John Williams was raised in Minnesota, where "if three or more people showed up, you brought out a hot dish and gathered 'round." His grandmother, a big baker, always won the county fair with her entries, and one of John's earliest food memories is being in her kitchen, collecting her pastry dough and apple scraps to bake his own mini-pies in single-serving tins.
A sometimes rancher, and now an avid mushroom grower, fermenter, and booze infuser, John considers sourcing, creating, and sharing a good meal to be the fundamental centerpiece in building relationships and community. Travelling the world for decades as a consultant and an engineer for the Unites states government expanded his culinary palate. Wherever he went, he saw that how we dine and who we dine with is vitally important to health and happiness.
According to John, the three ingredients of a perfect restaurant experience can be summed up as follows: From a meal he ate in Paris, of perfectly cooked skate paired with a simple lemon and caper sauce - taste. From a restaurant in Athens, though he doesn't remember what he ordered, he does remember the view of the Acropolis and the atmosphere. And finally, dining in Instanbul al fresco on a summer evening, he had the indescribable experience of dining with the right person.
John's decision to open a restaurant in Port Angeles, Washington stems from his creative drive and love of place. But more importantly, he hopes to build upon the budding network of food and beverage loving individuals across the Olympic Peninsula, and to make amazing restaurant experiences - like the ones he has been fortunate to have -accessible to more people.