Tom Douglas was born on August 2, 1958, in Wilmington, Delaware. Douglas moved to Seattle in 1977. Soon after arriving, he started working in a variety of jobs from general construction to serving as a railroad car mechanic., Douglas lives in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle as well as Prosser, Washington with his wife and business partner, Jackie Cross, and their daughter, Loretta. Their farm in Prosser provides a variety of produce for use in his Seattle restaurants.
Restaurant career
Wilmington, Delaware
Douglas's first restaurant job was working at the Hotel duPont, where he served as an assistant to the hotel's cook. He never attended professional culinary school, but developed his natural talents while travelling and eating at various world-class restaurants throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Seattle, Washington
In 1984, following working in a series of general labor jobs, Douglas began working at local restaurant, Café Sport. In November, 1989, he opened his first restaurant, the Dahlia Lounge, which quickly became a prominent fixture in quality dining in the Pacific Northwest. In 1994, he was recognized as the Best Chef in the Northwest by the James Beard Foundation. In 2001, he opened the Dahlia Bakery, to complement the food of Dahlia Lounge. In February 1995, Douglas and his wife opened Etta's Seafood, named after their daughter, Loretta. The following year, they opened the Palace Kitchen, which offers a considerably more rustic style, utilizing Northwest cuisine cooked on a wood-fired grill. During the first year of operation, the Palace Kitchen was nominated for a James Beard Award as one of the best new restaurants in the United States. In July 2004, Douglas opened Lola, which serves a fusion offering of Greek-inspired, Northwest cuisine. In 2006, he opened a pizzeria, known as Serious Pie. The original location, Serious Pie Virginia, is in downtown Seattle, and the second location, Serious Pie Westlake, is located in the South Lake Union neighborhood.
Restaurants
Brave Horse Tavern — 21 and older bar, pub food
Cantina Leña — Mexican
Cuoco — northern Italian
Dahlia Lounge — modern Asian, Pacific Northwest regional. First Tom Douglas restaurant founded in 1989
Etta's — seafood
Lola — Greek
Palace Kitchen — new American
Seatown Seabar and Rotisserie — deli-style seafood
Douglas co-hosts a weekly food radio show with longtime friend Thierry Rautureau. The show, Seattle Kitchen, regularly focuses on local and national cookbook authors and personalities. The show is broadcast weekly on Saturdays and Sundays on KIRO-FM, 97.3. It is recorded on Tuesday mornings in front of a live audience at the "Hot Stove Society", Tom Douglas's cooking school in Seattle.
