Five Minutes with :: Deborah Lloyd, Kate Spade Creative Director

As you would expect, Deborah Lloyd is a charming lovely woman who exudes the "Kate Spade" persona.  She was a delight to interview and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!


What inspires you?
Books.    I am out an about I travel a lot and I'm in vintage shops all the time exploring, researching.  This was inspired by amazing book that Helen O'Neill wrote.  The old one had this floral [gesturing to her dress] on the front printed in red and cream - it spoke to me across the book shelf.  I went and opened it and started reading the story of Flo Bro.  She's just such an amazing creative woman.  The prints are just not known in America.  They'd only been used for wall paper.  In all my vintage travels I'd never seen prints like these on clothes.

Who is the Kate Spade woman?
She's quick, curious, playful, and strong.  All those things we all want to be.  She's not a wallflower, she always stands out in a crowd.  She's never bored.

Do you cook?  Do you have a signature dish?
Yes, I love to cook.  Signature dishes are many - shepherd's pie, apple crumble - like an apple cobbler, but the English version - Quiche Lorraine, a proper English roast is no problem.  I'm very good at desserts too.  I was at the fish market today and spent $500 on fish.  So I'll be experimenting with that when I get home!


A sincere thanks to Lauren Foster who recorded the interview as well since I lost mine somehow...

Five minutes with... Diane Von Furstenberg

photo courtesy of Duell Fisher & Team Photogenic

Can you believe it?  Last night I was in the presence of greatness.  I got to meet Ms. Diane Von Furstenberg.

There are a handful of people that I have wanted to be like when I grow up - Ms. Von Furstenberg is one of those people.  She was gracious and genuine - truly very comfortable, not only in her own skin, but in general.  I found myself flustered for words a little bit when she said "well, you don't want to be me."  And I thought, "Yes.  Yes, I do."

The tagline for the fragrance is "Be the woman you want to be."  Diane says that, growing up, she didn't know what she wanted to be, but she knew who she wanted to be.  So she spent her effort becoming that woman and discovered what she wanted to do along the way.  I think the woman I want to be could be Ms. Von Furstenberg.

My five minutes with her weren't really five minutes.  As she is - obviously - incredibly popular and busy, I only asked one question.  Lauren (seen above) asked lots of really good questions with answers that will appear in 425 Magazine soon.

Is there something you are known for cooking?
Oh, yes, Saturday Night Chicken.  


What is Saturday Night Chicken?
Saturday Night Chicken is my chicken.  What I do is put a lot of sage and a lot of mustard inside the chicken and I cook it very hot and it's very good.  

I left the interview feeling so inspired.  And really thoughtful.  Who do you want to be?  Are you working to be that person?

I also really want to make Saturday Night Chicken.

Five Minutes With :: Rosanna Bowles

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending some time with the charming Rosanna Bowles - legendary dish designer.  Rosanna is a Northwest gal; raised in Portland, a graduate of U of Oregon (boo), and now a Seattle resident (she actually lives about five minutes from me).  I love that she has built her business in the Pacific Northwest and continues to grow and expand internationally.  

I had so much fun with her - it's such a pleasure to speak with women who have grown a business, raised a family, and lived to tell about it - succeeded even.  Plus, one of her daughters just graduated from Brown and my sister is at RISD, so we had Providence restaurants to bond over.  

What are your favorite things to cook?

Pie.  My dream retirement job, if I had to have a job, would be to open a pie shop and make my mom's pies.  I'd call it "Pat's Pies."  Her pies were legend and it would be a way to pass on her legacy.  (See After School Wild Blackberry Pie in Rosanna's book, Coming Home.  Page 134)

Do you craft?

Define craft... (laughs).  Actually, I'm famous for my daughters birthday invitations.  Every year I hand make their invitations, well everything really, the favors, decorations, everything, and they are all theme oriented.  My oldest daughters birthday is in just a few days and I've been gathering photos of each year.  We've done Marie Antoinette, "Project 43rd Street," the Sound of Music.  It's so much fun.

Whom do you admire?

(I almost didn't ask this because I already could guess the answer)

My mother.  My mother was an amazing woman.  She was part of the Greatest Generation; she went through World War II, the depression, she lost her brother in Korea, and was still a self made woman.  She watched Julia Child religiously on PBS - even took notes in her journal.  She grew up in the midwest and knew basic cooking, but my dad was a New Yorker, so she learned to cook Italian food too.  She was my role model and the most nurturing woman.  She nurtured through cooking and homemaking.  This book is my way of keeping her alive.  

What advice do you have for an entrepreneur?  

If you follow your bliss then life will be balanced and you will be fine.  If you aren't, you'll know.  Something will suffer.  Listen to your inner voice and find balance.  Also, you can't do everything so learn to delegate.  Don't be all things - don't take on all things - there are people out there who can help you.

Thank you for your time Rosanna - a lovely afternoon with a lovely woman.

Five Minutes With ... Jason Wilson

I got to sit down with Jason Wilson from Crush yesterday for (admittedly way more than) five minutes.  He is a delight.  His restaurant is a delight,  His food is a delight.  I can't rave enough about how lovely he is - and the space.  I have been to Crush as a diner and throughly enjoyed the meal.  I was invited to chat with him because of a project he's been working on with Near East Foods - the Couscous Caravan.

The Couscous Caravan is a caravan traveling around the Seattle neighborhoods bringing samples of two of Jason Wilson's five couscous recipes featuring Near East brand couscous.  Kirstin and I got to sample one of them - heaven.  The couscous was spiced with chipotle, filled with dried cherries, and topped with an amazing piece of pork tenderloin.  

Each dish of the five was inspired by a Seattle neighborhood.  The dish we tasted was inspired by SODO.  The pork is cooked with a coffee crust and beer braise - evoking the two coffee roasters of the area and the massive number of small breweries.  The spiciness of the dish reflects the spiciness of the area and the wild mustard greens were gathered locally, a representation of urban gardening.  

I'll post the recipe tomorrow for the above dish - we are definitely having this for dinner this week!  All five recipes will be available on my blog as the caravan tours Seattle - and three of the recipes are available at Crush. So make your reservations now - it's a small joint!

**Disclaimer - my recorder stopped working at some point during the interview, luckily I also took notes, but the answers are an abbreviated version **

What is your favorite thing to cook? Clearly, I realize you cook all day - but is there something that stands out?

My wife cooks "pop-eyes" where she cuts a hole out of the middle of a piece of toast then pops a poached egg in the hole and browns it in a pan with a little bacon grease.  We keep it really simple at home although I'm learning that what we have on hand at our house is a little different than what most people keep around.  My son (aged 4), for example, asked for octopus recently for lunch.  So we went down to the market, bought some octopus, came home and braised it.  It was an awesome lunch.  We still make stuff like Mac & Cheese for him, but we make it from scratch.  

Do you craft?

I do with my son.  We tried to knit recently, that didn't go well.  And we made pinewood derby cars recently, he's getting old enough to actually make the car now, which is cool.

Who do you most admire?

I don't want to be vanilla, but my wife.  She's amazing.  

Tell me a little about Couscous Caravan and your involvement.

The caravan is a way to take this inexpensive ingredient - that really easy to make - and show people some gourmet applications.  Get them thinking about new ways to use couscous.  I came on board to create five recipes - two are being showcased on the caravan and the other three are the 'gourmet' versions that are going to be available at Crush.  All of the recipes were inspired by neighborhoods in Seattle since that's where the caravan would be headed.  

Fun things I learned from Jason Wilson

:: For his appearance on Martha Stewart he cooked NINE dishes to show just one on air

:: When making couscous, start with stock or juice as the liquid instead of plain water.  It infuses flavor from the start.  One recommendation?  Coconut water!  

:: Use 1 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon liquid for one cup of couscous.

:: He's going to be at the James Beard house pretty soon cooking a "locavore" dinner with six other chefs.

:: The couscous dishes are going to be sampled at the Taste of Washington

:: Mondays at Crush they host cooking classes for a handful of people in the bar.  I really want to do this - as soon as I talk Mr. Hedin into it.  (oh, and it's not every Monday.  Click the link for dates)

::

Five Minutes With :: Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet

Do I look dazed?  I am!  I've been up since 5am and I just met someone I admire SO MUCH!  Truly a trailblazer in the world of cooking.  

You may know him from his days as the Galloping Gourmet, or you may not.  But Graham Kerr is a legend.  This weekend he was at the Northwest Flower and Garden show and I was star struck - and I barged over to meet him and get a picture.  I also managed to ask him a few questions before he had to run into his seminar (sorry if you were one of the people waiting!).

He is as charming as I had hoped - gracious with his time - and a delight.  He has a new book that comes out TODAY! featuring 'a year in the life of a kitchen garden.'  I am so excited to dive into this book and only wish I would have my copy on hand to have signed when I saw him.  And don't miss him cooking and talking about the book on Rachael Ray's show this Wednesday, March 2nd - read here about his experience.

What is your greatest indulgence?
My wife Treena.  We have been married 55 years now and she is just absolutely perfect, she's the love of my life.


What is your favorite thing to cook... what is the one thing you would recommend I try?
I have to say a sweet potato - about one pound after it has been steamed until it's really pleasant between your fingers.  Then you put it into a blender with 10 ounces of evaporated skim milk.  Now you switch the blender on high speed and run it for about four minutes.  And the milk proteins and the cellulose in the plant coalesce into something that has the mouth feel of Alfredo sauce.  Then  you toss pasta in that as a sauce and you have a very beautiful, absolutely no fat, thing.  Then you scatter a little freshly ground parmesan cheese over the top so the heat of the dish comes through the cheese and smells really delicious.  


Do you craft?
I have not crafted in...  (laughs)  I find, now, by having a green house and finding heirlooms seed and taking it right through the entire process to the kitchen I am the most fulfilled person that I have ever been.

Thank you so much to Mr. Kerr for his time.  I was star struck then, and two days later, I think I still am. I can't wait to see him on Rachael's show tomorrow!  Don't forget to tune in at 3pm to KIRO (Channel 7) in Seattle.

Five Minutes With :: Bob Chaves, Hermes of Paris CEO

Yesterday I was invited to a press preview of an event happening all week at the Bravern called Festival des Métiers - Festival of Crafts and had the pleasure of meeting Bob Chavez, the CEO.  He is a very charming man who has been with Hermes for ten years now.  After majoring in Romance Languages in college, Bob wasn't sure what he wanted to do so he went into retail at Bloomingdales.  Working his way through Bloomingdales and Macy's he eventually got a call from Hermes - and happily accepted the position he is in today.  




What is your greatest extravagance?
Travel.  I like to travel anywhere and discover new places.  I woke up this morning and the mountains were beautiful and covered with snow and I thought "I'd like to hike up there someday - when I have more time."

Do you craft?
It's funny you should ask that, I actually made this card case in the atelier.  I got a whole new appreciation for hand stitching.  You can see I started out rocky, but in the end it came out quite nice.


How about cooking?
If you ask around Hermes, the one thing I am famous for is guacamole.  I make killer guacamole.


What person do you most admire, living or past?
That's a hard one.  I can't narrow it down to just one person, there are so many.  But I greatly admire those who do what they believe in and follow their dream.  


Thanks Bob!  Safe travels back to New York!  And while we're talking about Hermes, here are a few more images from the event.  I'm serious when I say you should check it out.  

Festival des Métiers

The Bravern Suite 115

February 23 - 28

The tanner making saddles - they come wrapped in this lovely canvas bag

The ties are not cut from a large run of cloth, but each tie is actually printed individually then cup out and sewn together.  The logo appears on the inside of the tie. 

A Kelly Bag being made.  I dream of a Kelly bag.  All done by hand from hand dyed leather.  

The carpet laid for the event reflects the tools of the crafts people.

Each shirt can be custom made.  Not just the size and color, but one can choose a monogram or an emblem to be embroidered anywhere on the shirt.  

Each shirt is completely done by hand.  Including the button holes.  Have you ever tried to do a button hole?  The seamstress is expected to create two shirts a day - that means each shirt takes four hours to make.

Buttons!  

Fini