Our Team at the Willows Inn on Lummi Island

Chef Blaine Wetzel

Head Chef

The head chef of The Willows Inn on Lummi Island grew up in Washington. He began working in kitchens at age 14, and he’s never stopped. A dozen years later, he has studied and apprenticed widely, notably at Rene Redzepi’s noma in Copenhagen that repeatedly garnered recognition as the best restaurant in the world.

Since arriving on Lummi Island Wetzel has brought international attention to the island. Chef Blaine was listed by Food & Wine magazine as the Best New Chef of 2012. In 2014 the James Beard Foundation named him Rising Star Chef of the Year and in 2015, he was awarded Best Chef Northwest.

Wetzel’s food brings you into an intimate relationship with the landscape he loves, allowing you to touch, taste, see, and smell the ocean, the coastal lands, and the soft gray light on the water. He creates exquisite meals with a commitment to island and locally-sourced ingredients and the traditions of farm-to-table preparation. He designs a provocative, yet honest food presentation, delivering much of it to the tables himself.

Photography by Charity Burggraaf