Each year after the ball drops in Time Square, fireworks finish bursting in the sky, and the dust settles, Americans begin avowing change. They resolve to lose weight, to learn something new, to save money, and live life to the fullest. To all of these we have a solution: Start smoking. We aren’t talking cigarettes…

In 2011 Chef Varin was very fortunate to be selected for an ICEX Spain culinary scholarship, which allowed him to travel to Spain for nearly a year, learn about the cuisine, and work in two great restaurants—El Celler de Can Roca and Espai Sucre. It also allowed him to discover a great passion: jamon Iberico…

Recreating the Red Ryder cocktail has become one of my favorite holiday traditions. I came up with this recipe years ago for a holiday pairing dinner with cinnamon as the theme, and have made it for friends and family ever since. Not only is this cocktail seasonal and festive; it is also easy to make…

Not all of Chef Varin’s work happens in the kitchen. An avid outdoorsman, Varin can be found fishing and foraging on a regular basis.  Below, he gives us a glimpse into his life on the Puget Sound—recipes and all. Chef Varin: “In the fading hours of fall and winter daylight, Seattle’s waterfront illuminates with lights beaming…

The stretch between roasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie—the weeks between now and Thanksgiving—is ripe with opportunities to work with pumpkin. So, we tapped Chef Varin for a gourd-ish twist on desserts for the holiday season. He gave us an alternative to the standard pumpkin pie recipe: an effortless pumpkin cake. “As summer winds down and…

Be still my beating Heartwood: Wild Mushroom season arrived at last Typically at Heartwood we let Jeremy Faber, of Foraged and Found, do the dirty work. But gathering mushrooms—and other wild edibles—is a passion for Chef Varin. So, on the heels of the Puget Sound Mycological Society’s annual wild mushroom show (which Chef attended to bone…