Slow Food Seattle member Monica S. Downen’s earliest food memories are of her grandparents teaching her how to eat an artichoke and foraging for berries. Perhaps her deep appreciation for food is why she opened Monica’s Waterfront Bakery and Cafe in Silverdale, Washington.

• Name: Monica S. Downen
• City: Silverdale, on the Kitsap Peninsula
• Member of Slow Food Since: 2008

SFS: What are your favorite spices?
MD: I love all the spices... except white pepper; not a fan.

SFS: What do you do to embody Slow Food in your daily life (career, home, hobbies, etc)?
MD: I embrace Slow Food and "Slow" practices both personally and professionally, every way I can think of. We are connected to our farmers and small, independent producers and shops, we immerse in the community when we travel, we eat/cook in-season and only offer out-of-season foods at the restaurant to keep afloat (everybody needs tomatoes on their sandwiches, no matter how flat and flavorless they may be), though we do not eat out of season personally. We grow foods from the Ark, encourage our farmers to do so as well, and teach the same practices in our cooking classes and events.

SFS: What is your favorite dish or food that has profound meaning for you and why?
MD: I did not grow up with money, though we had a great appreciation for really good food. My earliest memories involve food and my grandparents: teaching me to eat an artichoke at 2-3 years old; harvesting and eating berries on the side of the road; pulling over to snack on peas out of the farmer's field; eating Dungeness crab and grass-fed beef... that is why I am in the food business: so many foods have wonderfully profound meaning for me.

SFS: What is the last great book or film about food that you read/saw and would recommend to Slow Food members?
MD: Food: A Cultural Culinary History by Ken Albala (Great Courses... available through the library).

Member Spotlight: Monica S. Downen