Tom Douglas Quotes

Powerful Tom Douglas for Daily Growth

About Tom Douglas

Tom Douglas (born 1961) is an acclaimed American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author known for his innovative Northwest cuisine, culinary education, and philanthropic efforts in the Seattle area. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Douglas developed a passion for cooking at an early age, learning basic skills from his grandmother. After attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Douglas honed his skills under renowned chefs such as Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, and Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. Returning to Seattle, he began his culinary career as sous chef at Etta's Seafood and then became Executive Chef at Seattle Grill. In 1993, Douglas opened his first restaurant, Dahlia Lounge, which quickly gained popularity for its unique blend of Italian and Northwest cuisine. This success led to the opening of several more restaurants in the Seattle area, including Serious Pie (pizzeria), Cuoco (Italian), Lola (Mediterranean), Etta's Seafood, and Taylor Shellfish Farms. Douglas has written multiple cookbooks, including "Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen," "Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from an Unlikely Life," and "The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook." He is also a regular contributor to Food & Wine magazine and hosts a radio show on KIRO Radio. In addition to his culinary accomplishments, Douglas is involved in various philanthropic activities, including the Tom Douglas Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships for culinary students at Seattle Central College. He has also been honored with numerous awards, such as the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest and the Washington State Governor's Art Award. Tom Douglas continues to be a significant figure in the Seattle food scene, combining his love for cooking, teaching, and giving back to his community. His influence can be seen in the countless chefs he has mentored and the many lives he has touched through his restaurants and philanthropic efforts.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Good food is like a warm hug from your grandma."

The quote suggests that good food, much like a warm hug from a beloved relative, offers comfort, warmth, and love. It implies that food prepared with care and affection can evoke strong emotions, transporting one back to cherished memories of home, family, and emotional well-being. In this perspective, eating becomes not just a physical necessity but an emotional connection to our roots and loved ones.

"Food should be about joy, sharing and bringing people together."

This quote emphasizes that food is not just a means of sustenance, but also an important tool for connecting with others and fostering happiness and camaraderie. Sharing a meal invites conversation, strengthens relationships, and creates lasting memories. Food, in this context, serves as a universal language that transcends cultural, geographical, and personal boundaries. It's about celebrating life's moments together and finding joy in the simple act of breaking bread with loved ones.

"I don't cook Italian food, I cook Seattle food to the best of my ability."

This quote emphasizes the idea that Chef Tom Douglas is not confined to any specific culinary tradition but rather creates dishes based on his interpretation of cooking in Seattle. He adapts and innovates regional cuisine to reflect his personal style, blending elements from various cultures to create a unique, localized culinary identity. This approach celebrates the diversity of flavors found in Seattle, while also paying homage to its distinct food scene.

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."

This quote emphasizes the integral role that food plays in our overall well-being. It suggests that a satisfying meal fosters mental clarity, emotional balance, restful sleep, and a general sense of contentment, thereby enabling us to think, love, and live well. In other words, enjoying good food not only nourishes our bodies but also enriches our minds and hearts.

"The secret to good cooking is simple: use really fresh ingredients and be fearless."

This quote emphasizes that the key to great culinary results lies in two main principles: 1) Use really fresh ingredients: Freshness significantly enhances the taste, texture, aroma, and overall quality of food. By using fresh produce, meat, fish, or dairy products, you ensure that your dishes are vibrant, flavorful, and nutritious. 2) Be fearless: This implies taking risks in the kitchen, experimenting with new recipes, techniques, flavors, and ingredients, and not being afraid of making mistakes or deviating from established rules. Embracing creativity and boldness can lead to culinary innovation and remarkable dishes.

Spanish chorizo is a spicy cured sausage that's especially tasty with clams.

- Tom Douglas

Spicy, Sausage, Spanish, Cured

While it's typical to find steamed clam recipes which include a bit of bacon or sausage, you might not think of adding shredded ham hock, but it's another way to pair the lusty, smoky flavor of animal fat with the briny ocean flavor of shellfish.

- Tom Douglas

Sausage, Another, While, Smoky

When I wrote my cookbook, 'I Love Crab Cakes,' I asked some of my best chef buddies to contribute recipes.

- Tom Douglas

Love, Recipes, Some, Asked

My favorite way to cook trout is whole, bone-in, on the grill. The fish are stuffed with sliced lemons and herb sprigs, brushed with oil, and cooked over fairly hot coals until the skin is crisp and the flesh is moist and flaky. Go ahead and gild the lily by adding a sauce.

- Tom Douglas

Skin, Ahead, Trout, Cooked

Horseradish is one of those perk-me-ups. You can use it in a cocktail sauce, you can bread fish with it - it loses its punch when cooked. It's a 'What is that?' flavor. It adds depth of flavor to things.

- Tom Douglas

Bread, Sauce, Use, Cooked

If you don't have the confidence in baking, commit to making the recipe three times. The first two, do it exactly the way I've told you to make it. Twice. The first time you'll screw it up. The second time it will come out pretty good, and then the third time, make your adjustments.

- Tom Douglas

Recipe, Your, Commit, Exactly The Way

I'll never understand those greasy little deep-fried wings most bars serve.

- Tom Douglas

Wings, Never, Most, Bars

To shuck oysters, you'll need an oyster knife, a handy tool with a sturdy handle and a short, rigid blade which you can pick up for about ten bucks in a kitchenware shop or fish market. A quick trip online will yield any number of videos and slide shows with step-by-step instructions on how to shuck an oyster.

- Tom Douglas

Instructions, Quick, Bucks, Yield

Sometimes managers are a little shy to criticize another manager or another operation.

- Tom Douglas

Manager, Shy, Criticize, Operation

The simplest way to prepare Dungeness crabs is to boil them in the shell and set them in front of your guests with crab crackers or crab hammers, cocktail forks, and plenty of napkins.

- Tom Douglas

Prepare, Simplest, Forks, Guests

Another way I like to barbecue king salmon is as a whole fish stuffed, literally to the gills, with sweet onions, sliced lemons, and summer sage.

- Tom Douglas

King, Like, Onions, Another Way

Sweet Washington cherries and Walla Walla onions are two of my favorite local treats.

- Tom Douglas

Sweet, Cherries, Treats, Onions

My own favorite way to cook and eat razor clams is to simply dredge them in a mix of seasoned flour and cornmeal, then pan fry them in butter until crisp and golden. Be careful not to overcook them so they stay tender, not tough and chewy.

- Tom Douglas

Own, Careful, Seasoned, Razor

Razor clams are large, oblong clams, although not as big as geoducks.

- Tom Douglas

Big, Large, Although, Razor

Some versions of crab cakes are mostly crabmeat lightly bound with egg, but I'm a firm believer that a crab cake should contain bread crumbs.

- Tom Douglas

Some, Firm Believer, Mostly, Crumbs

When I eat oatmeal, I'm hungry by 10 A.M., but pho is a great way to start the day.

- Tom Douglas

Great, Start, Great Way, Oatmeal

Around the time I opened my second restaurant, Etta's, I had just finished judging at the Jack Daniels World Invitational BBQ Championship in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Back home in Seattle, my goal was to recreate the sweet and smoky taste of that BBQ using our local wild king salmon instead of pig.

- Tom Douglas

Back, Taste, Smoky, Tennessee

I would love to see McDonald's pay more money.

- Tom Douglas

Love, See, Would, McDonald

In some cities, McDonald's rules, but Seattle is ruled by teriyaki joints.

- Tom Douglas

Some, Cities, Ruled, McDonald

The two things that are going to make you a better baker without even trying are a scale and a thermometer in your oven.

- Tom Douglas

Scale, Going, Oven, Baker

I don't know too many kids who ask to weed the garden.

- Tom Douglas

Know, Ask, Too, Weed

Over the years I've tweaked my stuffing recipe many times, adding a variety of ingredients like sauteed wild mushrooms, dried cherries, fresh chevre, toasted hazelnuts, chopped ham hock meat, and other taste treats.

- Tom Douglas

Cherries, Other, Stuffing, Toasted

Alaska Airlines and I have a lot in common, so coming together to delight travelers with savory, high quality food from the Pacific Northwest made sense.

- Tom Douglas

Sense, Made, Northwest, High Quality

In my 'Big Dinners' cookbook, I recreated my mother's recipe for crab dip. The creamy dressing for this dip, made with mayonnaise, tomato paste, a touch of honey, sliced chives, lemon juice and zest, horseradish and Tabasco, is reminiscent of Thousand Island dressing.

- Tom Douglas

Big, Recipe, Mayonnaise, Sliced

The lakes in Washington State give us tons of crawfish.

- Tom Douglas

Give, Washington State, Tons

Summer in Seattle allows me to indulge in some of the region's top culinary delights - I'm talking about wild king salmon and fresh, ripe Washington stone fruits and berries like cherries, peaches, plums, and blueberries.

- Tom Douglas

Cherries, Some, Peaches, Stone

Most of the catfish you find at the fish counter has been farmed. Though I usually prefer to buy and eat wild fish, farmed catfish taste cleaner, without the muddy taste of their wild relatives.

- Tom Douglas

Been, Though, Prefer, Relatives

It's always a good idea to chill your crab cake mixture for a few hours, or even overnight, before frying because they'll hold together better.

- Tom Douglas

Always, Hours, Before, Frying

Every chef has his treats. By that, I mean bits and pieces from things you're working on - crusty little cake trimmings, ends from a brisket, collars from a salmon, scraps. But they're snacks to me, and I eat them right off the cutting board - maybe too much.

- Tom Douglas

Pieces, Maybe, His, Collars

I have an affinity for the old Seattle coffee shops, places like the Green Onion and the Copper Kettle, the classic kind of coffee bar - little places that served breakfast, lunch and dinner and have pretty much disappeared.

- Tom Douglas

Green, Lunch, Pretty, Kettle

Utrip makes it easy for travelers to experience the destination highlights that most interest them, be it food, art or history. Just like a culinary experience, every palate is different, and Utrip is all about personalizing travel for their users.

- Tom Douglas

Destination, Interest, About, Highlights

I was once made honorary mayor of my hometown of Newark, Del.

- Tom Douglas

Hometown, Once, Newark, Honorary

The classic Italian green sauce, salsa verde, is easy to make and especially nice in the spring when bunches of fresh herbs start appearing in the farmers market or in your garden.

- Tom Douglas

Green, Start, Italian, Garden

Catfish's mild taste adapts well to a wide array of flavors, especially strong assertive ones, which is why you used to see it 'blackened' Cajun style on so many restaurant menus - a trick which soon became a tired cliche.

- Tom Douglas

Strong, Flavors, Became, Array

Spooning a seasonal fruit relish onto a plate of grilled king salmon is very much my style - flavorful, straightforward, and unfussy. I also like the way fresh, ripe fruit balances the richness of the salmon.

- Tom Douglas

King, Straightforward, Very, Balances

There's a restaurant in Manhattan called Balthazar, and next to it is Balthazar Bakery. It's tiny, and it's very charming to have that little retail outlet to sell the house desserts and breads.

- Tom Douglas

Next, Very, Desserts, Bakery

Who doesn't love digging into a plate of crab cakes or going after a chilled cracked crab with crab cracker, cocktail fork and a plastic bib for protection?

- Tom Douglas

Love, Going, Plate, Digging

It's really fun to have a convection oven, even it if it's a little convection toaster oven. It really changes the way you bake.

- Tom Douglas

Changes, Oven, Really, Toaster

My wife and I decided to try and kick start our kitchens to a $15 minimum wage for cooks. I've probably had to go through and raise every menu price now by 50 cents because it took away my profit. I just underestimated what it was going to cost.

- Tom Douglas

Through, Away, Had, Kitchens

Cooks are an undervalued, awesome profession.

- Tom Douglas

Awesome, Profession, Cooks, Undervalued

Tender and sweet, Manila clams partner well with a wide variety of foods - white wine, sake, beer, butter, leeks, fresh herbs, roasted peppers, olives, and wild mushrooms, to name a few.

- Tom Douglas

White, Foods, Manila, Herbs

Every time you make a fruit crisp for me, you are my favorite person in the world. It's something delicious and warm, right out of the oven. I mean, what more could anyone want? And all you're doing is taking the best fruit of the season, putting a crumb topping on it and putting it in the oven.

- Tom Douglas

Fruit, Doing, Putting, Every Time

A chunk of seared albacore tuna, salted and peppered, then seared rare in a little oil in a hot skillet for just a minute or so per side, is the perfect addition to a savory plate of fried rice. Just slice the tuna across the grain and fan those mild, meaty slices over the top of the rice.

- Tom Douglas

Perfect, Tuna, Chunk, Grain

Disappointing cakes have often been sitting out too long. They should last just long enough to have the last pieces the next morning with coffee - who doesn't love cake with coffee?

- Tom Douglas

Love, Next, Next Morning, Cakes

I love being able to help promote Seattle to travelers worldwide.

- Tom Douglas

Love, Help, Promote, Seattle

I can't stand it when restaurants don't have a sense of place in a city. When I'm in London, I want to know I'm in London. When you're sitting in my joint, you know you're sitting in Seattle.

- Tom Douglas

City, London, Joint, Seattle

I was driving around the country when I was 19 and happened to run out of cash in Seattle, so I settled here.

- Tom Douglas

Country, Here, Settled, Seattle

Farm to table is a personal choice.

- Tom Douglas

Farm, Personal Choice, Table

If you want something beautiful to put on the dinner table, pick up a sockeye, the salmon species with the most vivid red flesh.

- Tom Douglas

Dinner, Want, Salmon, Table

The flesh of king salmon, which varies in color from white to pink to red, has a high fat content, making it perfect for grilling.

- Tom Douglas

Pink, Making, Which, Flesh

There's something majestic about a 30-pound Chinook salmon roasted and served whole - people get excited when you present it with the head and tail on. It has beautifully browned skin and extraordinary bright red flesh when you cut into it.

- Tom Douglas

Skin, Cut, About, Flesh

I was $4,000 short on my first payroll.

- Tom Douglas

Short, First, Payroll

I use ginger like garlic. I love it for steaming fish and making barbecue sauces or roasted chicken.

- Tom Douglas

Love, Making, Garlic, Ginger

Mastering one recipe is better than mastering too many. Learn something and own it, and you'll feel so much better about it. You'll have more confidence if you've made it five times, and that confidence adds so much fun to cooking.

- Tom Douglas

Own, Recipe, About, So Much Fun

For a group of friends or a family dinner, fish tacos are popular and fun to make.

- Tom Douglas

Family, Fish, Dinner, Group

Sweet, delicious Dungeness crab is always a treat.

- Tom Douglas

Treat, Sweet, Always, Crab

It's important that your shucked oyster is clean and pristine.

- Tom Douglas

Important, Oyster, Your, Pristine

I'm much less shy in conversation than I am on my own.

- Tom Douglas

I Am, Shy, My Own, Conversation

When I was a kid and my mom made tomato soup, she would cut buttered toast into squares and float them on top of each bowl.

- Tom Douglas

Soup, Made, Cut, Toast

Thanks to the abundance of shellfish in Puget Sound, Washington State is the largest oyster producer in the country.

- Tom Douglas

Oyster, Thanks, Largest, Washington State

I'm a compassionate person, so if a product is 15 percent more than what I typically pay, and I see the purpose, I'll foster that kind of sustainability for the farmers/fishers.

- Tom Douglas

Purpose, Product, More, Compassionate

In the restaurant business, there's the concept of pivot. Pivot to the stove, pivot to the refrigerator.

- Tom Douglas

Business, Restaurant, Restaurant Business

I want to do the basic things, like putting my daughter to bed. It's the sweetest thing.

- Tom Douglas

Bed, Like, Putting, Sweetest

At the fishmonger, choose fish with bright scales and clear eyes.

- Tom Douglas

Fish, Bright, Clear, Scales

Support a small chef. Not these big chains... but support the people who are out there trying to do things right and working hard to do that.

- Tom Douglas

Small, Big, Chains, Working Hard

The key to great fried squid is 'flash-frying' in hot oil for only a few minutes, which keeps it tender.

- Tom Douglas

Tender, Minutes, Which, Key

It's just an American tradition to make sure people don't leave hungry. The worst thing is to have them say, 'Great dinner, but now I have to go get a burger.'

- Tom Douglas

Go, Worst Thing, Sure, American Tradition

Customers are more friendly when they've had a meal.

- Tom Douglas

More, Meal, Friendly, Customers

I would say a full-time waiter in a high-price house could easily make $75,000, $80,000 a year.

- Tom Douglas

Year, Full-Time, Could, Waiter

After being cooked, ling cod tends to bleed out some moisture, so, before serving, let it rest a few moments on a plate. Once the moisture has been released, you can carefully pick up the fillet with a slotted spatula and transfer it to another plate for saucing. This way, you won't sog out your beautiful sauce.

- Tom Douglas

Some, Been, Before, Tends

If deep-frying catfish, try a dredge of seasoned flour and cornmeal and add some bacon fat to the oil.

- Tom Douglas

Some, Add, Seasoned, Flour

It's hard to legislate what people eat. People are getting fed up with being told what they can and can't do. It boils down to personal responsibility. People need to read labels, do their research and act accordingly.

- Tom Douglas

Research, Down, Fed, Fed Up

I think that people need to stand up with their backbone and not go to places where they feel like the workers aren't taken care of.

- Tom Douglas

Think, Need, I Think, Stand Up

Catfish has a nice firm texture and mild flavor.

- Tom Douglas

Texture, Firm, Mild, Flavor

Albacore tuna has a mild flavor that's delicious served raw or seared briefly on the outside so that it's still rare on the inside.

- Tom Douglas

Tuna, Still, Mild, Flavor

I have a good flavor memory.

- Tom Douglas

Good, Memory, Flavor

I don't have any interest in being a chef without being on the business side of things, or vice versa, because if you don't make money at the end of the month, you're going out of business.

- Tom Douglas

Business, Side, Vice, Vice Versa

Maybe there are too many restaurants. Maybe some of mine need to close. So be it. I'll live with the market place.

- Tom Douglas

Some, Maybe, Mine, Restaurants

I try to eat in one of my restaurants every day, and I eat out in another restaurant every day. It's what I do.

- Tom Douglas

Every Day, Out, Another, Restaurants

I love restaurants from top to bottom.

- Tom Douglas

Love, Top, I Love, Restaurants

Entrepreneurial people are never satisfied.

- Tom Douglas

People, Never, Satisfied, Entrepreneurial

One of my favorite ways to eat albacore is tuna poke.

- Tom Douglas

Eat, Tuna, Ways, Poke

I pay a living wage, I believe in healthcare, I declare all my income, and I don't cut corners.

- Tom Douglas

Living, Income, Cut, I Believe In

I know Jeff Bezos because I cater at his home.

- Tom Douglas

Know, Cater, His, Jeff

My longtime friend Steven Steinbock, who has worked with me for more than thirty years, is a master at panfrying fish and seafood.

- Tom Douglas

More, Seafood, Longtime, Steven

Oysters, such as Dabobs, Quilcenes, Westcotts, and Willapas, to name just a few, are often named after the place they are harvested.

- Tom Douglas

Name, Often, Named, Oysters

How can anyone live off of minimum wage?

- Tom Douglas

Minimum Wage, How, Anyone, Minimum

Often we eat squid fried, so it's fun to grill it for a change. To grill squid, slice the cleaned bodies open into two flat pieces and thread them, along with the tentacles, onto skewers, then grill quickly over a direct fire with the coals as close as possible to the grate, turning the squid several times.

- Tom Douglas

Quickly, Bodies, Direct, Slice

The one thing I could do with my eyes closed is my Grandma's schnecken.

- Tom Douglas

Grandma, Could, One Thing, Closed

Pork is my friend.

- Tom Douglas

Friend, My Friend, Pork

The state of Washington calls tips 'wages.'

- Tom Douglas

Washington, Wages, State, Calls

I crave my mom's Sloppy Joes.

- Tom Douglas

Mom, Sloppy, Crave

My dad never explained anything growing up.

- Tom Douglas

Growing Up, Growing, Never, Explained

Steaming is a great way to cook any firm fleshed fish, but it's often overlooked by the home cook.

- Tom Douglas

Cook, Often, Great Way, Overlooked

Coho or silver salmon are very common and easy to get for a good price.

- Tom Douglas

Price, Common, Very, Silver

There's natural mentoring that goes on in my life every day.

- Tom Douglas

My Life, Natural, Goes, Mentoring

When you watch 'Shark Tank,' everything is about off-shore this, off-shore that.

- Tom Douglas

Shark, Watch, About, Tank

I don't answer my phone in a restaurant.

- Tom Douglas

Restaurant, Answer, Phone

Sustainability includes how you run your business, and my bottom line includes how you treat your people. Sustainability starts with your staff.

- Tom Douglas

Business, Treat, Bottom, Bottom Line

I think you owe it to your kids to teach them how to cook - you know, self-survival.

- Tom Douglas

Think, Cook, I Think, Owe

Salsa verde is delicious with trout or most any fish.

- Tom Douglas

Most, Trout, Delicious, Fish

I think about sustainability all the time, whether it's with fish or farmers in Eastern Oregon.

- Tom Douglas

Think, I Think, Eastern, Fish

Ling cod is a mild-flavored and somewhat delicate fish that takes well to poaching, braising and pan-roasting.

- Tom Douglas

Well, Delicate, Somewhat, Fish

One-pot meals make a lot of sense... because so much of what people hate about cooking is really the cleanup, the mess, the grease.

- Tom Douglas

Sense, Mess, About, Grease

I'm just sick of food going in the garbage.

- Tom Douglas

Sick, Going, Just, Garbage

I didn't go to university. I didn't go to culinary school, barely made it through high school.

- Tom Douglas

School, Through, High, Culinary School

I particularly like to make crunchy slices of garlic bread to serve with steamed clams.

- Tom Douglas

Bread, Like, Particularly, Garlic

The best meal I was served was ribollita, an Italian bread soup at the Castello di Ama winery in Tuscany. I usually hate ribollita, and the people I was traveling with thought I was crazy for ordering it.

- Tom Douglas

Bread, Thought, Soup, Ordering

If you're going to start a fire, why cook just one chicken?

- Tom Douglas

Chicken, Going, Just One, Fire

I'm kind of fat.

- Tom Douglas

Kind, Fat

I can't believe how many people don't have time to cook but have time to watch football and 'The Voice.' They're certainly making a choice.

- Tom Douglas

Voice, Making, Certainly, Choice

I'm not exactly the best capitalist ever.

- Tom Douglas

Best, Capitalist, Ever, Exactly

We've become such a restaurant society.

- Tom Douglas

Society, Become, Restaurant

Money is like manure: if you don't spread it around, nothing grows.

- Tom Douglas

Money, Like, Grows, Manure

Cooking with your kids is a remarkable exercise to let them in on the purchasing part of the process - kids love to shop, and its great to take them to these ethnic places where people don't always speak the language.

- Tom Douglas

Love, Process, Always, Remarkable

When I was young, I would make my parents breakfast in bed on Saturday mornings.

- Tom Douglas

Bed, Saturday, Would, Mornings

Be sure to read a recipe all the way through before you cook. The time it saves you in the long run is invaluable.

- Tom Douglas

Through, Sure, Read, Invaluable

Every cook I knows loves to make pizza.

- Tom Douglas

Pizza, Loves, Every, Cook

If you just feel lazy and don't want to cook, then don't cook.

- Tom Douglas

Lazy, Want, Feel, Cook

I don't ever preach to people.

- Tom Douglas

People, Ever, Preach

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