Michelle Clair

"The kitchen, the garden...my most formative imprints early in life. I watched the best ingredients get plucked from the garden, go straight to the kitchen and then on to the table, our table of sharing and warm conversation.

Both my grandmothers put me to work on a stool in the kitchen when I was young. Margo, my grandmother in San Francisco had a small garden of lettuce and salad ingredients all year 'round (and let's not foret the rhubarb and chard!!). Raised on a farm in Iowa, Margo was accustomed to everything used in the kitchen coming from the family land. She made the best apple pie and silver dollar pancakes in the world. Then there was Gramma Vera...she lived on top of a great big mountain surrounded by a vineyard in Calistoga. I just remember a garden of huge flowers, huge vegetables, towering fruit trees and full vines. The chickens were an added bonus! Her dinner parties were known to last well into the night.

Both my grandmothers instilled in me the importance of fresh creative food, how to set a table with class, how to enjoy it with friends and loved ones, and how to take joy in the simple things in life...I am forever grateful.

As a Catering Director for Bon Appetit Management Company, I have been able to strike a balance in my personal & work life. Bon Appetit promotes at a national level my years-long philosophy at a personal level..."Food Service for a Sustainable Future." Now, as the Secretary for Seattle Chefs Collaborative, I'm honored to share my philosophy with others by educating them that to get back to the local land is not only the better tasting thing to do, but also the most socially responsible way to live our lives. I'm a fortunate woman to have something fun and valuable to me also be my profession!"