A Conscious Feast by Nicole Aloni

Willows Inn Balcony, photo Kaufman

Last week a friend suggested we go the Willows Inn, a 1910 craftsman-style B & B on Lummi Island, for a 2-day getaway. I was pretty sure Lummi was one of the San Juan Islands, but not much beyond that. Granted, I’m a Seattle newbie, but surprisingly few of  the locals I asked had been to Lummi Island, either. Well, that’s a darn shame; it’s gorgeous. Maybe I’m biased by the ease with which we were transitioned from the grey squalls in Seattle to 2 days of Caribbean weather on Lummi. That might have colored my opinion. Just saying.

However, the other thing that makes Lummi great is dependent only on the unswerving skill and passion of  Riley Starks, reefnet fisherman, farmer and owner of the Willows.

Innkeeper Riley Starks

Starks was one of the first and most thorough- going proponents of the Slow Food movement in the Puget Sound area.  He (and partner Judy Olsen) had a vision of creating a nearly self- contained eco system on Lummi. Today, between his organic Nettles Farm, local organic and sustainable sources for meat, and his own fishing efforts, he’s gotten darned close. The Willows even dries their own sea salt for the kitchen.

The new chef  at the Willows is a great fit for this uber green dining scene.  Justin Neidermeyer, the opening chef/owner at Spinasse,  is bringing his own passion for local ingredients and simplicity to this lovely, rustic kitchen.

We sat out on the deck Sunday night (see above) for one of the most extraordinary seafood meals I’ve had in ages: Spot prawns straight from Rosario Straits, still jumping and jiving in Riley’s tank only minutes before hitting the plate. These are very seasonal and very fragile. According to Starks, spot prawns can only be cooked  with the heads on (a far tastier dish) within the first 20 hours after  being removed from the tank. So, this is definitely not a product that can be enjoyed far from its source—Riley’s front yard.

Spot Prawn in the tank, photo Kaufman

The next day we took a short hike up hill to the Nettles Farm which is utilized mostly to supply the Willows kitchen. (Although some excess produce, like a portion of the 1,000 pounds of heirloom tomatoes he expects to harvest this year, will go to the local farmers market.)

Nettles greenhouse

The farm has 2 resident farmers working with Starks to bring in beautiful, traditonal crops, including a new stab at growing kiwi fruit and a very delicate strawberry varietal shared with Starks by the Herbfarms’s Ron Zimmerman. They are also raising guinea hens, heritage turkeys, and one fat and sassy Mangalitsa sow.  Riley served us some proscuitto created from a previous Nettles Mangalitsa and it was some of the best I’ve had—dense, smokey meat encircled by a wide belt of delicate, flavorful fat.

This visit to the sun-drenched farm was as soothing as the long walk we later took on the adjacent strip of isolated beach and the humming stillness of our rooms that night.  If you’re looking for an opportunity to see just how realistic the green ideals of local, sustainable, organic, and ethical really are—get on over to Lummi Island and visit Riley Starks.

P.S.—mention you’re a friend of Nicole’s and they’ll serve you a complimentary glass of wine with a view.

Chicken Roost, photo Kaufman