Business Pulse

this space, and specialty publications
Modern Farmer and Outdoor
Magazine have printed glowing
articles and rankings of No. 1 this,
and Top 10 that.
What’s all the fuss about? Food
and Wine named Wetzel, 28, a
Top New Chef in 2012 and last
month he became a semifinalist
as a Rising Star Chef (chefs under
30) in the most prestigious recognition
bestowed in the industry,
the James Beard Award – for the
fourth year in a row. (Last year he
advanced as one of five nominees
for that award.)
All this for Wetzel’s creations
for a once-a-night seating of less
than 40, counting a 10-seat private
dining room, in a tiny old
inn on a tiny island (pop. about
900) at $165 a person for a farmto-table
array of 15 to sometimes
more than 20 servings.
Wetzel and Gibb are ownership
partners in the inn’s operations
that include two other Lummi
Island eateries, the Beach Store
Café and the Taproot Café.
“A group of families were concerned
that this long-time, iconic
local business would close,” Gibb
said, “and an emerging good story
“We saved a legacy….
took over a business losing
half-a-million, retained
the jobs (44), retained and
enhanced the reputation,
while turning it around
and making it profitable.”
–John Gibb, co-owner/managing partner,
The Willows Inn on Lummi Island
(the arrival of Blaine as a chef in
his 20s from the world’s top-rated
restaurant, Noma in Copenhagen,
Denmark) and many jobs would be
lost in Whatcom County.”
He described the situation thus:
“We took over a business losing
half-a-million, we retained the
jobs (44 employees currently), and
retained and enhanced the reputation,
while turning it around and
making it profitable. We didn’t
slash costs or employees, and in
fact did exactly the opposite, and
that’s very difficult to do in this
business.”
Though visitors come largely
from afar, The Willows Inn
remains loyal in every way possible
to the island community where
most of the employees reside. The
restaurants all have contributed
to island nonprofit organizations,
such as the Boys & Girls Club, the
Grange, the Heritage Land Trust,
and others.
To expand business, Gibb said,
the staff will create a new line of
food goods in the Taproot and gift
shop. “Our own amenities, complementary
to our theme,” he said,
“such as canned and preserved
items that maximize what the
island and county have to offer.”
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