Chef Tim Ormonde

Alderbrook Resort & Spa, located on Hood Canal in rural Union — just 45 minutes from Bremerton — is an ideal getaway from Kitsap. In addition to its stunning location, the food, curated by Executive Chef Tim Ormonde, is worth the trip alone. The onsite “Restaurant at Alderbrook” delivers fine dining in a casual setting, with an epic view thrown in at no extra cost. And a mere 2 miles away, the resort operates a small indoor and outdoor gem called Hook & Fork, sporting a seafood-centric menu that is magical in its creativity.

You’re working in a nice spot here at Alderbrook!

Pretty stellar, right? I’ve worked at some incredible properties, beautiful Miami resorts, New Orleans and all over Seattle, but Alderbrook has such a unique feel and beauty. It has the sheer ability to help guests unplug. I’m very excited to be here with our great independent owners who allow us to do our thing. Kind of hands on, but hands off.

Why a career as a chef?

I was a car mechanic, and at one point, I decided I didn’t want to keep busting my knuckles open and burning my hands on exhaust pipes. So, at 25, I swapped all of that for burning myself in the kitchen and cutting myself with knives.

Tell us a bit about your journey.

I grew up in Kent, moved to Seattle at 18 and never looked back. I worked for Tom Douglas and then Todd English at the waterfront Marriott. I went from there to Miami, where I worked for Jean-Georges and others before coming back to Washington.

I decided to take a break for a year and then, when I found Alderbrook, I was living on Bainbridge and commuting to Seattle, so I jumped on it. We moved to Port Orchard, and I started a no-traffic, 25-mile commute down Hood Canal; it’s such a relaxing feeling. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

Where did the food passion come from?

My culinary passion spawned from my grandparents. My paternal Portuguese grandmother never spoke English, and I never spoke Portuguese, so we communicated through food. I would help her in the kitchen, and we’d eat together, so I really learned that passion for food from her. And I learned the Americana food, pot roasts, potatoes and gravy, from my maternal grandparents. I grew up around fantastic cooks; I ate very well. They all inspired me.

Any professional training?

I cut my teeth at the Seattle Culinary Academy and then started working at a Pike Place seafood restaurant. That was my first real exposure to getting my butt kicked. It was a busy restaurant, and I was put right on the line. It took me a couple of months of sheer torture until I got up to speed, then it just took off from there.

In football, it’s said that the difference between college athletes and the pros is speed. Is that analogous in this industry?

In school, you’ll learn how to make a hollandaise and they’ll tell you to cook it over a double boiler and make a sabayon — all these techniques to get to the right consistency. At a restaurant, they throw you a mixing bowl and say, “Get it done in 10 minutes!” so you must find your tricks and ways to get to a level of quality in that timeframe.

You’ve worked at both restaurants and resorts. Which do you prefer, and what’s the dynamic difference?

I’ll say I’m a restaurant guy, but at the same time, I enjoy the challenge of running a hotel because you have so many different pieces of the puzzle that you’re working with. At a resort, you must be nimble, quick and creative. You need to be able to pull something together quickly, on short notice, but the fun part is that you have more resources. More equipment, ingredients and cooks. You have a banquet department, a fine dining restaurant and a pastry department, all with their own ingredients. With a restaurant, you have one menu with one focus; here, we get to cater to numerous venues.

Is there a Pacific Northwest ingredient that you most look forward to?

Halibut! We have one of our first of the season right now — it was 60 pounds.

How many servings will you get out of a 60-pound halibut?

We utilize it in different capacities, like smoked fish or fish and chips, those types of things, so that we can get a 100% yield. You’re looking at, from a fish that size, 65-75 portions depending on how we butcher it.

Do you watch any food YouTube chefs?

I was a fanatic for Food Network when it was coming out. I recorded everything from Alton Brown before streaming was available. I’ve met him a couple of times and he was by far the most beneficial TV chef to me because he got into the nitty-gritty science.

That might answer the next question. If you could sit down with any chef from any time, who would that be?

Auguste Escoffier would be a big one. And, of course, Alton Brown because I think the conversation would be just like ours here; we could talk about food and joke around.

If you could whisk off tomorrow to any two restaurants in the world, where to?

Thomas Keller’s French Laundry would be fantastic. And Jeremy Ford’s Stubborn Seed in Miami or Vegas.

Who cooks when you’re at home?

My wife does; she does everything. She’s incredible.

Tell us about your wonderful little Hook & Fork restaurant.

Funny story. When I drove to Alderbrook to drop off my resume, I was with my wife and 5-year-old son, and we stopped there. I told my wife this is exactly the kind of restaurant that I would like to open. I had no clue that this was part of Alderbrook!