Co-founder of beloved restaurant Chicory and “Chopped – Next Gen” champion: Chef Elise Landry will guide guests through a flavorful Green Garlic Salsa Verde. Learn the recipe; enjoy the tasting; take home the ingredients.

About Chef Elise: Born and raised in Kansas City, Chef Elise spent her childhood celebrating her Cajun heritage with barbecues, jambalaya, and crawfish boils. Wanderlust and a passion for cooking ushered her all over the world, accruing techniques, traditions, and food philosophies along the way. The lush ecosystems and abundance of Western Washington led her to put down roots in Olympia and pursue her lifelong dream of opening a restaurant: Chicory. Chef Elise is on a mission to promote a deeper connection between consumers and food producers by highlighting seasonal ingredients from local farmers and growers. Since its beginning, Chicory’s mission has been more than creating amazing food; it’s about supporting local farms and producers who share her value of sustainably feeding the community.

Culinary artist, founder of BiteMe Catering, and co-founder of Altitude15: Chef Cher Hobbick will present Recipes from the Blue Zone: nutritious, healthy, and flavorful fare. Learn about techniques and ingredients to highlight in your home kitchen!

About Chef Cher: The stillness of “retirement” never sat well with Chef Cher’s vibrant spirit; when she moved to Olympia from Southern California, she enrolled in a local Culinary Arts Program and set out on her journey to becoming a renowned Chef. Her personable, can-do attitude, open, curious sensibility, and finely honed technical skills quickly made her a sought-after caterer, forging a reputation for her delectable creations and impeccable service through BiteMe Catering. When it comes to sourcing ingredients, Chef Cher values sustainability and considers the Olympia Farmers Market a treasure trove for seasonal produce, microgreens, and more. She tailors her selections to various budgets, ensuring her culinary creations remain accessible, and advocates for the community and power of local business. “The unity we’ve discovered…bridging the arts and commerce, is palpable and immensely valuable”, says Chef Cher, who is on the verge of opening another project: Altitude15, which will provide a dynamic food hall, performance space, and more, for various foodies and entrepreneurs to show their stuff.

Chef Quinton Chastain will show you how to make the Perfect Spring Risotto with Fresh Herbs and Peas, plus modifiers for different dietary needs. Learn simple techniques to knock this classic dish out of the park and take home ingredients to modify your own signature risotto.

About Chef Q: A true culinary artist, Chef Q began his training through SPSCC’s Culinary Arts Program and went on to hone his skills working at various renowned local restaurants and events. You may know him from his divine, signature breads and baking, from his energetic service at local Crab fests, or from his memorable private catering spreads. A lover of sincerely delicious, straight-forward food, Chef Q doesn’t love the way cooking competition show judges treat risotto; “they’d have you convinced it’s impossible to make perfectly, and it’s not!”, he insists. Take this opportunity to make a (not-so) “difficult” dish delicious and unique to your taste, every time.

Teasecakes by Francesca! Specializing in miniature, artisan-style cheesecakes, culinary artist Francesca will use fresh Market ingredients to spruce up her delectable desserts with a variety of flavors and decoration; inspire your at-home creations!

About Francesca: Francesca began baking cheesecake because it was a personal favorite – the first flavor she ever made (Cookies & Cream) was such a hit at family get-togethers that it became a consistently requested dessert by her entire community. With the encouragement of friends in the culinary business, she decided it was time to share this love. Francesca recognized that wrestling with a large piece of one-flavor cake wasn’t as exciting as what she could bring to the table; thus, the miniature cheesecake - “teasecake”- was born and with it an endless variety of seasonal flavors. These small indulgences topped with fresh fruits, jams, honeys, syrups, and more, are just as beautiful as they are delicious, providing all the delight of a full cake in a much easier to swallow package! Stop by and see for yourself the big impact a little treat can have.

The Puget Sound Estuarium will be hosting a plankton exploration table! They’ll provide microscopes, plankton samples, and ID guides so you can learn all about these tiny organisms found in such abundance in the Pacific Northwest.

About the Estuarium: Founded in 2007 by the South Sound Estuary Association, the Puget Sound Estuarium encourages community members to explore animals and plants in their local estuaries, where freshwater and saltwater meet. Their goal is to connect people of all ages to what is unique about this delicate, vibrant ecosystem, and provide educational opportunities to inspire individuals to take better care of our shared natural resources. Stop by whether your little one is a burgeoning scientist, or if you yourself are curious about our local ecosystem!