Lummi Island, WA – A behind the scenes look at the 2nd Annual First Harvest Dinner at The Willows Inn Restaurant

Follow Me Foodie to The Willows Inn First Harvest Dinner

A behind the scenes look at the 2nd Annual First Harvest dinner at The Willows Inn on Lummi Island.

So you thought I already wrote about the juiciest and sauciest parts of the 2nd Annual First Harvest dinner at The Willows Inn? As good as Blaine’s carrot juice and Grant’s oyster and chicken velouté was, the behind the scenes look is always just as exciting.

Although I didn’t get to witness the series of events leading up to the epic dinner, I did get to eat it which is just as rewarding. If I had seen the behind the scenes, I probably would have appreciated the dinner even more than I already did. I know lots of time and effort went into this dinner, but I didn’t realize the extent the chefs went to source their ingredients. I was told in advance that most ingredients, if not all, would be fished and foraged right on Lummi Island, but the chefs really got down and dirty just to make this all happen.

The chefs had very little preparation until they got there, which makes the dinner that much more impressive. It was Cast Away meets the Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies meets Hook… or am I just naming movies and books with some food scenes that took place on fairy tale islands and dense forests? Anyway, here are the beautiful snap shots (photo credit: Charity Burggraaf) of how it all went down.

The 2nd Annual First Harvest Guest Chefs

From left to right: Christopher Kostow (The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA), Grant Achatz (Alinea, Chicago), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn, San Francisco), Justin Yu (Oxheart, Houston), Virgilio Martinez (Central Restaurante, Lima, Peru), and Blaine Wetzel (The Willows Inn, Washington). Read more about the chefs in my post here.

On Loganita Farm (The Willows Inn farm)

Mary (farm Manager for Loganita) taking the chefs’ orders. Poor girl forgot her notebook and didn’t have paper on hand.

Grant and sous chef Eric Rivera giving Mary their order.

I think Justin made a request for these, and it was the most challenging and unexpected ingredient for Mary to supply. He wanted the tiniest baby zucchinis with the flower still attached. (Don’t get ideas Blaine… )

A few chefs also put in orders for nasturtiums, so Mary had to pick at least a few hundred of these. I think Chris asked for a hundred the size of a quarter just for his dish. The nature of the dinner (pun intended) called for specifics.

Foraging on Lummi Island

I noticed a few courses using dried seaweed as the seasoning salt, and now I know why. I am not sure how many kelp varieties are found throughout Lummi Island, but I must have tried at least a few without even knowing.

Reef Net Fishing

Behind the scenes of The Willows Inn kitchen…

Preparing for service…

The leather bound menus with messages from the chefs.

The Willows Inn First Harvest dinner sunset.

2nd Annual First Harvest Dinner

Oysters & Turnips – Justine Yu

Salmon & Barley – Dominique Crenn

Romaine Root – Christopher Kostow

Gazpacho – Grant Achatz

Peas & Raspberries – Justin Yu

Kelp (Only served for the first seating)

Smoked Sockeye Salmon – Blaine Wetzel

Ceviche – Virgilio Martinez

Kohlrabi – Christopher Kostow

Potato – Justin Yu

Venison – Dominique Crenn

Swiss Chard – Grant Achatz

Duck – Virgilio Martinez

Hearth Bread with Butter & Chicken Drippings – Blaine Wetzel

Lummi Island Chicken – Grant Achatz

Escarole – Blaine Wetzel

Pork – Christopher Kostow

Squash Blossom – Justin Yu

Berries – Dominique Crenn

Woodruff Ice Cream – Blaine Wetzel

Blueberries – Blaine Wetzel

Midnight snack… aka “Staff Meal”

The Willows Inn style nachos…

With foraged dill and garlic or onion flowers (?)

And I brought these! I wanted to bring them something they couldn’t make… which isn’t much. I wanted something special to Vancouver, even though Lummi Island is only an hour away.

Blaine makes a mean smoked salmon (better than ones I’ve had at home), and maple syrup they can easily get in Washington. Sushi doesn’t last the road trip, but dim sum does! So I brought one of my favourite dim sum items – the Baked BBQ Pork Buns from Top Gun J&C. And yes, I like them specifically from here.

And they were a hit! Or they were just hungry?

Kitchen & Guest “After Party”

Blaine giving a heartfelt thank you speech.

Blaine Wetzel, Domnique Crenn, Mijune, Justin Yu

Virjilio Martinez, Mijune

Chris Kostow with his lovely wife, Martina

Scott Heimendinger @seattlefoodgeek (left) – Director of Applied Research for Modernist Cuisine, Mijune, and Jethro Odom (right) of Jet City Gastrophysics.

Lummi Island beach bonfire… and memories to last a lifetime.