Steilacoom restaurant that locally sourced ingredients is closed. What’s next for chef?
The former De La Terre restaurant in Steilacoom was definitely something special, with a passionate following of customers.
So it did not go unnoticed among its fans when it closed in August.
Chef-owner Blake Lord-Wittig recently responded to questions about what’s next for him on the area dining scene.
He told The News Tribune via email over the weekend that, for now, he’s “focusing on hospitality and wine program management working as a beverage director.”
“I am currently not working on any projects but might in the next year or so,” Lord-Wittig said. No further details were offered.
De La Terre, which opened in June 2015, was known for Lord-Wittig’s creativity with an ever-changing menu and commitment to cooking with fresh ingredients locally sourced and in season.
According to TNT Diner Sue Kidd’s coverage at the time, Lord-Wittig, a graduate of Steilacoom High School, left in 2007 to attend New York’s French Culinary Institute and worked at acclaimed restaurants on both coasts, ranging from Jean-Georges in New York City to Kirkland’s Bin on the Lake.
De La Terre announced its closure in a Facebook post July 17.
“The last four years have been memorable for us in so many ways, but our most lasting memories will be of the people we have come to know sharing our passion for food and drink,” the post said.
“De La Terre was a dream of mine. It has been everything I dreamed, but it’s time for me to pursue my next dream. I have found great pleasure and satisfaction translating my love of all types of food into a menu to share with people who value fresh, local, quality ingredients and a good meal. DLT was an important and invaluable step in my life path.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
