William Belickis, Chef/Owner
Born and raised in New York City, perhaps the most diverse dining city in the world, Chef Belickis spent his teen years working at Indian restaurants, Neapolitan pizzerias, a country club and a butcher shop. He developed an appreciation early on for the flavors and cooking methods unique to the world’s various cuisines (not surprisingly, both an Indian Tandoor and wood-burning pizza oven are in daily use at MistralKitchen).
At age 20, Chef Belickis turned down a spot at the Culinary Institute of America in favor of going straight to the top to learn from the best: world-renowned chef David Bouley in Manhattan. Bouley, a master of haute cuisine and a chef Belickis describes as “unequivocally like no other”, became a great mentor and friend.
But after two years of working every kitchen station at Bouley, Belickis had another transformative experience when he worked a benefit dinner at Rex Hill Winery outside Portland, OR. His first glimpse of the Great Northwest left him awestruck; he found its clean, cool beauty inspiring and soon returned to explore San Francisco, British Columbia, and everywhere in between. He decided to make the cross-country move, and after so many years in frenetic New York, a brief stint in Cannon Beach, Oregon was restorative; memories of his abrupt transition from Michelin-starred, Manhattan-based Bouley to the elegantly sleepy Stephanie Inn still make him smile.
In 1996 he landed in Seattle (which on earlier visits had won his heart) becoming Chef de Cuisine at Fuller’s, the critically acclaimed dining room at the Sheraton Seattle (no longer operating), then moved on to helm culinary operations at the Salish Lodge, where he implemented seasonal Chef’s Tasting Menus, a concept he would return to again and again in his career. In early 2000, his long time dream of opening a restaurant of his own was realized, and Mistral opened its doors in Belltown.
During its eight years in operation, Mistral was called a “gastronomic temple” by some, as Chef Belickis was afforded the freedom to combine the haute cuisine sensibilites he learned at Bouley with the exploratory, fresh and seasonal approach he developed in the Northwest. Ranking in some publications among the top ten restaurants in the country, Mistral closed its doors in 2008 so Chef Belickis could work on plans for a new, more accessible and experimental restaurant that would have something for everyone…MistralKitchen was born.
Tiffany Gilmore, Pastry Chef
Watch Tiffany at work, and one can see she has all the traits of a great pastry chef—exacting and creative, technically masterful and whimsical. She also runs a tight ship while putting a premium on collaboration.Tiffany came to the world of pastry via a winding road that involved getting a degree in art history and archeology from the University of Missouri, then spending four years as a high-end floral arranger in Chicago.
Following a year-long baking and pastry professional program at Kendall College, Tiffany headed to Avon, Co. where she worked as a pastry cook at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago in the Ritz Carlton Hotel. From Colorado, she ventured to Seattle in 2013, which is when we had the good fortune of meeting her. After spending just one year in our kitchen, we knew she had what it takes to run our pastry department. She is constantly experimenting with the seasonal and unexpected, which is a big part of the reason our dessert menu is always delicious, exciting and ever-changing.
