Hogstone’s Blackinton Earns James Beard Recognition

 –an interview with David Kroman of Crosscut.com

Chef Jay Blackinton, 26, of Orcas Island taught himself to cook by preparing large meals for his punk friends in Seattle. Now, he’s nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation – the Oscars for food. His restaurant, Hogstone’s Wood Oven, cooks food sourced exclusively from the island and is only two years old.

He raises his pigs, grows his vegetables and digs his clams. But he’s not sure exactly what to make of his newfound recognition.

To start, give me some background on how you got to where you are.

I grew up [on Orcas Island] off and on with my grandparents. Then I left home when I was 15. I decided I really needed to get off of the island and decided to strike out on my own and move to Seattle.

I got involved with the punk scene, just being a scumbag [Laughs]. Then I became a bike messenger and, while doing that, I started leaving in the summers to go back up to Orcas to work at Camp Orkila.

Eventually I got to the point with the city where I really had to move and get out of the city. A big reason for that was food in fact. I was, at the time, a vegan.

(To read the full interview, go to crosscut.com/2015/02/orcas-vegan-turned-butcher )

Thanks to Betty Corbett.