Slicing Every Sandwich with Passion: Q & A with Our Grand Prize – Seasoned in Seattle
Nora and Doug MacDonald kicked their IT careers to the curb almost four years ago in pursuit of their passion for food an community. On the way, they bought a little catering business called Seasoned in Seattle and connected with Carlos Calderon, a Chef who honed his skills at the Art Institute of Denver’s Culinary Program. Together they have built a business that has earned them 5 Stars pretty much across the board for the quality of their food and excellent service. Their passion for community inspired them to open a little café on MLK Jr Way and Orcas (5619 MLK Jr. Way S, Seattle, WA 98118).
Now, with the Café at Seasoned in Seattle and Plate of Nations, Seattle foodies have an opportunity not only to sample some of the dishes that have earned them such high regard, but to learn some of their culinary secrets. Eight stamps on your passport by the end of Plate of Nations (March 24th – April 9th) qualifies diners to win a private cooking class for four with Carlos, Doug and Nora!
Learn more about the motivation and passion behind this team from a café Q & A below.
What motivates you to cook/come to work every day?
Doug: The Café feels like home to me, we have amazing customers. I love bringing people together and seeing them enjoy themselves. We slice every sandwich with passion
Nora: It’s my labor of love. I was in IT behind a computer for so many years its just more exciting to work with food and meet new people and with the catering see different venues. Also, I have a degree in business so I’m enjoying being able to tap into that.
Carlos: Cooking was just a job at first but then I fell in love with the craft. It feels like a new adventure every day because of the complexity of cooking and meeting the needs of different people with different tastes.
What is your favorite cuisine style to cook?
Carlos: I love to cook Asian (Thai, Chinese and Korean) cuisine because of all the fresh vegetables and very different ingredients from what I grew up eating in Pueblo Mexico. I first learned to cook from my mother and grandmother. And as the oldest of 8 kids I had to get creative feeding them while my parents worked.
What will the winner learn during the class?
Doug: You will learn some helpful cooking techniques and how to experiment with different ingredients and flavor combinations. You may even get some of our secret recipes. Carlos will teach you to cook with passion!
What would you say to make people competitive about winning the cooking class?
Doug: This class will motivate you to experiment in the kitchen and try new things. You will have learned new cooking and preparation techniques as building our intuition around flavor combinations. You will walk away with the ability to make delicious healthy food that you WANT to make. You get to go behind the scene at a professional catering kitchen and see where the magic happens. If you’re lucky some of Carlos’s passion for food will rub off on you!
What are you passionate about besides food?
Doug: I’m passionate about music and antiques if you couldn’t tell by the posters and memorabilia decorating The Café. I like to go antiquing and many of my collectables came from family – my mother and grandmother. I’m also the son of an artist so I have an affinity for art and a creative lean.
Nora: I love the outdoors and hiking but I don’t have a lot of time to do that lately. I also love to travel.
Carlos: I like to mix music. Especially the old Mexican music that I listen to with my cousins.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
Doug: I think that people would be surprised to know that I am the caretaker for my mother who has dementia and my brother who had a serious brain injury.
Nora: I am the middle of 11 children (7 girls and 4 boys) in a large Italian American family. I also served in the Navy reserve for 20 years and have been out now for 9 years. And I graduate from the University Of Nebraska School Of Business.
Carlos: I always wanted to be a truck driver but got into cooking accidentally and I’m glad I did because I love it!
What is the story with the Social Distortion memorabilia in The Cafe?
Doug has loved Social Distortion since he was a teenager. He grew up with the band as it changed and evolved he never stopped going to see them in concert. I fact he is going to one on the 21st. He has taken his family to the shows and there are lots of great stories attached to each poster. He loves the customers’ reaction to all of his memorabilia and antiques.
Anything else you can think of that you want to share with your adoring fans?
Doug is an artist and a craftsman who poured a lot of his heart and soul into building out The Café. He’s also a building trade journeyman plumber. When the bar is finished they will start serving cocktails and currently serve beer and wine.