"Gifts from the Earth" Brings Seattle Chef Full Circle
For Chef Mark Washington from Kingfish Café in Capitol Hill, coming back to South Seattle College this January 24th will mean coming full circle.
He's one of 16 top Puget Sound chefs who will be cooking a multicourse meal for South's annual Gifts from the Earthfundraising event – where generous supporters of the college gather for a memorable meal, and the opportunity to support our students with donations for scholarships, internships, emergency funding and more.
Cooking for Gifts gives the chefs (and participating winemakers as well) a chance to help South's students – including those studying culinary, wine studies and hospitality management - by encouraging donations through a transcendent meal. For Washington, an alumni of South's Culinary Arts Program, it's a chance to give back.
"You become the catalyst to bring money back to (the place) that got you were you are," Washington said.
Today, Washington runs the Kingfish Café kitchen, crafting "a mix of Creole and Cajun (cuisine), definitely with a Northwest attitude," and while his professional cooking career truly took off when he became a culinary student at South, his love for cooking goes way back.
Born in 1968 in New Jersey, Washington was one of seven siblings, and the most likely of that crew to be found hanging out with mom in the kitchen – absorbing her culinary knowledge as he helped with the tasks she would allow.
"My dad was in the military (and often away from home), so she was supermom," he said. "She could make gourmet meatloaf out of corn flakes and some ground beef."
Washington grew up, joined and served in the armed forces and, at the age of 21, found himself in Seattle ready to start a career. Always the creative type, he started writing poetry and joined an artist collective. To pay the bills and follow another interest, he began his career in youth services where, for the next two decades, he worked as a youth advocate, case manager and program director.
One day in the mid-90s, he realized the youths were only provided fast food during group activities, and he wanted to make a change. He started cooking meals for the kids, and that passion born alongside mom in that New Jersey kitchen lit up again.
"I only do stuff I love," Washington said. "I never go into any job that I won't like doing, so I've only been an artist, a cook and worked for kids. That's it."
It was 1997 and the Kingfish Café had just opened. They were only looking for a busser, but Washington took the job (along with his youth services work) and found himself in a professional kitchen for the first time.
"Immediately I was attracted to the lifestyle of the kitchen," he recalled. "I started prepping and took to it like I had been doing it my whole life." He became a lunch cook after a few years and loved it, but "wanted to do more than just be a prep cook and make sandwiches … I was more attracted to the creation of food."
Raising a young family at the time, Washington talked to his partner about their future and she encouraged him to apply for school. After weighing many options, he ultimately chose South Seattle College based on the stellar recommendation of a co-worker.
Washington excelled in South's Culinary Arts program, learning all aspects of becoming a professional chef.
"South taught me all the things that take you from A to Z," he said. "I have a round knowledge of the restaurant business, and you really can't be the head of any kitchen without an understanding of the front and the back of the house."
After his education, Washington worked his way up as a chef at Cutter's and the Washington Athletic Club. One day, a fellow South alum offered him a job back where his burgeoning career started: The Kingfish Café.
That was nine months ago, and today he is head of the kitchen – concocting new dishes from his creative mind and, alongside the team he manages, perfectly executing the "sacred" Kingfish classics for which they are known. For Washington, yet another full circle is complete.
Chef Mark Washington's favorite story about South truly illustrates the importance of donations made to the South Seattle College Foundation during Gifts from the Earth. On his way to class one day, Washington set his expensive chef's knife set down on the bench at a bus stop and let his attention wander. In a flash, they were stolen. Worried sick, he told his teacher what happened and they walked directly to the Foundation office, where the staff worked with Washington to fill out a request for emergency funding so he could continue his education.
"The next day, I had a certificate for a brand new set of knives," Washington said. "And the knives I work with today are still those Foundation knives. That's my story of just how helpful and down for the students South Seattle College is."
Learn more about Gifts from the Earth (including the sponsors who make it all possible) and additional ways to help students at South succeed.