A Mentor to Many: Culinary Event Will Honor Career of Tapawingo's Pete Peterson

Long before the proliferation of farm-to-table restaurants in northern Michigan, Tapawingo stood out for 25 years as a groundbreaking culinary destination in Ellsworth until its closure in 2009.

Harlan “Pete” Peterson, the owner of that restaurant – whose career has crossed paths with high-profile chefs ranging from Julia Child to Thomas Keller to Emeril Lagasse – went on to teach at the Great Lakes Culinary Institute (GLCI) and helped launch Traverse City restaurant Alliance. On March 12, more than 20 chefs from around the country mentored or influenced by Peterson – representing Trattoria Stella, The Cooks’ House, Wren, Modern Bird, Blu, the Michelin-starred State Bird Provisions in San Francisco, and more – will pay tribute to his career with a fundraising dinner at GLCI.

The event, which will be held in Lobdell’s, is the brainchild of The Cooks’ House owners Jen Blakeslee and Eric Patterson. “We wanted to do a dinner in Pete’s honor, because he’s such a lovely human and has been such an important part of our lives,” says Blakeslee. “We started talking with other chefs he’s mentored, and the list was pretty long. It’s too many people to fit at Cooks’ House, so we approached (GLCI).”

The length and impact of Peterson’s career is evident in the list of chefs who will participate in the five-course dinner, which is $125 for the reception/meal plus an optional $50 wine package curated by Amanda Danielson of Trattoria Stella (tickets go on sale at 8am today through Lobdell’s reservation system; all proceeds benefit GLCI’s Lucy House Memorial Scholarship Fund). Several chefs on the list – which includes James Beard winners, Michelin star recipients, and industry veterans coming out of retirement just for the event – spent at least part of their career in Tapawingo’s kitchen. The roster of chefs (and some of their current or past affiliations) includes:

Fred Laughlin (former GLCI director), Jim Morse (The Boathouse, GLCI), Bob Rodriguez (GLCI), Michael Peterson (Siren Hall, GLCI), Tommy Kaszubowski (Spring & Porter, Tapawingo), Dan Flynn (Wildberry Chef Services, Tapawingo), Stuart Brioza & Nicole Krasinski (State Bird Provisions, Tapawingo), Thomas Kelly (Tapawingo, GLCI), Myles Anton (Trattoria Stella), Randy Chamberlain (Blu), Jen Blakeslee & Eric Patterson (The Cooks’ House), Adam McMarlin (Wren), Patrick & Michael Evans (Crocodile Palace), Paul Olson (Mission Table, Art’s Tavern), Emily Stewart & Andy Elliott (Modern Bird), and Stephanie Wiitala & Jonathan Dayton (Sugar 2 Salt).

Brioza and Krasinski, who are flying in from San Francisco, were hired to be the executive chef and pastry chef at Tapawingo in 2000. That role landed Brioza on the cover of Food & Wine in 2003 as one of the “10 Best New Chefs” in America. In 2011, the duo opened State Bird Provisions in San Francisco and have accrued awards including Food & Wine’s Best Chef All-Stars 2013, James Beard Award: Best New Restaurant 2013, and a Michelin star in 2013. Brioza has spoken fondly in interviews about “the restaurant at the end of the world” in Ellsworth that – in the words of the SFGate – “taught him the values of a tight-knit farm community, and the extraordinary flavors of local fruits and vegetables grown in frosty climates.”

Wiitala says that years before launching Sugar 2 Salt, she was a culinary student at GLCI who assisted at a scholarship dinner hosted by Peterson. “His menu was a creative interpretation of local and seasonal ingredients like I had never imagined,” she says. “It inspires me to this day to remember his choices for bold combinations of flavors and textures, and his confidence to lead the preparations with a quiet patience that helped me understand his vision for the experience we were creating for the guest.”

Blakeslee, who has traveled to locations ranging from Mexico to New York to host culinary events with Peterson, counts him as a friend and mentor who came almost daily to have lunch and chat when The Cooks’ House opened its Wellington Street location. “He has a great reputation and a lot of respect in this industry,” she says. Blakeslee credits Peterson – who was nominated for multiple James Beard awards – with helping pioneer fine dining in the region.

“What a vision to come to this pretty remote area in northern Michigan and do a high-end, French-inspired restaurant,” she says. “This was before the Food Network or any of that.” Wiitala says the tribute dinner will be an “incredible opportunity to celebrate Pete and the brilliant impact he has established on our culinary community,” adding she’s excited to “see him surrounded by all the love and appreciation he deserves.”

Though countless restaurants today bill themselves as farm-to-table, Peterson acknowledges the concept stood out when Tapawingo launched. “It followed that pattern of the French: Go to the market, see what looks good, and that’s what you cook,” he says. Peterson’s food was highlighted in newspaper profiles and reviews around the country, with The New York Times calling Tapawingo “the region's epicenter, gastronomically speaking,” and the “best restaurant anywhere in the country that's a four-hour drive from the closest major city.” The cuisine also drew praise from celebrity chefs. When famed Chicagoan Charlie Trotter came to Tapawingo, he asked Peterson to come out to the dining room.

“Next thing you know, he stood on a chair in the dining room and started licking the plate,” Peterson laughs. “It was nice to have this little restaurant in northern Michigan…to me, it was a pretty impressive thing for this country boy. I’m very proud of the place. It was a labor of love.”

Peterson, who is now in his eighties and lives locally at Cordia, admits to being “flabbergasted” and a bit overwhelmed by the lineup of chefs coming to honor his career at GLCI. “I’m not a public speaker, but I’m going to have to say something,” he says. “When the time comes, seeing all those familiar faces should help.”