This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Seattle • While growing up in Utah, John Sundstrom spent an inordinate amount of time outdoors, believing one day he might study the Earth as a full-time job.
"I thought I'd go into forestry or some other ecological pursuit where I could spend time in the mountains," said Sundstrom, who fulfilled the dream, albeit not in the way he expected.
Today, he is one of Seattle's most decorated chefs, known for his use of foraged and wild ingredients at Lark, his signature restaurant in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood. He and his wife, JM Enos, also co-own two other Seattle eateries: Bitter/Raw, a crudo and charcuterie bar; and Slab, a sandwich and pie shop.
A graduate of East High School, Sundstrom kicked off his restaurant training at 47th Samurai in Salt Lake City and Snow Park and Stein Eriksen lodges in Park City.
After attending the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vt., he traveled through Japan and worked in New York City, San Francisco and then Seattle, where he worked with chef Tom Douglas at Dahlia Lounge, the restaurant that many say put Seattle on the culinary map.
In 2001, while working at the W Hotel's Earth & Ocean restaurant, he was named one of 10 Best New Chefs by Food & Wine magazine.
Other honors have followed: The James Beard Foundation named Sundstrom the Best Chef in the Northwest in 2006; he was a semifinalist for the Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef in 2014; and a self-published cookbook, "Lark: Cooking Against the Grain," was awarded the IACP Judges Choice Award in 2013.
In August, Sasquatch Books republished the cookbook in paperback under a new title, "Lark: Cooking Wild in the Northwest" ($29.95), with additional chapters. In the new version, Sundstrom waxes poetic about the food of the Pacific Northwest and talks a bit about growing up in Utah at a time when "scallions on baked potatoes was considered exotic." But he also pays tribute to his maternal grandmother, who taught him to make éclairs as a child and had epic family canning parties, which where the first steps toward becoming a chef.
The Salt Lake Tribune caught up with Sundstrom in September during a "Taste of Seattle" event held as part of the annual conference of the Association of Food Journalists. He talked warmly about his years in Utah, the new version of his cookbook and how his culinary life has come full circle. His comments have been edited for space and clarity.
Do you still have family in Utah?
Yes. My mom, my sister and many cousins still live there. We get back about every other year. In fact, we just had a family reunion this summer in Richmond.
What were some of your first restaurant jobs?
I was a senior in high school and I worked a couple days a week at 47th Samurai as a bus boy and then dishwasher and then worked my way to be a teppanyaki cook. I enjoyed the restaurant culture. I remember my uncle, who managed a restaurant on State Street, bringing us cool food like guacamole and teriyaki.
Besides your wife and son, what do you love about Seattle?
For most culinary graduates from the West, the ultimate goal is to get to California, but Pebble Beach or the Ritz Carlton wasn't my thing. And my dream wasn't to live in the middle of Manhattan. Seattle has a big-city appeal, but it has mountains like when I was growing up and skiing is just an hour away.
How did the cookbook come about?
In 2007, after I won the James Beard award, publishers expressed an interest. I started working on it, and then the recession hit and I had to work on the line a lot more and didn't have time to write. Four years ago a former cook at Lark and a good friend came up with a plan to revive it. We did a Kickstarter campaign and got financial help from our restaurant fans. It was self-published, but we sold out our first printing. Then Sasquatch books connected about reissuing the cookbook and adding new material, a larder section and things to stock in a home pantry.
The introduction of that new chapter pays homage to your grandmother. Why did you want to include that?
That whole chapter reconnected me to my grandmother and growing up and hanging out while my mom and aunts were canning peaches and zucchini relish. At the time, I wasn't that interested in canning and was thinking of ways to get out of it. But when I look back, I see the richness of that experience and realize it brought people together. It represents an evolution in my cooking. I'm always looking back to older techniques like pickling and drying, which are now on the cutting edge of food. It feels like things have come full circle.
kathys@sltrib.com
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Green beans with bacon and roasted-tomato vinaigrette
3 beefsteak tomatoes, cored
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 unpeeled cloves garlic, cracked
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 cups green, yellow wax, or Dragon Tongue beans (or a mixture), stem ends trimmed
1/4 cup bacon, cut into 1⁄3-inch lardons
1/2 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
Heat the oven to 400 degrees .
To make the roasted-tomato vinaigrette, toss the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, and garlic in a casserole dish. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tomato and garlic skins have blistered and darkened and the garlic is roasted. Remove the dish from the oven and let cool to room temperature. When cool enough to handle, peel the skins from the tomatoes and garlic. Place the tomatoes, roasted garlic, and any juice accumulated in the dish into a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to make a coarse puree. Transfer the puree to a medium mixing bowl and stir in the sherry vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside.
For the green beans: first, prepare an ice bath. Then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the green beans until just cooked, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the beans to the ice bath to stop cooking. Drain the beans and set on a plate to dry, or pat with paper towels. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon, cooking until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the shallot to the bacon and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add beans and thyme and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Heat through and adjust seasoning to taste. Loosely pile some beans onto each of four plates. Spoon a generous amount of the tomato vinaigrette over the top and serve
Servings • 4
Source: "Lark: Cooking Wild in the Northwest," by chef John Sundstrom (Sasquatch Books, 2016)
—
Green beans with bacon and roasted-tomato vinaigrette
3 beefsteak tomatoes, cored
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 unpeeled cloves garlic, cracked
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 cups green, yellow wax, or Dragon Tongue beans (or a mixture), stem ends trimmed ¼ cup bacon, cut into 1⁄3-inch lardons
½ tablespoon minced shallot
½ teaspoon chopped thyme leaves
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
To make the roasted-tomato vinaigrette, toss the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, and garlic in a casserole dish. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tomato and garlic skins have blistered and darkened and the garlic is roasted. Remove the dish from the oven and let cool to room temperature. When cool enough to handle, peel the skins from the tomatoes and garlic. Place the tomatoes, roasted garlic, and any juice accumulated in the dish into a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to make a coarse puree. Transfer the puree to a medium mixing bowl and stir in the sherry vinegar and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside.
For the green beans: First, prepare an ice bath. Then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the green beans until just cooked, 4 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the beans to the ice bath to stop cooking. Drain the beans and set on a plate to dry, or pat with paper towels. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon, cooking until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving 1 to 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the shallot to the bacon and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add beans and thyme and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Heat through and adjust seasoning to taste. Loosely pile some beans onto each of four plates. Spoon a generous amount of the tomato vinaigrette over the top and serve.
Servings • 4
Source: "Lark: Cooking Wild in the Northwest," by chef John Sundstrom (Sasquatch Books, 2016)