Hi! My name is Ian and I like to think I'm a pretty cool, laid back guy. My main passion in life is cooking, and it is what I spend the majority of my time doing. Whether I'm in the kitchen or not, you can place bets that I'm in some way thinking about food.

The outdoors are my second love. I grew up in the cub scouts and boy scouts (No shame) and my father was a mountain climber. Needless to say, I've loved nature all my life. Rock climbing, mountain climbing, kayaking, hiking, bouldering, canoeing.. just smelling the fresh air is enough to put a bright smile on my face. My appreciate for nature has only grown since I've began working towards the life of a chef; much of my inspiration comes from what is fresh and local in the area.

As well I love, love, LOVE movies. There are few moments in my life where I'm as at peace as when I'm in a dark room with either myself or some of my friends and just watching a good movie. Hell, it doesn't even have to be good! I love a bad movie every bit as much as the next guy.

Most people's first impression of me is that I'm antisocial and very quiet... I even get people thinking I'm angry all the time, but I guess that's just because I'm not the type of person who walks around with a big grin on their face for no reason. Not a whole lot shows at first, but once you get to know me a bit and understand my mannerisms, you'll see I'm a very friendly, loving and passionate person. Everything I do in my life I do to the fullest extent and with all the love I have. I was put on a beautiful Earth and I want to get everything I can out of it.

I'm not a big fan of drugs, reliance on alcohol or smoking. Don't get me wrong-- I enjoy getting my drank on as much as the next guy, but coming into work drunk, or drinking every night of the week? Not my style and I doubt you'd find me much fun to be around if that's the lifestyle you prefer.

Aside from that, it's pretty difficult to irritate or upset me in any substantial way. What are you waiting for? Talk to me!

I am witty, sarcastic, and honest

I graduated from the South Seattle Culinary Arts program with two associates degrees in Business Hospitality Management and Catering and Banquets. I am now a Chef de Partie (The chef in charge of a particular station in a kitchen) at the Rainier Club in Seattle to become hopefully one of the best chefs in the world some day. My goal is to be working at a 3-Michelin star restaurant by the time I'm 23, my dream job being working with the avant garde cuisine at Alinea in Chicago.

Other than that I've just been taking each day separately and living life with the mentality that today could be the last day I have on this Earth. Living life for everything it's worth!

I work a lot, and have been known to do 100 hour weeks before, and my career comes first at this point in my life. But that doesn't mean I'm too busy for dating or a relationship. I'm looking for someone who has passion in their life and is doing something on their own as well.

Cooking, socializing, wrestling, working out, writing, being a smart ass

My eyes, how I look pissed of all the time, my clothes, my height

.... oh yeah and my bodacious bosom. In fact, my nickname at the Space Needle was "Mac n' Cheese Ass" because I have an ass that could only have come from a life time of eating cheesy, fatty goodness.

IT, Utopia, The Shining, Dreamcatcher, Harry Potter, Pendragon, Enders Game, Enders Shadow, Starship Troopers, How Spacesuit will Travel, The Dome, The Stand, Europe through the back door, The French Laundry (or really any cookbooks), Heart of Darkness, The Great Gatsby, Alinea Cookbook, Eleven Madison Park Cookbook, Volt Ink., NOMA Cookbook, Under Pressure, Kitchen Confidential, A Cook's Tour, Sould of the Chef, Life: On the Line, The Magicians Apprentices, The Hunger Games Trilogy

Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting, City of God, Donnie Darko, Cube, The Machinist, Memento, Requien for a Dream, Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Curious George, A Separation, El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, Ratatoullie, Julie and Julia, No Reservations, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Dazed and Confused, Social Network, Se7en, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Kings Speech, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, Le Amour, Amelie, Punch Drunk Love, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski

LOST, How I Met Your Mother, Dexter, Californication, DeadWood, The Killing, Six Feet Under, No Reservations, Heston's Feasts, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Seinfeld, Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek: Voyager, Kitchen Confidential

Boards of Canada, Shpongle, Younger Brother, Ott, Ratatat, Wu Tang Clan, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Smashing Pumpkins, Cranberries, Pearl Jam, Sneaker Pimps, Cardigans, Bitter:Sweet, Clint Mansell, Apparat, Radiohead, Beach House, Wonderhouse, Bonobo, Trentmoller, Royksopp, Caribou, Thom Yorke, Blackbird Blackbird, The Cinematic Orchestra, Zero 7, Air, Atmostphere, Aesop Rock, RjD2, Ratatat, Thievery Corporation, Portishead, Telepopmusic, Talk Talk, Damien Rice, Iron and Wine, Bon Iver, Ray LaMontagne, Fleet Foxes, Other Lives, Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service, Sufjan Stevens, Miles Davis

I would describe my style of cuisine as a mixture of Classical french techniques, with modern American and 'molecular gastronomy' (A term I aboslutely hate) influance using Pacific Northwest ingredients. That is to say I'm a very big fan of pretentious, Avant-garde yuppy amandine food! But even deeper than that, I want my food to be more than food-- an experience. I try telling a story with my food, using all of the senses and turning dinner into a participatory theater of sorts. That's the hope, anyway! Given my profession, there is literally nothing I won't try at least once. In fact, I've gone as far as eating freshly castrated goat's testicals (Surprisingly good!) to fermented Duck eggs (Non-surprinsgly nauseous)

Since so many people have messaged me asking what my favorite recipe to cook is-- something I have no actual answer to, I thought I would just post a sample menu of a 20-courser I've recently done
__________________________________________________

'Champagne' - Carbonated Grape, Royal Cuvee air

'Dark n' Stormy' - Poached ginger impregnated with rum, lime cells

'Brandy' - Squab Consomme, Brandy perfume

'The Chicken and the Egg' - Fried egg yolk, fat emulsion, frisee, stone ground mustard

'PB&J' - Concord grape, tempura, spiced peanut butter, roasted banana

'Mango Tagliatelle' - Tomato seed, pomodoro, buffalo mozzarella

Ice, over two courses

'Snowfall' - Frozen Douglas Fir branch, tea of melted ice, pine nut

'Frozen Pond' - Scallop ceviche, tangerine, horseradish

'Pork' - Roasted and smoked, pickled mustard, caramelized apple, red cabbage

'Prosciutto' - Asian Pear, pork fat, thyme, pink peppercorn

'The Sacrifice' - Confit of squab leg, fricasse of breast, potato espuma, bird feed granola

'Comparing Apples to oranges' - apple mimicking orange, orange mimicking apple

'Smoke Break' - Tobacco custard, cognac, menthol, leather, smoke cloud

'Breath Mint' - Strawberry, hibiscus, crystallized mint

'The Munchies' - Puffed rice, smoked cheddar, buttermilk, chive

'The Hornet's nest, a manifestation of Childhood Naivety' - Honey, smoke, fruit and flowers that attract bees

'Oil Spill' - Yogurt water, black sesame, honey, green tea

'Omelet' - Milk skin, sweetened scrambled eggs, compressed fruit

'Pomegranate' - Impregnated with sherry, mascarpone, basil, fennel

'Hot Buttered Rum' - Popcorn, winter spice

Cooking, my motorbike, my friends, a world to travel, the outdoors, women

Cooking, life, how I can save up money to backpack through Europe next summer again and what new adventure I can make for myself today!

I try not to have a 'typical' any night. Each day is a new adventure waiting to happen and I do my best to make sure my life doesn't become a routine; I'm too young for that!

In my free time I enjoy doing things that I enjoy doing. Did I just rock your world with the riveting piece of personal information?

Also, I think I might be Ted Mosby. The thought terrifies me a little.

You aren't looking for anything remotely romantic.