shucking oysters with Martha Stewart to having waffles at Nash’s men’s breakfast in Dungeness, Greg Atkinson has been around.
The famed Seattle chef and writer is coming to the North Olympic Peninsula again for dinner at Wine on the Waterfront in Port Angeles this Thursday and will then give a free talk at the Jefferson County Library next Thursday, Dec. 15.
For this Thursday’s 7 p.m. dinner, tickets are $35, including food, wine and a copy of Atkinson’s new cookbook, At the Kitchen Table: The Craft of Cooking at Home. Without the book, seats are $25. To make reservations, phone Port Book and News at 360-452-6367.
Wine on the Waterfront, upstairs in The Landing mall at 115 E. Railroad Ave., will pair wines with dishes straight from At the Kitchen Table, prepared by Michael’s Seafood & Steakhouse and the Oven Spoonful of downtown Port Angeles.
Cooking for Atkinson might be a bit intimidating — except this chef puts a lot of emphasis on nonsnobbishness.
‘Everyday cooking’
“What I love about Greg’s cooking, and his writing, is that it’s not about extravagant dishes or grand experiences. It’s about everyday cooking and eating,” Molly Wizenberg writes in Kitchen Table’s foreword.
“There’s nothing extraordinary about eating well and in good company,” she continues.
“It’s what makes us human. And it’s ours for the taking.”
In Kitchen Table, Atkinson offers essays to go with his recipes.
In “Growing Farmers,” for example, he recounts his visit to the Delta Farm in Dungeness, run by Nash Huber of Nash’s Organic Produce.
This is where he learned how the Dungeness River valley soil makes extra-sweet carrots and other root vegetables — which are some of his favorite foods.
Atkinson also got to sit down with Huber for the weekly men’s breakfast, where local farmers whip up eggs, coffee, potatoes and the “honest waffles,” the recipe for which Atkinson includes in the book.
Martha Stewart
There’s also the story of the night a couple of years ago when he cooked for Martha Stewart.
This was at a mutual friend’s home in Indianola, and yes, he was nervous.
“But it all happened pretty fast,” Atkinson recalled in a telephone interview this week. And much to his pleasure, he found Stewart to be warm, friendly and not too full of herself.
“She joined me in the kitchen,” and before long, she was slurping raw oysters out of the shell right alongside him.
“It turned into a really fun night,” Atkinson remembered, “and it kind of opened my eyes.”
The way he sees it, Stewart’s contribution to American culture is to emphasize doing your best work, whether you’re making the bed, cooking a chicken or setting your table.
“She puts so much value on ordinary domestic tasks that had not been valued since the 1950s,” he said. “She brings things into the light.”
Atkinson himself seeks to bring to light the ideals of eating local, seasonal food, such as the winter vegetables he loves.
In his book, he offers a “new American borscht” recipe for the beets found at farmers markets like the one in Port Angeles.
He also revels in the fun of cooking and sitting down to share food with friends and family.
“I think civilization happens at the table,” he said.
“That’s where we learn how to be together.”
Library discussion
Atkinson will discuss his new book, as well as cooking trends in the Northwest, in his lecture at the Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave. in Port Hadlock, at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15.
The event, part of the library’s “Inquiring Mind” series, is free, and more information is at 360-385-6544 and www.JCLibrary.info.
Atkinson will talk about how our food choices — and the decision to buy from local, small-scale farmers — affect us at the personal, community and planetary level.
“Being conscientious about what we eat is one of the best things we can do for the environment and our culture,” Atkinson said.
“If you’re paying attention to food and mealtime, then you’re paying attention to civilization.”
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3550 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
