Meet the Team

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 & Owner Liz McCune

Chef & Owner Liz McCune

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.

Chef Saffron Hodgson

Chef Saffron Hodgson

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.

Chef & Mixologist Eric Olinsky

Chef & Mixologist Eric Olinsky

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. Eric is a certified mixologist and regular guest bartender for small concerts and events around the city. He is a full time instructor and guide at Eat Seattle but also cooks at Purple Cafe & Wine Bar to keep up his commercial skills.

Rachel Williams

Chef Rachel Williams

Chef Rachel has always had a passion for hosting feasts and enjoying the community and connection brought about by cooking. Born and raised just outside Seattle, Rachel grew up creating meals using their homegrown produce and learning recipes from her grandmother. Finding local, seasonal produce for signature salads and greens are her specialty along with creating delicious baked desserts. Her grade schools included kitchen training programs where she got a head start in catering and restaurant management from a young age. After graduating from high school, she considered many career directions and found her true passion was in her lifelong appreciation of food. She enrolled in South Seattle College’s prestigious culinary program where she is due to complete her training in the spring. When she’s not at school or teaching in Eat Seattle workshops, you can find Rachel trying out new restaurants and creating lattes in true Seattlite fashion.
Heather Mabson Eat Seattle

Head of Event Operations Heather Mabson

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.
Eat Seattle Chef Marty

Chef Marty Ogan

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.

Chef John Brink

It was John’s Italian Father who sparked his interested at a young age in the culinary field. As an artist and musician, food was John’s outlet for creativity. He naturally fell in love with the fresh ingredients and artistic life of the market and has been part of the family since 1989. His professional background is in Italian food and NW cuisine using the local produce and proteins of the area. He has run a professional kitchen, made pasta in restaurants and started his own dinner party club called Food Tribe.