THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION'S TASTE AMERICA® Seattle WALK-AROUND TASTING - Meet this week’s Chefs in Focus
THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION'S TASTE AMERICA® PRESENTED BY AMERICAN EXPRESS AND RESY ANNOUNCES Seattle WALK-AROUND TASTING NOV. 1 AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SEATTLE
James Beard Taste America Seattle, Nov. 1 at Four Seasons Hotel, features 45 tasting experiences showcasing some of Puget Sound’s most exciting chefs and libations – meet this week’s Chefs in Focus
For tickets, menus and participating talent, visit jamesbeard.org/tasteamerica.
The James Beard Foundation® (JBF), the organization behind the prestigious James Beard Awards®, announces that its Taste America culinary series returns to Seattle with a walk-around tasting on November 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle. Presented by American Express and Resy, Taste America celebrates the chefs and local independent restaurants at the heart of our communities and culture – featuring one-of-a-kind evenings of exceptional food and drink in 20 U.S. cities from coast to coast.
The Seattle tasting will be hosted by TasteTwenty chef Jhonny Reyes of Lenox selected for the Foundation's 2026-2027 TasteTwenty class – an annual "ones to watch" list recognizing talent whose exceptional cooking, creative vision, and leadership are helping shape the future of American dining. Joining chef Reyes will be an impressive lineup of the talent behind Seattle's most exciting independent restaurants, with 45 food and beverage stations featuring signature bites, beverages, and exclusive sponsor activations.
Here's this week’s Chef’s in Focus feature for Seattle Means Business.
Aaron Tekulve, Surrell
Chef Aaron Tekulve grew up in a family steeped in cooking tradition. So, it wasn't surprising that his first job was in a restaurant at 14 years old. In 2012 he started his pop-up restaurant and private dining/catering company while working in Seattle restaurants including Lark as sous chef and Canlis.
He named his business in 2016 Surrell as an homage to his mother and grandmother for all their amazing support in teaching him to cook when he was young. Surrell is the middle name of all the first-born women on his mom’s side.
In 2019 Surrell was named by Seattle Magazine’s Best Pop-Up Restaurant and in 2022 and 2023 Surrell was named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top 50 Best Restaurants in America.
Surrell was a James Beard Award Finalist for Best Chef Northwest and Pacific in 2026.
Andrea Ferrandi, Four Seasons Hotel Seattle and Goldfinch Tavern
Chef Andrea Ferrandi comes to Four Seasons Hotel Seattle from the brand’s Resort in Nevis with more than 15 years of experience in kitchen operations for leading hotels and resorts around the world. An industry and Four Seasons veteran, he began his career at Four Seasons Hotel Florence in 2008 as Demi Chef de Partie before rising the ranks to Executive Chef.
In 2014, Chef Andrea left Italy to join the Four Seasons Houston culinary team as Italian Restaurant Chef and two years later moved to Four Seasons Resort and Residences Anguilla to become the Resort’s Executive Sous Chef. In 2019, he moved to a different island property, becoming Executive Sous Chef at Four Seasons Resort Lanai, where he served for three years. After a brief stint away from the company as executive chef at Malliouhana Resort Anguilla, he returned to Four Seasons to lead the kitchen at Four Seasons Resort Nevis as Executive Chef.
A native of Bergamo, Italy, Chef Andrea studied at the Amerigo Vespucci Hospitality School in Milan. He is joined in Seattle by his wife Miriam and his three beautiful children. In his free time, Chef Andrea likes to go fishing with his son, gardening, raising chickens for eggs, and is, of course, passionate about cooking for his family.
Ethan Stowell, Four Seasons Seattle Hotel and Goldfinch Tavern
For over two decades, Ethan has built some of Seattle’s most beloved restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Tavolàta, Union, Rione XIII, and more, guided by a fundamental belief: the best restaurants are places to gather, to feel at home, and to share a meal and conversation.
That effortless sense you get when you sit down and everything just works is never an accident. It’s the product of a clear vision and a careful attention to how every detail shapes the guest experience. Ethan’s approach has earned him recognition as a Food & Wine Best New Chef, multiple James Beard Award nominations, and the 2016 Richard Melman Innovator of the Year award.
What Ethan brings goes far beyond the kitchen. He has built concepts from the ground up, revitalized operations mid-stride, and helped businesses in entirely different industries rethink food and hospitality.
Bohden Taratine and Lizbeth Dones, La Marea
La Marea is a popular Mexican-inspired marisqueria (seafood restaurant) operating as a permanent kitchen tucked inside Fair Isle Brewing in Seattle's famed foodie district Ballard.
Originally starting as a much talked about local pop-up called Tacos Extranjeros, it was launched by the talented duo Bohden Taratine and Lizbeth Dones who relocated to Seattle from Los Angeles in 2024.
Chef Bo cut his teeth in the highly competitive Southern California dining scene, working in the kitchens of two separate Michelin-starred restaurants in Greater Los Angeles: Rustic Canyon and Shibumi. Bo’s visions blend Pacific Northwest ingredients with coastal Mexican flavor profiles, particularly drawing inspiration from the seafood-rich states of Sinaloa and Nayarit.
Chef Liz co-founded the concept and manages the business and operations with her own signatures on their vibrant menu at every turn. The team is known for welcoming guests at the counter and their fan base extends past Puget Sound.
