In the last few years, we have developed about 700 recipes, like this. Up until recently, we held the photoshoots at my house. My lucky neighbors would come over in the afternoon and help us make sure that no food went to waste.
When we moved into an office with a kitchen, photoshoots moved there … and a lightbulb went off. Instead of a monthly smorgasbord for my neighbors, why not spread the love around and pick a person or two to invite as our eater of honor. What a great way to thank those that have helped us and also a great opportunity to get to know people better.
So, we started a tradition of having eaters of honor. At each shoot, we cook and photograph 10-15 dishes. We prep all morning and then around midday the dishes start coming out fast and furious. Our eaters of honor are invited to come park themselves in our lounge usually from 1-5 PM, just when the parade of dishes come off the stove. We stuff them full of amazing food, keep their glass full of whatever drinks they fancy and they just hang out with us for the afternoon. Good times.
Eaters of Honor Alumni:
Tom Gagne & Rick | October 2011 | Beef, Beef, Beef & Alba Truffles
Tom & Rick worked tirelessly to build out our amazing new office. They were the first eaters of honor because our office would no way be as cool as it is, if they hadn’t done such an amazing job. Thanks guys!
Jenny & Jenny | December 2011 | Dungeness, Halibut, Lobster & Geoduck
I invited the Jennys as a thanks for the good work that they do in our community by organizing the Will Bake For Food bake sale. Plus, it was a great opportunity to get better acquainted with these two lovely ladies.
Hsiao-Ching Chou & her guest, Marc | January 2012 | Grass-fed Beef & Pantry Panoply
Hsiao-Ching was our PR consultant for a very short period before she stopped working with clients to pursue another great opportunity, but from the first moment she taught me so much about how to develop long-term relationships with journalists and editors. Grateful, I am.
Dr. Josh Leahy & Guest | February 2012 | Poultry, Poultry & More Poultry
Dr. Josh is an exceptional acupunturist, naturopath, and a fellow Sounders fan and sailing enthusiast. But he’s an Eater of Honor because of the great work that he is doing to bring a truly integrative model of health care into this world, along with my wife (Tara Shelby). Thanks, Josh, for your great work and for your steadfast support and counsel to my valentine.
Sharon Clark & Guest | April 2012 | Chef’s Choice
Awerks is an architecture firm run by Jeff Clark along with his wife Sharon. Jeff has been fantastically generous with his time and patience as we work on plans for something special. In addition, Sharon was one of Marx Foods’ earliest fans. She competed in our first recipe contests and has been a constant voice of support. Plus, she makes all kinds of tasty pickled stuff and shares it with me. So, it’s time to start repaying a whole lot of favors! Jeff will be missed this time around, but we’ll figure out how to get him in here for some tastings…
Chris Tanghe | February 2013 | Duck, Kurobuta & Mangalitsa Pork, etc
Chris was our executive chef & co-sommelier for years before real life intervened. He’s responsible for a huge percentage of the recipes on the blog (including several of our all-time favorites). We still keep in touch and are hoping to work with him on a planned wine program. To say thank you we invited him to take a turn on the other side of the stove.
Hsiao-Ching Chou | March 2013 | Silere Alpine Origin Merino
Yes, this is the second time Hsiao-Ching has been our eater of honor. Yes, she deserves it – when it comes to PR, she’s just that good – her initial insights were gifts that keep on giving. Besides, I wanted to get her thoughts on a new meat line we’re bringing in – Silere Alpine Origin Merino. It’s a leaner, more elegant alternative to conventional lamb. Nothing like a 10+ course meal of it to get a person acquainted…
Becca Sheedy | November 2013 | Beef, Merino Lamb, Alba Truffles & More!
Becca is a longtime friend with a spectacular green thumb. She comes in weekly to keep the many plants in our office healthy & happy. She’s also responsible for the overhanging plants and awesome living wall in our retail store. It seems like we get compliments on her work weekly. Becca has helped us for so long, and her contributions are so important to the look and feel of our office & store, that it seemed fitting to invite her to our Alba truffle photo shoot as Eater of Honor. Check out this post for photos of Becca & her “assistants” in action!