New Leaf Cafe welcomes new executive chef

||| FROM AYN GAILEY for OUTLOOK INN |||

Chef Andrew Martin and his wife, executive pastry chef Amy Nack, have been visiting Orcas Island for the last fifteen years. While their son attended Camp Orkila every summer, Andrew and Amy explored the island, falling more in love with it year after year.

“As we started to prepare for our son to head off to college, Amy and I knew that Orcas Island was where we wanted to settle as empty nesters,” he shares. To make that dream come true, the couple purchased land on the east side of the island in 2019 and when the executive chef position at New Leaf opened, despite the uncertainty of COVID, Chef Andrew leapt at the chance.

Chef Andrew’s culinary roots reach back to another seaside location, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in California, where the couple met, then mountainside to the Ritz-Carlton Club Aspen Highlands in Colorado. Chef Andrew attributes working at the Ritz as a line chef as giving him the foundation to be successful in any kitchen, and to leading to what he is most passionate about: “Creating a really great work environment and creating simple food, thoughtfully composed.”

While cooking at the Ritz-Carlton Club Aspen Highlands, the couple married, had their son, Sam, then began honing their careers at the ultra-exclusive five-star, five-diamond Little Nell Colorado ski resort.

Eventually, Chef Andrew had a tour as the sous-chef with Kimpton’s Hotel Vintage Plaza and Pazzo Ristorante in Portland, then became the executive chef at Dolce in Missoula Montana where his wife Amy was from. There, he came to further understand the importance of local culture, and the relevance and seasonality of local food.

At New Leaf, he’s putting a regional spin on his specialty of Northern Italian cuisine, balancing flavors and textures, and incorporating local ingredients for a delicious brunch menu while developing a small plates lounge menu and late-night happy hour to debut in late April that will be accompanied by ‘signature craft cocktails’ by Stevie Rae and a ‘curated wine by the glass’ program designed to show off seasonal and local goods in creative ways.

On the brunch menu is a much talked about Bacon Lettuce and Avocado sandwich on hearth bread, served with a smoked tomato jam instead of sliced tomato, which gives it a sweet-savory bite and makes it an easier sandwich to handle without slippery slices of tomato. New items include Confit Pork Shank with House Mole—Chef’s is a mole Poblano and was mastered in Jalisco, Mexico. The North Beach Oyster Mushroom Omelet with local Lum Farm Cheese is a crowd pleaser served with buttery toasted Brown Bear Bakery Brioche. And, for vegetarians the Fried Eggs and Wilted Greens with braised kale, roasted cauliflower, smoked tomato jam, house made sambal and grilled baguette is sure to please. He’s also serving up old favorites. Yes, truffle fries are back, people! So is the healthy but tasty grain-free granola and eggs benedict served traditionally, with crab cakes, or with kale and mushrooms.

But the New Leaf has always been about more than just food. Even with the transition to award-winning Columbia Hospitality—they also manage The Salish Lodge and Friday Harbor House—now running operations, you’ll still see Joe Cohen and Martha Farish and the Farish family, who remain on as investors, in their usual spot, your favorite servers along with Rich Horton strolling in and out, and the same team and family vibe we all adore. Michael Felso, the new general manager, is happy to be commuting from Friday Harbor daily to work with the Outlook and New Leaf teams. “Chef Andrew, dining manager Katie Sellers and the entire New Leaf team do such a wonderful job of maintaining the culture that has been built here and creating an exceptional dining experience. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the New Leaf and Outlook team,” he shares.

When asked how he’s settling into Island life, Chef Andrew adds that, “Becoming part of this community has been an absolute pleasure. Amy and I know we made the right choice by seizing the opportunity at New Leaf and I feel fortunate to be doing what I love while establishing deep roots on Orcas Island.”

www.outlookinn.com/newleaf
Serving Thursday through Monday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.