| We're seriously lucky at Sazerac.
We have, not one, but two exceptionally talented chefs - Jan Birnbaum
and Jason McClure - leading our fearless kitchen
team, spicing things up, foraging for the best ingredients around,
and making sure we all have a damn good time along the way. Jan Birnbaum, Chef-Partner and Big Dawg It was Jan Birnbaum - we call him Chef and Big Dawg - who had the vision for Sazerac, our exciting destination restaurant in the heart of Seattle's downtown. Birnbaum, with culinary talents touted in publications such as Gourmet, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, is known coast to coast by countless diners who have experienced his unforgettable cooking at noteworthy restaurants across the country. When Birnbaum decided he wanted to cook, he walked in the door of Chef Paul Prudhomme's K-Paul's in Louisiana as green as can be: an engineering graduate and the son of a haberdasher. What he lacked in experience he made up for in eagerness and talent. Jan soaked up Prudhomme's knowledge "like a sponge." From 1994 to 2003, Jan developed and ran Catahoula Restaurant & Saloon located in Calistoga, California, fueled by his passion for Southern inspired American cuisine. Prior to Catahoula, he was executive chef for six years at San Francisco's Campton Place, which, under his direction received the Condé Nast Traveler "Distinguished Restaurant Award" three times and was named one of the "Top 25 Restaurants in America" by Food & Wine Magazine. At Sazerac, Birnbaum celebrates abundant local produce and ingredients from the Northwest, creating a menu that incorporates these with the flavors of his Louisiana, which means diners can enjoy something as deceptively simple, yet profoundly flavorful, as sour cherry-sausage flatbread with pecorino, bitter greens and truffle vinaigrette. Birnbaum revels in wood-fired cooking - from rotisserie to smoker - the flavors he produces are at once intense, earthy and ultimately memorable. Return to top Jason McClure, Executive Chef Jason McClure, who has worked alongside Chef and Big Dawg Birnbaum as part of the Sazerac culinary team since its inception in 1997, focuses on a menu that draws ingredients from the local harvests of the Pacific Northwest. McClure's philosophy of "food being fresh, simple and focused" is evident in all his creations. McClure, a native of Phoenix, earned a bachelor's degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Northern Arizona University. Prior to joining the fearless team at Sazerac, McClure worked as a chef in several restaurants, including Café RipRap in Minneapolis, Brix Grill and Wine Bar and Chez Marc Bistro, located in Flagstaff, Arizona. He now calls the lush green of West Seattle home. When he's not cooking up a storm at Sazerac or hosting his Little Bit of Lovin' Cooking Classes, he indulges in his affinity for sushi and spends time traveling the Northwest, foraging for mushrooms. Return to top |
 
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