Fortner Rejects Ethan Stowell's Fast Food Offer, Gets Axed

Blind Pig Bistro's Matt Fortner tells Seattle Weekly's Tiffany Ran that he was let go from How To Cook A Wolf earlier this year, because Ethan Stowell wanted him to work on his Grub Brothers line of fast food restaurants(the first of which will be Ballard Pizza Co.) and he refused:

Ethan [Stowell] asked me to start another job in his company, helping him open up his line of fast food he's been wanting to do. And when I refused, I basically wasn't welcomed anymore. So the decision to leave Wolf was not mine.

Fortner explains that at this point in his career, he has little interest in making burgers, pizza, and fried chicken: "Cooking this long in my life, I don't want to go in that direction. It's like, what have I been doing the past 13 years?"

Fortner candidly compares working for a restaurant group to his Blind Pig Bistro experience: "I think the biggest difference is that your employers actually have your best interest in mind instead of just company first. You're actually like a human being and not just a piece on the puzzle or chessboard, or whatever."

To show there's no love lost between him and Stowell, Fortner adds, "The great thing about here[Blind Pig Bistro] is that you don't have somebody standing over your shoulder trying to tell you what to put on your menus, but not really ever come by. You're not limiting yourself to Italian food. Charles [Walpole] has made mole here. There are some Mexican ingredients. There's a little bit of Japanese ingredients there."

· Blind Pig Bistro's Matt Fortner on Life After Wolf [Seattle Weekly]
· All Matt Fortner Coverage on Eater Seattle [-ESEA-]
· All Ethan Stowell Coverage on Eater Seattle [-ESEA-]
· All Chef Shuffles Coverage on Eater Seattle [-ESEA-]
[Photo: Ethan Stowell Restaurants]

Foursquare

Blind Pig Bistro

2238 Eastlake Avenue, Seattle, WA 98102

Foursquare

How To Cook A Wolf

2208 Queen Anne Avenue North, , WA 98109 (206) 838-8090 Visit Website