Welcome to Chefs-Resources. I am Chef David Buchanan and am the creator of the site. The idea of Chefs-Resources.com was born from a desire to have all my information available in one place at all times. I was constantly looking for information which I had discovered or researched at some point in the past, or which I had either at work or at home but not both. For instance, I had documented extensive yield factors for prime ribs but left the information on the computer at my last job. I researched the various wild salmon runs last season—but that was last year! Did Coho start running in June or July? And so on with all kinds of information. I wanted it all in one place and I figured that if I put it on the internet then I could access it any time from any computer. No more, "Where did I put that? Was it an excel file or a word document? Is it at home or at work? What website did I see that on?"
Now if I need information, say on the flavor profile of a Kusshi Oyster, I can access the information on my cell phone! It gives me instant access to information which my guests or waitstaff want to know.
I have been in the restaurant business for about 30 years. I started as a bus boy, then worked as a dish washer. In order to get into the kitchen, I would get caught up on all the dishes and then go learn from the Line Cooks for an hour or two. Then get caught up on dishes and repeat. I did that until the manager decided to hire me as a cook because the Line Cooks said there was no training needed, I had already learned the position.
I am currently the Chef de Cuisine at Blackfish Wild Salmon Grill in the Tulalip Resort Casino. I opened the restaurant and have been it's head since August 2008. Prior to this great position, I worked at various places including Executive Chef at Semiahmoo Resort & Spa, Sous Chef at Semiahmoo Resort & Spa, Executive Chef at Useless Bay Golf & Country Club (great job, awful property name!), Chef de Cuisine at The Oyster Bar on Chuckanut Drive and Executive Chef at Eurest Boeing Everett ( a stint into the B&I sector of the industry).
The Tulalip Resort Casino has an excellent marketing team and both Blackfish & I have been in a number of press releases. If you care to wade through the "ego stroking" some of the articles are listed below. But first, I would like to say that the good press releases I have received in Blackfish are due not only to my skills, but also are not possible without the skills and commitment of my crew, as well as my superiors who consistently provide me with the tools and encouragement I need to succeed.
Disclaimer: This website is my own work and the Tulalip Resort Casino is in no way responsible for or associated with any of the content, comments, or information contained in this site unless specifically stated.
My Crew:
Sous Chefs:
Teresita - kickas_ supervisor #1 Miles - kickas_ supervisor #2
Josh Schiessl - previous kickas_ supervisor, AKA "The Washing Machine" Trish C - previous kickas_ supervisor, AKA "The Hammer"
Line Cooks (the blood, sweat & tears of my crew)
Aaron Jeff Lucas Stan Tony Karuna Brett Joe David
Prep Dogs (the work horses of my crew)
Chris L Bruce Chris T Henry
My superiors who provide the environment in which to be successful:
Kurt Gandee - Blackfish General Manager Perry Mascitti - Executive Chef Lisa Severn - F&B Manager Tim Julius - Assistant F&B Manager
Blackfish Press Releases:
Puget Sound Business Journal - by Glenn Drosendahl March 2013
Restaurants share the spotlight with wine at Taste Washington
I tend to think of Taste Washington as a wine extravaganza – and it certainly is that, with 225 of the state’s wineries pouring 800 different wines. But what struck me most about this past weekend’s event at CenturyLink Field Event Center was the food...
Here are some of the standouts, based on an afternoon of surprisingly good eating:
Fanciest – Tulalip Resort Casino's crab salad in a cucumber wrap with sockeye lox and a hearts on fire leaf on a tarot root crisp (mine!). Read more...
Tasting Room Magazine - Novenber 2012
Taste of Tulalip in 2012 Dazzles The Senses
By John and Adean Vitale
This wine and foodie event hosted by the Tulalip Resort Casino takes a quantum leap forward for the fourth year in a row.
November 23, 2012 – THE CREW at the Tulalip Resort Casino has once again woven their visionary magic into the annual Taste of Tulalip, a celebration of wine, food and tradition held on November 9 and 10, 2012. For the fourth consecutive year organizers amazed ticket holders with an incredible selection of wines from around the region and globe, as well as new and unexpected twists, ultimately putting forward a spellbinding performance that pushed the boundaries on all five senses of smell, sight, sound, touch and taste...
Salmon Two Ways, an orange-tarragon cured Sockeye and “naked” King salmon with pesto. The duel salmon dishes were paired with Woodinville Wine Cellars Cabernet Franc from Washington State. Read more...
Seattle Met - Nosh Pit - February 2012
Slideshow: Foodportunity Returns to Palace Ballroom
Gastronomes and media folk descended upon Palace Ballroom Monday evening for Foodportunity, the network-and-nosh event put on by Keren Brown (aka Frantic Foodie).
Brown has organized Foodportunity for several years now, both here and in Portland. The idea behind these events is to come and converse with fellow food obsessives while sampling bites from top-notch restaurateurs and local purveyors. The chefs talk attendees through the dish they chose to prepare, which is a neat opportunity to get inside their heads. Name tags facilitate the networking side of things, as does the cash bar (it’s amply stocked). So convivial is the atmosphere even foodportunists flying solo will find someone with whom to chat. Read more...
North County Outlook June 2011
Blackberry Bar-B-Q Chicken
Summer has arrived! For this chicken dish I wanted to do something with a summertime theme and barbecue came to mind. I have a favorite BBQ recipe, which I modified to make it more seasonal and unique.
Blackberries grow prolifically here so I decided I'd make a good Spicy Blackberry Barbecue Sauce for the chicken. Then, of course, I would need to infuse the chicken with some blackberry flavor, so I created the Blackberry Marinade. Read more...
Seattle Times article on Tulalip Bay & Blackfish, April 22, 2010
Prices at seafood-centric Blackfish aren't exactly modest but the cost reflects the high quality of the fish and shellfish, most showcased by Chef David Buchanan in simple preparations like salmon-on-a-stick. Salt, pepper and smoke are all the embellishment a rich, coral-fleshed fillet needed, soft corn pancakes and roasted asparagus just the right companions. Read more...
Seattle PI blog by Lisa Hilderbrand
We enjoyed a chilled "Seafood Mary" that was stuffed full of salmon, scallops, a very large prawn and crab claw, the hot and delicious traditional "Salmon-on-Stick" appetizer over a corn-bacon fritter was delectable and Kumamoto oysters were so deliciously fresh and succulent. I enjoyed wine pairings including Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc, Woodinville Wine Cellars "Ausonius" (one of my favorites" and Bob Betz' Betz Cellars "La Cote Rousse" Syrah - absolutely wonderful and well thought out! Read more...
During a Saturday overnight stay in the Tulalip Suite at Tulalip Resort Casino in Marysville, Washington, we dined with Seattle public relations maven Lorne Richmond, and his lovely wife Elizabeth (Liz). We met promptly at 6:30 in the resort’s spacious lobby and went on a brief tour of some of Tulalip’s many amenities such as a glittery nightclub lounge, spa, and 1,200-slot casino.
We began our meal at Blackfish, a seafood-centric restaurant that specializes in cooking wild salmon in the traditional Indian manner–over ironwood sticks.
Here we enjoyed some tasty crabcakes served over vegetable-filled corncakes. The smoked salmon appetizer was also a winner.
Oneida Bring it to the Table Contest 2011
A number of the Tulalip Chefs (including myself) made it to the top twenty of the Oneida "Bring it to the Table Contest" in 2011. Chef Perry Mascitti at Tulalip took second place. The dish I submitted is our House-Smoked Sockeye Salmon over Cucumber Tower filled with Chevre, capers, dill, and shallots with taro root chip. I also served this at The Taste of Washington in Seattle this year for 1500 people (my prep cooks hated me!).
Northwest Travel Advisor Tulalip Resort
Luxury casino resort is just half hour from Seattle
By TONY MINER
But we settled on Blackfish Wild Salmon Grill and Bar, a choice that proved to be excellent. The list of fresh seafood is impressive and included Sockeye and King salmon, halibut, sea bass, Alaskan King and Dungeness crab, and scallops. You can even choose to have your salmon prepared the traditional tribal way over an open fire pit with ironwood sticks. Read more
David Buchamam, Blackfish Chef: Apple Lacquered Pacific Halibut over Savory Fennel-Butternut Squash Bread Pudding Notes: I really enjoyed this dish. Being from Alaska, I can be rather picky with my seafood (I mean c’mon, I’m used to eating fish I hauled out of the ocean/river/lake myself), but this halibut was prepared perfectly. It was tender and cooked well, and the accompanying butternut squash bread pudding was an amazing pair to the fish.
Tulalip's Sous Chef David Buchanan of Blackfish Restaurant concocts a tasty apple lacquered pacific halibut, served atop a savory fennel-butternut squash bread pudding.
Thank-you for the kind words. And any help you can give will be very much appreciated!
Dear Chef David,
Outstanding resource tool. Shall do everything to promote this wonderful resource tool. This kind of information is an invaluable work tool. I can't imagine the amount of work (heavy duty) that went into creating such! The site well deserves recognition.
Saves time and money during a time when EVERYTHING counts.
Many thanks,
Penelope
The prefered way in our restaurant is over alder wood coals on a grill with a little olive oil toss. But for this presentation I beleive I simply blanched, shocked, and then re-thermed in a saute pan w/ a little olive oil, S & P
looking forward to making this reciepe, what was the technic for roasting the asparagus?
We enjoyed a chilled "Seafood Mary" that was stuffed full of salmon, scallops, a very large prawn and crab claw, the hot and delicious traditional "Salmon-on-Stick" appetizer over a corn-bacon fritter was delectable and Kumamoto oysters were so deliciously fresh and succulent. I enjoyed wine pairings including Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc, Woodinville Wine Cellars "Ausonius" (one of my favorites" and Bob Betz' Betz Cellars "La Cote Rousse" Syrah - absolutely wonderful and well thought out! 
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Penelope,
Thank-you for the kind words. And any help you can give will be very much appreciated!
Dear Chef David,
Outstanding resource tool. Shall do everything to promote this wonderful resource tool. This kind of information is an invaluable work tool. I can't imagine the amount of work (heavy duty) that went into creating such! The site well deserves recognition.
Saves time and money during a time when EVERYTHING counts.
Many thanks,
Penelope
The prefered way in our restaurant is over alder wood coals on a grill with a little olive oil toss. But for this presentation I beleive I simply blanched, shocked, and then re-thermed in a saute pan w/ a little olive oil, S & P
looking forward to making this reciepe, what was the technic for roasting the asparagus?