Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/599676
f a l l 2 0 1 5 | 7 9 ISLAND LIVING MAKES FOR INNOVATION IN CUISINE AT THE WILLOWS INN story by Julie H. Case / photos by Joann Arruda Grabs Fresh pulled white tur- nips at the restaurant's Loganita Farm. Shitakes bloom in a mushroom garden outside the restaurant. C hef Blaine Wetzel has an acid problem. Ferry across a Salish Sea strait to The Willows Inn, the restaurant helmed by Wetzel, and you can understand why. Halibut and spot prawns might ply the waters between Bellingham, Washington, and tiny Lummi Island, and apples and plums may dangle from orchard trees, but there's not a seed of citrus around. For a chef named the 2015 James Beard Best Chef: Northwest, the inability to source acid could be a challenge. For Wetzel, it seems to be an adventure. So much so, that he defines his style and menu geographically. "As far as product sourcing goes, it's the highest caliber of any I have ever experienced in any restaurant. And really authentic. And really regional. It's specific to this island," says Wetzel. At just 9.25 square miles, this island in the San Juan archipelago makes Wetzel's program a commitment to locavore at the micro level. For this reason, shiitake mushrooms are being cultivated on a hanging log garden behind the outdoor smoker, just steps from the kitchen. The restaurant not only has its own farm—Lo- ganita Farm—but also belongs to a fishing co- op and is a partner in a boat. It keeps a forager practically on staff. As much as Wetzel's menu is geographic, it is also seasonal. Or, as he describes it, "a reaction to that moment in nature." There are challenges: April overruns with a plethora of vegetables, but not many fruits or roots. At other times in the year, there are virtually no fresh herbs.