My friend told me how wonderful their dinner was at the Willows Inn, I was 100% sure that one day I would make it there. Then, their chef, Blaine Wetzel, won the James Beard award for Rising Star Chef in 2014; I knew I was 150% sure I was going to the Willows Inn very...

Rachel + Daniel: Married at the Willows Inn, Lummi Island - In Photos.

Standing on the dock waiting for the ferry to Lummi Island, we can’t see a thing. The fog is so thick and heavy we can barely make out the edge of the dock itself. But distant voices and an engine murmur can be heard, so we know the ferry is coming.

Dinner at Willows Inn, Lummi Island on December 13, 2013 - In Photos.

If Bellingham, Washington is all you would expect of a small, blue-collar city, busy, chaotic, dense, nearby Lummi Island is everything the opposite, sleepy, calm, sparse. After a 15-minute ferry crossing, stepping off into another world rehydrated the senses. The...

In 2010, the cash-strapped owner of the Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Washington, placed an ad on Craigslist for a head chef. Blaine Wetzel, who was raised in nearby Olympia and had spent the last two years cooking (and, of course, foraging) at Noma in Copenhagen, was...

Has it become a summer ritual? Queue up the car. Pay the ferry and cross the choppy waters. Disembark and roll down the windows. Turn right and follow the island’s loose curves for three miles. Look for the wafts of smoke drift across the road. The same journey every...

B and I recently celebrated our four-year wedding anniversary and, as has become tradition, we try to get away for a day or two to indulge in some good food and a bit of R&R. Last year, we visited Willows Inn for the first time and had such a blast that we decided...

A short video about Loganita Farm for The Willows Inn. Created by Randall Peck, randallpeck.com Follow Loganita Farm on Facebook   Follow the Willows Inn on Vimeo

With the heat increasing and work stress building it was time to get out of the city for a bit. When an invitation to do so was extended by our dear friends we jumped at the offer. We were heading to Lummi Island. Never heard of Lummi Island? I hadn’t either until our...

I’ve got a story. It starts with an me sitting on the deck of a two-bedroom beach house watching a convocation of American Bald Eagles. It ends with a spoonful of tart fruit swimming in grassy greens (among other taste treats). It’s the story of a grateful guest...

To visit a destination restaurant without understanding their terroir is a waste. I’ve gone to many exceptional restaurants without any due diligence and left rather confused and frustrated, knowing I squandered an opportunity to understand the experience.1 A second...

We get this a lot, and it never tires: "Smoked salmon….the pristine quality, sustainable fishing methods (reef-netting), and locality of the fish make for an ethereal treat. The perfect combination of smoke, succulence, and sea are a product of the thoughtfulness put...

A young lady in Seattle named Taylor Fleming, who describes herself as "a girl who loves to eat good food," wrote in her Ginger and Salt food blog, one of the best descriptions we've been blessed to read about The Willows Inn on Lummi Island. It's fun to see how...

In kitchens across the nation, executive chefs rely on a team of culinary professionals to bring their visions to life. While the role of the sous chef may seem unglamorous or under-appreciated, often the most promising sous chefs of today become the award-winning...

How does the team at Willows Inn on Lummi Island, WA infuse the essence of their natural surroundings into every meal? With the words “fished, foraged, and farmed” serving as their shared mantra, it comes quite easily. This rustic Washington gem is also home to a...

Tucked away in an archipelago off the coast of Washington lies the elegant Willows Inn on Lummi Island, where chef Blaine Wetzel helms the nationally renowned kitchen. Here, the four-time nominee for Rising Star Chef of the Year tell us about his formative culinary...