Mark Crowell has been a Slow Food Seattle member since 2007. He is a culinologist, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award by the Research Chef’s Association and once had a Slow Food dinner with the owners of Barilla Pasta.

• Name: Mark Crowell
• Seattle Neighborhood: Mount Baker
• Hometown: Washington DC
• Member of Slow Food Since: 2007

SFS: What are your favorite spices?
MC: Cardamon, Turmeric, lime leaf, lemongrass. I’m very fond of highly flavored foods, particularly Indian and SE Asian cuisines.

SFS: How did you first learn about Slow Food?
MC: On a trip to Parma in 2002, I had a Slow Food dinner with the owners of Barilla Pasta. I was there on a “secret” mission for Starbucks. We had this fantastic meal in the private, upstairs dining room of this restaurant in the historic city center. The two Barilla brothers at the dinner were very big boosters of Slow Food.

SFS: What do you do to embody Slow Food in your daily life (career, home, hobbies, etc)?
MC: Try to prepare meals myself (when I have time) with whole grains, fresh vegetables, and moderate amounts of seafood and meats. I enjoy using artisan products, and I’m always looking for an excuse to crank up my Traeger smoker.

SFS: What is your favorite dish or food that has profound meaning for you and why?
MC: Osso Bucco Milanese. I have enjoyed it since learning how to make it in culinary school in the late 1970s. I try to talk my wife into making her excellent version of it at least once each winter. Another dish I love, but find far too time consuming to make myself, is Cassoulet. It’s a two or three day process if you do it all yourself - confit the duck, soak the beans, make the saucisson a l'ail, etc.

Member Spotlight: Mark Crowell