Restaurant Consulting
Sam Crannell
Chef-Owner Sam Crannell’s dream of opening a neighborhood restaurant came to fruition with the opening of LloydMartin in 2011 in Seattle. LloydMartin was awarded “Best New Restaurant” 2012 from Seattle Weekly and “Best New Neighborhood Restaurant” 2012 from Seattle magazine.
Sam’s professional journey commenced with training from The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago in 2002, a Le Cordon Bleu affiliate. Following completion, Sam immediately put his knowledge and passion to use working as sous chef at Atlantique in Chicago before moving on to work at several neighborhood restaurants around the Seattle-area, including Bon Appetit’s top gastro-tavern in 2009, Quinn’s Pub, before taking the head chef position at Oddfellows Café and Bar where he began to enjoy the intimacy of smaller neighborhood restaurants.
Matt Lewis
Restaurant Roux, Where Ya At Matt
Cooking started for Matt at a very early age. Growing up in New Orleans, he helped his mom and grandmother in the kitchen. Standing on a stool so that I could see over the counter, he learned a lot of the traditional Creole dishes such as gumbo, jambalaya, and etouffee. These simple delicacies added flavor to his life and inspired him to share his passion by teaching others that cooking can be easy and fun, and that anyone can do it.
Matt worked for Frank Stitt in his restaurant Bottega in Birmingham, Alabama as well as at his Highlands Bar and Grill. He also had the opportunity to work with Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club before attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York where he was chosen to attend the Food and Wine Festival in Aspen while also acting as an ambassador at the CIA where he would go out to area high schools and teach students simple techniques that make cooking fun.
Matt came to Seattle and worked at The Four Seasons Hotel as well as with Scott Staples of Restaurant Zoe, a premier Northwest restaurant; Canlis, a landmark Seattle restaurant and the birthplace of Northwest Cuisine; and Toulouse Petit where I was once again pulled back to my roots of Southern Creole cooking. In 2010 he started the nationally acclaimed food truck, Where Ya At, Matt and in 2013 opened Restaurant Roux which was later voted Best New Restaurant in Seattle.
Beverage Program Consulting
Mitch Palmer
Mitch Palmer has been working in the Seattle hospitality industry for nearly half of his life. After working in the back of the house for a number of years, he began applying the strong work ethic learned in the kitchen to the bar.
In pursuing this passion he has explored many aspects of mixology including barrel aging, preparing house bitters, carbonating cocktails, crafting shrubs, and expanding on a wide knowledge of classic recipes.
Mitch has a keen palate, making his food and cocktail pairings a unique treat. He was able to hone this skill at Emmer & Rye and Art of the Table while guiding guests through a nightly tasting menu. He is also known for incorporating unexpected ingredients into his drinks, such as beer, sherry, infused oils, and vinegars.