Don Curtiss
Looking back on his seventeen-year successful run in the restaurant business, one would never guess that Don Curtiss, Executive Chef of Seattle's Prego Ristorante, hadn't planned a career in the kitchen.
Don was studying accounting and finance at the University of Minnesota
when his part-time job as Sous Chef at a local restaurant convinced
him to trade his calculator for a double boiler. Born and raised
in Minnesota, Don began his Northwest culinary adventure in 1994
as Executive Chef at Al Boccalino, then went on to the kitchen at
Assaggio, where he won a loyal fan base. In 1999, Don took over
the kitchen at the newly renovated, elegant Prego Ristorante. "I
designed the menu at Prego to reflect my preference for native ingredients
like wild sturgeon, mussels, Dungeness crabs, and Porcini mushrooms.
The dishes I offer underscore the interplay between the Northwest
and Italy: local foods marrying with thousands of years of Italian
tradition. I look at what's fresh at the market that day, then set
out to create the specials," Don says. Typical pastas at Prego
include linguine with a medley of fresh fish and seafood, ravioli
in Dungeness crab sauce and spicy tomato broth, and capellini tossed
with just-harvested mushrooms and herbs from Don's herb garden in
the back of the restaurant. And, true to local flavors, Don meets
the northwestern predilection for game cookery with robust wild
boar dishes and a heavenly offering of cavatelli in venison ragú.
Chef's Recipes :
Pappardelle in Boar RagúCheck our Calendar to find out about Chef's Night Demos
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