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DAYTRIPPING p. 28

CULTIVATE p. 35

While guests sip specialty cocktails like the Spotted Owl (gin, Douglas fir, nettles and citrus) and the Juan de Fuca (tequila, wild plums and sage) at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Chef Blaine Wetzel prepares his team for the evening's three-hour tasting. Beyond the deck, mountains rise from the water's edge. Bald eagles nest atop towering hemlocks and cedars. Gentle waves lick the quiet beach. Inside the open kitchen, a focused, surprisingly serene atmosphere prevails, reflecting the tranquility of the secluded site itself. Our first snack arrives like a zen master's koan, a mystery hidden within a closed cedar box. Lifting the lid exposes an earthy, aromatic bite of baked sunflower root

atop a bed of cushy moss. The dinner unfolds through a progression of small snacks and entrees, each bite a sensory revelation from Chef Wetzel's impressionistic palette of light and air, smoke and shadow. Why so many snacks woven throughout a four-course meal? Chef Wetzel explains: "Small dishes allow for more flavors. You can focus on one vegetable at a time, be more precise." More small-food adventures, complete with Washington wine or juice pairings, follow: light, crunchy, evanescent toasted kale with black truffle and rye served on slate; a moist, tender slice of reef-netted sockeye salmon, perfectly smoked and presented on an alder plank;

POUR p. 74

SPREE p. 82

NONSTOP p. 86

aged venison leg, flavored with chanterelles, celery, pecans and blackberries; local spot prawns served on caramelized zucchini topped with nasturtium leaves and flowers. Chef Wetzel's inventive cookery blends best practices from an apprenticeship with Rene Redzepi at Copenhagen's award-winning restaurant, Noma, with his zeal to "fish, farm and forage" from the freshest locally-sourced ingredients. A Northwest native, Chef Wetzel enjoys the challenge: "Because you have fewer ingredients to work with on the island, it pushes you to be more creative." On daily beach and nature excursions, he encourages his team to find their own inspiration for innovative flavors with a playful invitation: "Don't tell me about an idea. Let's taste your idea." Thankfully, the small-plate menu leaves room for a fitting finale to a magical, 22-small-course meal: warm blueberries with the sweet tarragon flavor of bright green woodruff ice cream and a malt cookie crumble beneath toasted meringue. Once known only to locals, the historic Willows Inn has lost its anonymity since hiring its 26-yearold epicurean prodigy, but no one here seems to mind. To discover Chef Wetzel's culinary wizardry for yourself, visit willows - inn.com for reservations. For more information on visiting Lummi Island, near Bellingham, Washington, go to bellingham.org.
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