Tom Douglas (chef) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 
Douglas at the grill in front of the Dahlia Lounge during a pre-Thanksgiving food giveaway in 2008
|
|
| Born | August 2, 1958 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Cooking style | Pacific Rim, Italian, Greek |
| Spouse | Jackie Cross |
Tom Douglas is a famous American chef, restaurateur (someone who owns restaurants), author, and radio host. He was born on August 2, 1958.
Tom Douglas has won many awards for his cooking. In 1994, he won the James Beard Award for Best Northwest Chef. He won another James Beard Award in 2012 for Best Restaurateur. His cookbook, Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen, was named the Best American Cookbook in 2001. He even appeared on the TV show Iron Chef America in 2005 and won against Chef Masaharu Morimoto.
Contents
Tom Douglas's Early Life and Family
Tom Douglas was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Later, he moved to Seattle. There, he worked in different jobs, including construction and fixing train cars.
As of 2006, Tom Douglas lives in the Ballard area of Seattle. He lives with his wife and business partner, Jackie Cross, and their daughter. They also have a farm in Prosser, Washington. This farm grows fresh produce that is used in his restaurants.
Tom Douglas's Restaurant Journey
Tom Douglas started his cooking career at the Hotel duPont. He worked there as an assistant to the hotel's cook. In 1984, he began working at a Seattle restaurant called Café Sport.
Opening His First Restaurants
In November 1989, Tom Douglas opened his very first restaurant, the Dahlia Lounge. Just five years later, in 1994, he was named the Best Chef in the Northwest. This award came from the James Beard Foundation.
In February 1995, Tom and his wife opened Etta's Seafood. The next year, they opened another restaurant called the Palace Kitchen. In 2001, he added the Dahlia Bakery. This bakery made delicious treats that went well with the food at Dahlia Lounge.
New Restaurants and Challenges
In July 2004, Tom Douglas opened Lola. In 2006, he opened a pizza place called Serious Pie. The first Serious Pie was in downtown Seattle. A second location, Serious Pie and Biscuit, was in the South Lake Union area.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tom Douglas was one of the first restaurant owners in Seattle to close his businesses. Many people started working from home, which meant fewer customers for his restaurants. On March 11, 2020, he announced that 12 of his 13 restaurants would close temporarily. The Dahlia Bakery stayed open to serve a nearby hotel. This decision was made just before the Washington governor ordered a statewide closure.
Closing his restaurants cost his company almost $3 million. It was tough, and he thought half of his restaurants might not reopen. However, he soon opened a new take-out restaurant called "Serious TakeOut" in the Ballard neighborhood. It offered food with no contact.
Restaurant Closures and Reopenings
The long shutdown led to some of Tom Douglas's restaurants closing for good. In July 2020, he announced that Brave Horse Tavern and Trattoria Cuoco would not reopen. Their ten-year leases were ending, and the future was still uncertain. He also decided not to renew the lease for Serious Pie and Biscuit in September. The Dahlia Lounge also closed in March 2021. However, the Dahlia Bakery reopened in July 2021.
Tom Douglas's Radio Show
Tom Douglas co-hosts a weekly food radio show called Seattle Kitchen. He hosts it with his friend, Thierry Rautureau. The show talks about local and national cookbook authors and other food experts. You can listen to Seattle Kitchen on Saturdays and Sundays on KIRO-FM, 97.3. The show is recorded live on Tuesday mornings at the "Hot Stove Society," which is Tom Douglas's cooking school in Seattle.
Books by Tom Douglas
- Douglas, Tom (2000). Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen, William Morrow Cookbooks, 288 pages. ISBN: 978-0688172428
- Douglas, Tom (2003). Tom's Big Dinners: Big-Time Home Cooking for Family and Friends, William Morrow Cookbooks, 288 pages. ISBN: 978-0060515027
- Douglas, Tom; and Shelley Lance (2006). I Love Crab Cakes! 50 Recipes for an American Classic, William Morrow Cookbooks, 160 pages. ISBN: 978-0060881962
- Douglas, Tom; and Shelley Lance (2012). The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook, Sweetness in Seattle, William Morrow Cookbooks, 390 pages. ISBN: 978-0062183743
Tom Douglas's Awards and Honors
- 1991: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant – Dahlia Lounge (nominated)
- 1992: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant – Dahlia Lounge (nominated)
- 1993: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant – Dahlia Lounge (nominated)
- 1994: James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest (winner)
- 1996: James Beard Award for Outstanding New Restaurant – Palace Kitchen (nominated)
- 2001: James Beard Award/KitchenAid Book Award for Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen
- 2005: Named Food Network's Iron Chef (he won against Masaharu Morimoto)
- 2006: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant – Dahlia Lounge (nominated)
- 2008: Bon Appétit Magazine Award for Restaurateur of the Year
- 2008: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (nominated)
- 2009: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (nominated)
- 2010: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (nominated)
- 2011: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (nominated)
- 2012: James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur (winner)
