Tom Douglas Instagram Location: Seattle Tom Douglas is a James Beard Award-winning chef and proprietor of several popular Seattle area restaurants: Dahlia Bakery, Etta's Big Mountain BBQ, Serious Pie, Seatown Rub Shack and Fishfry, Lola, and The Carlile Room. In addition to overseeing his restaurant group, Douglas co-hosts a weekly live radio show called "Seattle Kitchen," which also airs on YouTube, and holds cooking classes at Hot Stove Society. He has published five cookbooks, including the award-winning Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen (2000). Experience Tom Douglas began his restaurant career as a hotel cook's assistant in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. After moving to Seattle and working various jobs, including a kitchen position, he opened his first restaurant, Dahlia Lounge in 1989. Famous for its coconut cream pie, Dahlia Lounge quickly made Tom Douglas a notable figure in the Seattle dining scene. Douglas won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest in 1994. He followed up that success with Palace Kitchen, which garnered a JBF award nomination for Best New Restaurant. Douglas subsequently appeared on Food Network's Iron Chef America where he bested chef Masaharu Morimoto. In 2008, Bon Appétit named Douglas Restauranteur of the Year. The chef continues to be a culinary influence in the Pacific Northwest with cooking that embraces a variety of styles, such as Pacific Rim, Italian, and Greek. About Food & Wine Food & Wine, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is an award-winning online resource for anyone passionate about the culinary world. With rigorously tested recipes and the most trusted restaurant, drinks, culinary travel and home coverage, we inspire and empower people everywhere to discover, create, and devour the best in food and wine. Learn more about us and our editorial process.