Meet the Chef

Chef DougE Elliott originated from Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada. He started with a passion for food at an incredibly young age and cooked dinner for his family the first time when he was 4 ½ years old. His mother saw what was coming and went to great lengths to learn about food and to try to help enable his skills to get prepared for what lay ahead. Fast forward a few years and his career got started in the great foodie town of Portland, Oregon. His first job was with a Chef Stephen Lafontaine that he followed around for five years and honed his skills doing different banquets at golf courses and various fine dining establishments. He then moved on to work as the Sous Chef of a golf course called Progress Downs in Tigard, Oregon at a restaurant/catering company The Stock Pot and learned about high-end and large-number corporate events and holiday parties of up to 3,000 people. There were many adventures and themed events where he got to learn a lot of different regional and diverse menu items. He was honored by being selected to participate in some food symposiums about different regional fare that many vendors and the public was able to purchase tickets and enjoy. After 15 years in Portland, Doug moved north and closer to family in Victoria and ended up in Bellingham, Washington and worked at a large catering company called Emerald Bay Events, then moved on to become the Executive Chef at The Chrysalis Inn and Spa and has now landed at The Leader Block Wine Co. and Eatery in Ferndale, Washington. His goals are to bring about the rustic and simple virtue of Italian Cuisine to as many of the local community and passers-through as possible, to get involved with the community farms and local treasures the Pacific Northwest has to offer, to bring the guest the best Italian meal that they have ever had. Food has been his passion and he enjoys bringing his gifts to the guests so that they can have a memorable and distinct dining experience.