William Belickis, owner and chef of Belltown's Mistral Restaurant, began buying fresh produce in the Market long before he opened his own restaurant.
He started making afternoon produce searches of the Market when he was the 'chef de cuisine' at Fullers, in the Sheraton Hotel. He enjoys seeking out the freshest of the fresh ingredients for whatever he cooks.
Belickis comes to the Market five days a week with Maria and Charles, his co-shoppers and co-chefs. They look like a group of friends nonchalantly perusing the Market, but this threesome is doing serious business.
"We love the Market," he said, speaking for himself and his two co-shoppers. "It's great to hear the music - we love Johnnie Hahn. We bought one of his CDs. We get all our meat from a specialty wholesale house, but this is where we come for our produce."
Frank Genzale, of Frank's Produce, was the first person Belickis met when he arrived in Seattle, in 1996. On his first trip to the Market he remembers just walking up and asking, "so who is this 'Frank' guy." Now Belickis visits five times a week and still starts each trip at Frank's. He gets lots of parking tickets on the street right out front - but he glances at hid blue mini-van in a way that says, "It's worth it."
"He's an Italian from New York, what else do you want?" Frank Genzale asked as his hands moved. "He's a good businessman - he wants only the best. We even grew a few specialty items together."
At Frank's they all know Belickis well after all these years; they are his personal shoppers, advising him on what is best each day. They stack hand-selected produce on a cart, especially for Mistral to prepare that night. The folks at Frank's gather everything at the peak of freshness: celery, fennel, pineapple, lemons & limes, apples, eggplant, carrots, various greens, rhubarb - everything selected is specially chosen.
"I never know what I am going to cook until I come down here." Belickis said. "Whatever looks good - that's what were cooking today. It's all fresh every day. People ask what I will be cooking tomorrow or next week, but I really don't know. I base my multi-course menu on what I find in the Market"
The happy-go-lucky trio thoughtfully cruises along voicing whims of what they need. Belickis and crew don't see themselves doing it any other way.
"We need pumpkin seed oil - oh and Balsamic ... and this ... oh let's make a mixture." They knowledgeably discuss recipe concoctions like works of art, then walk up to the counter and pay just like everyone else, but the folk in the aprons recognize this regular threesome and take special care of them.
The Mistral trio drifts around the Market following their eyes and intuition. They pop over to talk to Mike at Sosio's Produce, get a few more items, and continue to pragmatically meander about. Then over to DeLaurenti where they read labels and scrutinize ingredients, and pick up any last minute necessities. They like the specialty feeling of this grocery that has served the Market community for so long.
"We can be very sarcastic," confides Belickis. The trio points out little things they have seen other chefs use and talk about it - especially if it's something prepared by another restaurant "whose chefs just pop open a can."
Belickis migrated to Seattle from New York in 1996, and although he misses the green markets of New York, he says loves it here. In New York he shopped in the various neighborhood markets offering just-picked produce straight from the farm. These unique cooperative city markets offer shoppers a chance to purchase produce from independent farmers. The green markets vary in size from neighborhood to neighborhood, and range from informal ones set up in church parking lots to sites with land and developed facilities.
"I wanted my restaurant to be close to the Market," he said, happy with his Market routine. The one issue he has with the Market is that there are not enough food options. He wishes the entire street level were produce and food choices.
"We have enough local farms around here, in the Willamette Valley, in Carnation and Skagit County," he said. "Those farms are still producing and should come here. The Market can't cater just to tourists. In the green markets in New York City farmers will travel 400 miles to sell fresh produce."
Mistral, 113 Blanchard, is a popular and pricey Belltown restaurant, reservations are strongly recommended, especially on the weekend. They are open Tuesday through Saturday."
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