Meet the Company

Eat Seattle, based in Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market, offers food tours, cooking classes and private dinners to highlight Pacific NW ingredients and connect you to the farmers, fishermen and producers that bring the Pacific NW to our tables. Led by founder and Cordon Bleu Paris graduate, Chef Liz McCune, we are a team of chefs passionate about uniting both travelers and locals alike, cooking, tasting and learning about seasonal food. Our chefs teach, inspire and entertain as you explore the market and nibble on freshly prepared snacks along the way. Our classes and private events are engaging culinary experiences which take place in our kitchen, right in the heart of the market.

Chef Liz, is a classically trained chef from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and has spent the last 15 years perfecting her craft. Just as important to her time spent in the kitchen, is her time spent understanding where ingredients come from in their natural environment. The perfect meal starts outside of the kitchen; from the conditions in which the ingredients are raised and treated to the preparation. Using the freshest, sustainable products is essential to maximizing flavor. Once the ingredients are in her hands she focuses on proper seasoning, temperature and complimentary flavor-profiles to enhance her dishes. Creating delicious food is Liz’s outlet to inspire others by opening up their minds to new possibilities in the kitchen.

An award winning, competitive BBQ chef, Saffron is one of the most accomplished outdoor and live-fire cooks in the world. Her company, Bush Cooking, is the premier destination for outdoor cooking enthusiasts. With expertise on your backyard Weber Grill to Dutch Oven to Chuck Wagon to Smoke, Saffron’s brings her deep experience and passion for outdoor cooking to Eat Seattle’s classroom in fun and interactive classes designed to teach fundamentals that can be applied everyday at home.

Food has always been a focus in Jay's life. Growing up in the 80's Jay was inspired by PBS cooking shows. At a young age, his Aunt Fumi taught him Japanese cuisine and was highly influential in starting his culinary adventure. He cooked through high school and attended Newbury College for Culinary Arts from 1995-1997. After school, he sought out as much work experience as he could and quickly developed his own style. His philosophy is "as a chef I have a responsibility to not be stagnant, to push and try to create new things through trial and error." His cuisine reflects that. At the Nine Zero Hotel, in Boston, he honed his craft back on the line where he stayed for 3 years. It was at Nine Zero that he was a private penthouse chef for former president Bill Clinton while he was there for the DNC. He moved to Seattle, a little over 3 years ago. Within the first year he worked for both Tom Douglas and Ethan Stowell. He also started collaborating with the super club start up out of New Orleans, Dinner Lab during which time he traveled to 10 of their market cities in an underground cooking competition.

Eric’s culinary journey started with family trips to Reading Terminal Market, a short drive on early weekend mornings from his home town in Cherry Hill, NJ. His passion has always been for cooking outdoors. While earning a marketing degree at the University of Maryland, Eric founded and led the Maryland Cultural Grilling Society in exploring open fire cooking traditions from different cultures around the world. In Washington, DC, Eric developed and delivered culinary tours through historic markets and neighborhoods as well as culinary competition events and wine tours in Northern Virginia. In Seattle, Eric is a proud member of the Pacific Northwest BBQ Association circuit and the head chef of the CEO BBQ Team. In addition to showing off the incredible ingredients and food culture of the Puget Sound through tours and classes at Pike Place Market with Eat Seattle, Eric is a certified mixologist and regular guest bartender for small concerts and events around the city.

Alex has always had a passion for hosting feasts and cocktail parties. In 2011, he left his cushy desk job to attend Seattle Culinary Academy. After graduating with honors in front-of- house hospitality, Alex worked variety of restaurants in Seattle. He has cooked in every environment, from pizza kitchens to taco trucks to fine dining seafood restaurants. All the while, Alex spent his nights in craft-cocktail bars learning the trade. This, combined with freelance bar catering, turned him into a double threat, combining the flavors and techniques of the kitchen with the luxury and eloquence of the bar. Alex currently works at Ravishing Radish catering and bartends around the town. He is also a cast member of ComedySportz Seattle improv and the creative director at Cherry Picked Games.

Heather is Eat Seattle’s behind-the-scenes event expert and resident foodie. A Seattle local, Heather has fond memories of strolling through the Pike Place Market with her family and picking up the newspaper and donuts on Sunday mornings. After relocating and graduating from The Evergreen State College, Heather moved back to Seattle and developed a great appreciation for the abundance of local foods and variety of cuisines and our region is blessed with. Reconnecting to the ecosystem of the Pacific Northwest and the Market has been incredibly rewarding for her; she is passionate about spreading Eat Seattle's message and introducing others to what makes our region special from our seasonal ingredients to Seattle's unique history. Heather is also a licensed bartender and event host. In the evenings, you can find Heather performing improv comedy on stages throughout Seattle.

Chef Marty is a uniquely self taught and formally trained cooking professional, Seattle local and jack-of-all-trades here at Eat Seattle. Marty’s career started as a firefighter with a passion for food in Seattle. After being served meals at the department, Marty became determined to take on the job of making filling, great tasting dishes for his fellow firefighters and thus began his culinary journey. His hard work paid off and he was elected the official station cook as he continued to expand his culinary abilities and training. He later took a trip to Italy and after tasting delicious food was inspired to create a catering business featuring Italian-style wood fired pizza, which he ran successfully upon his return to the Northwest. He now attends culinary school at South Seattle College and is due to graduate in June of 2018. Chef Marty brings a passion for food to the kitchen and the table, as well as goods times by all who enter his world.