A Message from Chef Michael Fillmore
I could start out listing all the great chefs I have worked with over the years but that isn't where my passion for food originates. It comes from my mother and my grandmothers. I started cooking at the young age of four. When I refused to eat what my mother had prepared for me she took me to the kitchen and showed me how the food got from the garden, to the kitchen, and then to the table. As I began to understand the origin of fresh fruits and vegetables I found that I had an early appreciation and passion for the simplicity of food. As I grew older I learned more about the history of the vegetables in our own garden. We had beans that we carefully guarded and planted each year that had been in the Swiss side of our family for over 150 years. We grew our corn from seeds given to us by an elderly neighbor one spring and we'd harvest garden ripened tomatoes by the bushel full every summer to can for the coming winter. This is where my passion for food began.
I came to the Library Bistro in a temporary capacity but found such a passion from each of the people here that I begged to stay. It was the way each person in the kitchen attacked with enthusiasm the making of sausage or pancetta from scratch and julienning cabbage for our housemade sauerkraut as opposed to purchasing a can off the shelf. I marvel at the sight of our knowledgeable Bookstore Bar staff squeezing fresh fruit juice right before your eyes to create their own delicious concoctions. It is this excitement from the staff already in place that made me feel welcome and enticed me to stay here. It is the zeal of our staff that makes the Library Bistro such an incredible place to be.
I've worked with what are considered some truly great chefs, but that is not what makes our food incredible. It's the passion that my mother instilled in me and the passion that the rest of our staff possesses. Perhaps they got it from their families as well, when as little children their mothers took them by the hand into the kitchen and showed them the magic of taking a simple vegetable and turning it into something profound and enjoyable.
Address:
92 Madison Street
Seattle, Washington 98104
