Q&A
CHEF CHATS:
JARED SCHLOSSER The new corporate executive chef of Spokane’s Twigs chain on getting through COVID and his culinary journey BY CHEY SCOTT
A
fter 12 years with Spokane’s Twigs Bistro & Martini Bar, chef Jared Schlosser has reached the top of the ladder. A few months ago, Schlosser was promoted to Twigs’ corporate executive chef, going from overseeing the kitchen of its River Park Square location to all nine of Twigs’ regional restaurants in Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver and outside Washington in Utah, Idaho and Texas. Born and raised in the Inland Northwest, Schlosser says he’s always loved to cook, and became hooked after landing one of his first restaurant jobs at the now closed El Sombrero Mexican restaurant in North Spokane. In 2004, he enrolled in the culinary program at Spokane Community College, and afterwards bounced around among a few local restaurants (Anthony’s, Prospector’s) before landing in 2008 at Twigs’ original location in Wandermere. While 2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenges for all restaurants, Schlosser is optimistic about the future of Twigs. But he also worries about the lasting impacts on his laid-off staff during Washington’s second
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dine-in ban this winter. “It’s heartbreaking to have to go tell them, ‘Hey, we’re closing up shop again,’” Schlosser says. “You wonder if they’re going to come back, and are they going to keep coming back. I would hope they would. The hardest part is looking out for everyone.” We recently chatted with the newly promoted chef about subjects both fun and serious. Here’s what he had to say. INLANDER: When did you know you wanted to become a chef? SCHLOSSER: I don’t know if there was a specific time. My dad was a general carpenter, and I did a lot of construction with him growing up, so when it was time to figure out what I wanted to do — keep cooking or go work with him and do some carpentry — I just kind of did some pros and cons: Well, people gotta eat and there’s always gonna be a job, we’ll see where that takes me, and that was when I decided to look into culinary school. I always had a good time in the kitchen — there’s
loud music and it’s fast paced and hot and there’s fire and it’s just really intriguing. Name one restaurant in the Inland Northwest you return to over and over again, and share why. Probably the Flying Goat. I know a lot of people who have worked there. It’s a date spot; me and my wife can go down and grab some beers and pizza. My wife really likes the Lacrosse [pizza], and I just try whatever they’ve got. The way they put their flavors together is really nice. What’s your favorite kitchen gadget? I don’t know if I could survive without a KitchenAid mixer. Who’s a chef you look up to and why? I’d have to probably go back to culinary school and say chef Peter Tobin. When I was in school I ended up spending one extra block of a year with him, and it was fun to go do Epicurean Delight with him and see how he worked. He was fun to be around.
