The Chef’s Table – Hannah MacDonald
At age 18, Hannah MacDonald left Walla Walla for Paris. As part of a French immersion program through the University of Paris, she lived with French families, and spent time not in the cafes, but in the kitchens of Parisians for a year.
Since then, with culinary school and a number of restaurant gigs under her beret (including Milles Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), MacDonald returned to Walla Walla to become the executive chef of Grapefields … without knowing it.
“I applied at Grapefields to be a waitress part-time, and then my Mom heard around town that they had hired a new chef – this was right after my interview. I didn’t realize that was me! So I showed up and started cooking.”
When Grapefields closed, MacDonald created what she felt Walla Walla needed: Brasserie Four (at 4 Main St.) – a country French restaurant “where a parent can have a good glass of wine and have their child eat something that isn’t deep fried,” says MacDonald, laughing, “though we do that too.”
At interview time, the near sold-out art displayed on the walls was from students at Kid’s Place, where Hannah’s son, Christian, attends pre-school. Over my shoulder was a nice little play dinosaur family, with a child’s art easel and play station beyond.
But Brasserie Four is just as adult-friendly and offers fare reminiscent of Ernest Hemingway’s writing: spare but elegant, with exacting execution. My favorites include the imported olives with the perfect touch of fennel, orange and pernod; a steaming bowl of mussels with herbs; a pureed soup from asparagus brought in off the farm that morning; filet of sole – just sole — with a wedge of lemon; croque madame (classic monsieur with a sunny-side up local egg on top).
LIFESTYLES: So you lived with three different French families?
CHEF HANNAH: Yes. One was Madame Poupon, who was an heir to the Grey Poupon mustard family. She was 90-something and crazy. Then I lived with Jacques and Jaqueline …
LIFESTYLES: (interrupting) Of course you did.
CHEF HANNAH: My roommate and I were so poor, so we’d skip lunch and save our appetites for Jacqueline’s food. We had like five courses a night.
LIFESTYLES: You opened at a precarious time – missing the summer tourists and going into the lull of winter. Was that by design?
CHEF HANNAH: (laughing) No. We were trying to be open for the previous spring release weekend (May 2008.)
LIFESTYLES:Clearly, you rode out the storm of winter.
CHEF HANNAH: It probably helped that we were new. People kept trying us out. I don’t know, there’s no rhyme or reason, I have no idea why things work out the way they do.
LIFESTYLES: You look like you could be a ballet dancer. What’s your second-choice career?
CHEF HANNAH: I always had this idea of an extravagant life. I wanted to live in Paris and be in fashion – it sounds so cliché, but I grew up in a small town and discovered Vogue. Oh, and I’d like to win the French Open in tennis.
LIFESTYLES: I’ve noticed you have a strong French clientele. Are there any items they request?
CHEF HANNAH: Bone marrow, so I try to keep it on hand!
LIFESTYLES: Mantra?
CHEF HANNAH: Je ne sais quoi (referring to the intangible factor that makes a dish work)
LIFESTYLES: Favorite food?
CHEF HANNAH: Cheese. This restaurant is really just a way to fund my cheese habit. But the thing we focus on most is our stocks. We always have four or five different kinds – they’re the base of everything, and if I feel like something’s off, I go back to my stock.
LIFESTYLES:Favorite music?
CHEF HANNAH: I play a lot of Edith Piaf. The staff hates me but I love her. In the back, we listen to my dishwasher’s music – ’80s sing-along.
LIFESTYLES: Best advice received?
CHEF HANNAH: I don’t listen to advice (laughing). I haven’t learned to do that yet.
LIFESTYLES: Overrated ingredient?
CHEF HANNAH: Truffle oil.
LIFESTYLES: Underrated ingredient?
CHEF HANNAH: Butter! I cook with butter! People are scared of it. If I could ban margarine, I would.
LIFESTYLES: Favorite kitchen tool?
CHEF HANNAH: I’m kind of anti-tool. I’ve gotten every gadget under the sun and I use none of them, and I don’t measure.
LIFESTYLES: Motto?
CHEF HANNAH: Be in touch with what you’re eating. It just doesn’t make sense to not know where your products are coming from, especially if you’re in a small town. It seems natural. It’s French.
