Seattle Culinary News Today

When the pandemic hit, these three pastry chefs started their own side hustles. Here's how—and their tips to help you follow your dreams.

If the right gets its way, not too long.

Over the next few days, leaders of Seattle Central College will decide the fate of a program that has been a part of the city's restaurant scene for more than 80 years. Seattle Culinary Academy, located on campus, has churned out many world-renowned chefs and culinary leaders over the years. But its fate as a program and school is numbered, primarily because of a lack of funding.  

Print Chef Regina Mitchell’s Zoom cooking class begins like a lot of Zooms: friendly banter, reminders to mute here, some technical adjustments there. A few minutes after the 4:30 p.m. start time, there are about 20 people on the call. The menu for tonight: a vegetable stir-fry and a lemongrass-ginger soda. “The blind can cook!” she says to the camera and laughs. “People say when you have lemons, you make lemonade. I turn lemons into limoncello. Or a lemon pavlova.” Mitchell, 60, beca...

Erica Baze and Travis Allen had formulated a plan to open up a bar and restaurant, but were waiting for the ideal location. When prime space on the Corvallis waterfront opened up due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and a resulting closure, the life partners turned business partners jumped at the opportunity. “Whenever you’re opening a business there are going to be unknowns. There’s always going to be a risk,” Allen said. Some Americans will see extra money in their bank a...