Charles Koh
Chan and Bacco Café chef/owner to open dim sum-style Tray Kitchen in fall 2014
Chef Heong Soon Park will expand his cuisine to the Ballard/Fremont neighborhood in fall 2014 with his third establishment, Tray Kitchen. Inspired by the dim sum-style serving method, servers will bring trays and carts through the dining room. Guests will see the food before they order and pick plates from the carts during their dining experience.
With an open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant, a dinner at Tray Kitchen is not just about the food – it’s also about the relationships. Park is dedicated to connecting the kitchen with the guests, and will encourage the cooks to showcase how the food is made and share the stories behind the plates.
“We want you to feel like you walked into your friend’s kitchen. You don’t have a dedicated server; anybody walking by your table is your server, “ said Park. “The goal is to enjoy fresh, good food in an exciting way that really welcomes you as part of the process.”
Featuring fresh Northwestern ingredients with a Korean twist, Tray Kitchen’s menu will be guided by the seasons. There will be 10 à la carte items, but the 15-20 dim sum dishes will vary depending on the time of year to bring out the fresh, natural flavors. Park will bring on Ben Reden (formerly of Stoneburner) as sous chef and Jon Blechman (former beverage director of Mario Batali’s Lupa) as manager.
Like Park’s other Seattle restaurants, Tray Kitchen will highlight locally grown ingredients. The vegetables will come from his organic half-acre farm in Woodinville, as well as from other local farmers. The grass-fed beef will come from Painted Hills and all seafood will come from the Northwest region.
Tray Restaurant is scheduled to open in fall 2014. It will be located at 4012 Leary Way NW in Seattle, between Ballard and Fremont. Park has hired Graham Baba Architects for the space, the firm who designed spaces such as Melrose Market and The Walrus and The Carpenter.
About Chef Heong Soon Park: Heong Soon Park was born in South Korea and moved to Seattle in 2006. He first opened Bacco Café, an Italian bistro, in Pike Place Market in 2008 and in 2012, launched Korean fusion restaurant Chan, named a top restaurant by The Seattle Times.
