NEXT STEPS, UNBOXED

If you’ve lived in Seattle for any amount of time—especially if you work in a corporate setting—it’s likely that you’ve eaten something from Gourmondo, the longstanding Seattle catering and boxed-lunch company. Founded in Pike Place Market by Alissa Leinonen, Gourmondo recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with the announcement of Leinonen’s newest culinary venture, Olivina, an upscale event curation company that focuses on bespoke weddings, milestone celebrations, luxury private events and elevated corporate gatherings. Essentially any event where storytelling and design details matter.

Starting with a chef-led meal philosophy and dedication to fresh, seasonal ingredients, Olivina offers thoughtful beverage pairings, elevated flavors (think menu items like Dungeness crab leg with yuzu aioli, candied ginger, and tobiko). “Our team has always believed that food is about much more than what’s on the plate,” Leinonen said in a press release. “It’s about creating connection, celebrating life’s biggest moments and making people feel genuinely cared for. Olivina allows us to elevate every part of that experience while continuing to grow Gourmondo and serve our clients in new ways.”

GAMES OF CHANCE

Two weeks ago, I spent my Friday night at a casino, but I wasn’t in Tulalip, or Auburn, or Snoqualmie—I was in the heart of Seattle at Base Camp Studios 2, the creative hub run by Nick Ferderer, where an immersive theater experience transported guests to a supernatural nightclub, complete with a bar (serving only non-alcoholic drinks), lounge singers, gaming tables, and twisted mysteries. Presented by Curious Levity, ALL IN starts everyone on a level playing field: sign a contract and receive poker chips representing 100 years of your life. You can try to gain more the standard way, playing games like spin-the-wheel, a roll-the-dice racing adventure, and rock-paper-scissors-inspired rounds of chance. Keep your eyes open, don’t ignore details, and talk to the “employees,” for the opportunity to gain more chips, but watch out—getting caught in nefarious dealings might turn out to be more than you bargained for. After a night of cautious betting, I came away with 103 chips, which is still up, even if by just a little. My friend wasn’t as lucky, however, at some point in the night, a handful of random chips that she swears weren’t there before, landed in her tray. At ALL IN, fate can be fickle going both ways. 

Due to its popularity, ALL IN has extended its run through the first weekend of September. Tickets available here. 

THE SWEETEST THING

On Wednesday, the Salish Lodge & Spa invited members of the press to check out its apiary, where beekeeper Daniel Sullivan of Shipwreck Honey has been tending honeybees for more than a decade. Since 1916, the property has been known for its “Honey from Heaven” brunch service, in which waiters drizzle honey from a height of four feet onto freshly baked biscuits. The partnership with Sullivan started in response to the national bee and honey crisis, and after scouring the property for just the right spot, he installed four hives on a former pickleball court that also houses a garden. (There are currently 14 thriving hives.) 

According to Sullivan, the Italian honeybees are “a more docile variety,” and during our visit, they allowed him to pull out frames (the rectangular structures inside the bee box on which the bees produce waxy honeycombs) without incident. Bees respond to vibrations, so we spoke quietly and moved slowly, but were allowed to approach the frames, pulsing with busy winged insects, their buzzy pitch growing sharper as they went “on alert.” Sillivan says that the bees know him—they are used to his voice—and his passion and love for them came through as he spoke, telling us that he sings to them to build trust and create calm. 

Everyone emerged un-stung, and we even had a special treat: honey scraped directly from the comb, paired with a fresh wild blackberry plucked from the bushes just feet away. It was a lovely full-circle moment, as the bees making the honey eat pollen from those very bushes. In celebration of its little pollinators, and National Honey Month, the Salish Lodge & Spa will kick off September with a week full of honey-themed specials, from free honey drizzles on pastries, ice cream, and beverages to honey-infused spa enhancements. The restaurant will offer limited-time, honey-forward menu items and cocktails, including hush puppies served with cheese curds and award-winning honey for dipping, and the Dale Cooper gin cocktail—a refreshing nod to Twin Peaks that’s so delightful, I had two during my visit. 

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

Alex Jackson had been eyeing the former ChefSteps space in Pike Place Market for a while, when his wife suggested that he put in an application for the spot. It was equipped to be a restaurant, and Jackson, who has worked around the Northwest—including at Dóttir in Portland and Seabird on Bainbridge Island—was ready to launch his own venture. He submitted the application on a Saturday, and was promptly approved two days later. 

Called Ruby’s (after Jackson’s wife), the new restaurant won’t open until the beginning of September, but I got a little sneak peek—and taste—this week at its media preview. Operating in an old-school lunch-counter style (complete with red plastic trays and numbered tickets), Ruby’s is a veggie-forward venture that taps into Washington’s seasonal harvests. Chef Alex plans to serve pastries, breakfast sandwiches, bowls, salads, and comfort-food classics (JoJos, mushroom melts, cinnamon rolls), along with one rotating fish or meat dish, depending on the season. At the press event, we had the freshest tomato-tuna salad drizzled with olive oil, roasted carrots in a smooth tahini sauce (this was my absolute favorite dish), the aforementioned mushroom melts turned into two-bite appetizers, and mini Whoopi pies that we so chocolatey and decadent that I will be thinking about them for the next few weeks.