Executive Chef Brian Clevenger at Cicchetti

Susan Kaufman: What was your original inspiration for cooking?

Brian Clevenger: I was always interested in cooking, before it was “cool” to be a chef. The only time families got together was while they were eating. It was a time for my family to be together and discuss things. Going out with my family was more of a celebration and a time to experience the joy of dining out.

SK: Why Serafina and Cicchetti?

BC: Because it’s home, it’s my family. I grew up here. And because I respect what already is. On the flip side, it’s a tremendous challenge to take what is already successful and refine it, bringing it to a greater level. As for Cicchetti, that culinary program opens up new avenues of cuisine that I’m so excited to explore. Cicchetti gives me the opportunity to grow a relatively new program, which always excites me.

SK: Give me three words to describe your food.

BC: Simple, local, approachable.

Chef Brian Hard at Work in the Serafina Garden

SK: Who was your biggest culinary influence?

BC: Craig Stoll from Delfina in San Francisco and John Neumark from Serafina. John taught me the fundamentals and foundation of cooking, and Craig took those fundamentals and showed me how to refine them.

SK: If you could eat only one dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?

BC: Gnocchi. It is the most complex dish that reads in a single word.

SK: How have you seen us grow at Serafina since you first started?  

BC: Oh my God. That was seven years ago when I started, and I thought I knew everything.  In the last two years,  particularly, I have seen Serafina become a place where talented chefs want to work and showcase their cuisine. As the Executive Chef now, there exists a wonderful reciprocity where my cooks want everything I can give them, and at the same time I continue to learn from them.

SK: Which dish are you most excited to see ordered on a server’s ticket?

BC: Wow. That changes everyday. A couple of dishes come to mind; the Gnocchi con Coniglio and the Tagliarini con Gamberi.  Both exemplify for me the attention to detail that takes a dish from good to excellent.

Chef Brian Pulling Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes) from the Earth in the Serafina Garden

SK: What are you most excited to learn about and teach?

BC: A good manager, in my opinion, can identify their staff’s differences and what their strengths and challenges are. I try to give them what they need to be successful in their position. I always want to learn how to be a better chef.  It’s as simple as recognizing every carrot and knowing what to do with it. Every piece of food is different, every cut your knife makes; the learning piece is endless. My goal is to teach what anyone wants to learn. Nothing is more rewarding than hearing someone pass on the knowledge that you have imparted.

SK: What do you look for when you dine out?

BC: Word of mouth sends me. I do read reviews and like to see what people are saying, but ultimately I don’t always believe them. When I get to a restaurant, I read the menu thoroughly.  I want simple. Too many ingredients sends me a signal that something might not be right (unless they have 40 chefs).  I look for seasonality, something I can relate to, something I can already taste in my imagination.

SK: What makes you crazy in the kitchen?

BC: Filth. Thinking about it makes me crazy.

Brian was born and raised in Anacortes, Washington. He knew at a young age his life was going to revolve around food. Brian has always been curious about the science of food, and what makes it react in different ways with each cooking method. Brian obtained his AA in culinary arts as well as a BS in management. While in school, Brian worked as a line cook and then eventually a Sous Chef at Serafina. After graduation, he worked in a 2 Michelin star restaurant outside of Lyon, France; a James Beard Award winning restaurant in San Francisco; and then a Four Diamond hotel in Washington. Brian takes a very simple approach to food and would describe it as “refined simplicity.” 

 Make sure to check our website for on-going events to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Serafina.

We are honored to have all of you in our lives.  Thank you and here is to another 20 years!

It is difficult to describe the power and aristocratic nature of a wine like Barolo, made solely from Nebbiolo, a grape which first appeared during the first century. Barolo wines have a very brooding, powerful and beautiful disposition. On March 11, we had the fortunate opportunity to taste Giacomo Borgogo Barolo in consecutive vintages 1998 through 2001. Outside of the planned tasting, several guests stayed to try the 1996 for good measure.

Opening the tasting was an invigorating, refreshing White Nebbiolo from the producer Nera. This wine was a big hit with its mineral structure, ample acid and salinity. It paired well with our marinated vegetable antipasti and was an interesting expression of Barolo’s varietal. Moving onto the Borgogno wines, we began with the 2001 vintage, which filled all the promise of a Nebbiolo from the commune of Barolo. I would characterize Borgogo’s wines, produced since the 1700’s, as being produced in the more traditional style. Opened at 11:00am for our 3:30pm tasting, this bottle was a testament to the fact that this style of Barolo take their sweet time to open up, demanding the consumers’ patience. Having said that, the 2000 was next and proved to be an outright stunner, ready-to-drink, complete, complex and likely to please those who enjoy mature wines.

The 1999 held the most promise for the future, having aromatic nuance and power seamlessly wrapped together. Yet it was unanimously agreed that this wine needed more time in the bottle as the finish was green and a bit tight. The 1998 proved to be the most evolved and demonstrated that with Nebbiolo, the question is “when?” rather than “if?” Later in the evening, we opened a 1996 for some lingering wine tasting guests. Although older, this wine was sowing a very vibrant acidity and youthful freshness. The 1996 was clearer and more subtle, but still had secrets to show.

Our guests expressed a sense of privilege and joy at being able to enjoy four amazing Barolos side by side in one sitting. Barolo is a wine that reveals the secretive power in the harmony between man and nature. These wines can truly transport you to another time and place.

If you happen to be an international super spy and you also happen to have an intolerance to gluten, where oh where are you supposed to get the perfect gin martini? Saunter up to the bar at Serafina and call for Monopolowa Gin. Triple distilled, from potatoes, this Austrian gin is not only smooth, herbaceous, and economically priced (at $7), it also brings the grain-fearing, gin-loving sophisticate a welcome pool in which to dip their olives.

As Celiac disease and allergies to grain are becoming more and more prevalent, it is exciting to know that having a potato-based gin opens up a much more fulfilling cocktail experience at Serafina for the gluten-intolerant. One of Serafina’s most popular beverages, the Elisir della Fiore, concocted by bar manager and mastermind Chris Bollenbacher, is a gin based cocktail mixed artfully with St. Germain and fresh grapefruit juice. The Monopolowa Gin is the perfect complement for the Campari in Serafina’s famous Negroni as well.

For those who may argue James Bond drank vodka martinis and not gin, Serafina has you covered. Monopolowa makes a potato vodka as well, stocked at Serafina and ready, for all your debonair needs.

“We eat for many reasons other than hunger, but there is only one reason we gather at the table to eat. That is to be with one another. As we come to the close of the year, I am thinking about what 2010 held for me and for my restaurants. You could describe it as a year of extremes; extreme joy and extreme challenges. In 2010, I watched Cicchetti grow from a newborn to a one year old; I witnessed my amazing daughter Isabella have her bat mitzvah; I dealt with a breast cancer recurrence and all the emotions and physical challenges that came with the diagnosis; I proudly watched my ever talented, devoted management team become a cohesive group of brilliant thinkers and chefs; I experienced the cocktail program blossom and skyrocket under the watchful eye of master Chris Bollenbacher, with such innovative classes as The Iron Bartender (a complete hoot, and yes, we are taking it to Hollywood); I saw Maxine work her magic as the catering manager with Cicchetti’s unique and stunning private dining space (my favorite was a Microsoft team building party where the players made pizza with the chef ’s help); I savored winning the prestigious Nellie Cashman “woman entrepreneur of the year award” and what it felt like to have a huge room of people celebrate me and my accomplishments. The list goes on, but what I take away from this year is how adaptable we all are as human beings, and how difficult situations can offer the gift of gratitude for what we do have, and taking that moment to really, truly feel it.”

The purpose of the Nellie Cashman award is to recognize and honor women who, through their business endeavors, enhance and improve the standing of female entrepreneurs. I’m just one guy, but I can’t think of many businesswomen in the Seattle area who have done as much as Susan has: creating a pair of successful restaurants which are much more than just a place to eat for their devoted regulars and much more than a workplace for those of us who have been fortunate to work at Serafina and Cicchetti over the years. I know we all share in congratulating Susan on a most well-deserved honor.

If you’d like to learn more about the Nellie Cashman Award, check out their website.

San Martino

Saint Martin from the late 4th century CE to the late Middle Ages, much of Western Europe engaged in a period of fasting beginning on the day after St. Martin’s Day, November 11. This fast period lasted 40 days and was called “Quadragesima Sancti Martini”, which in Latin means “the forty days of St. Martin.” At St. Martin’s eve, people ate and drank very heartily for a last time before they started to fast.

Saint Martin is now credited with a prominent role in spreading wine-making throughout the Touraine region of France and facilitating the planting of many vines. The Greek myth that Aristaeus first discovered the concept of pruning the vines after watching a goat eat some of the foliage has been appropriated to Martin. Martin is also credited with introducing the Chenin Blanc grape varietal, from which most of the white wine of western Touraine and Anjou is made.

So, once a year, we get together and celebrate with a winemaker that we respect and admire. This year we have chosen Ron Lachini of Lachini Vineyards in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. For those of you diehard Italian wine fans, you may be wondering why we chose a local winemaker rather than a traditional Italian producer. First of all, Ron is Italian! Also, we love and respect his work and are very excited about his wines. The Lachini Portfolio includes amazing selections from Oregon including Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir that you may have already tasted and admired at Serafina. The Lachinis have another trick up their sleeve: the Washington Bordeaux styles that you will not find anywhere else. These are exciting and much sought after wines! It is rare to find an individual who can create wines that perform and deliver so well in two very different and distinct styles. If I had to sum up the Lachini style, I would say that, across the board, the wines are all very true, sophisticated and delicious. The Lachini portfolio is rated very highly in all of the major wine publications; scores are posted on the Lachini Vineyards website at http://lachinivineyards.com/.
Our 10th annual St. Martin’s celebration will take place at Serafina on Thursday, November 11th at 6:30. Wine and food pairings will be offered for $85, exclusive of tax and gratuity. You can view the menu here. Please call us at 206.323.0807 to reserve your spot for our favorite event of the year!