Allium restaurant and its chef/owner Lisa Nakamura have been featured in the Seattle Times in an article called “Orcas chef Lisa Nakamura makes restaurant her own.”

Freelance food writer and blogger Rebekah Denn highlights Nakamura’s transformation of the space that formerly housed world-renowned Christina’s into a first-class restaurant of her own.

Nakamura dishes on how she spends her days and how hard Orcas Island winters really are, served up with a dash of humor and grace. Denn also chronicles the high spots of Nakamura’s career, from a childhood spent in Hawaii, to positions at illustrious eateries, to her decision to relocate to Orcas Island and open Allium.

And fair warning: the story may also make you very, very hungry.

“On the tiny cooking line, Nakamura caramelizes scallops to perfection and dresses them in a foie gras-Madeira sauce so royally rich that one guest said they should only be served to kings,” writes Denn. “On the more casual side, she wraps sushi into hand rolls for bento boxes and fries up patties for Hawaiian loco moco brunch. Harlow creates desserts like peach Linzer tart with a Douglas fir crust, and tiny Nutella-filled muffins for a brunchtime bread basket.”