Let’s talk about small independent farmers and running a small business.

There’s a lot of things swirling around the concepts of community, building a village, and reconnecting to many of the things we lost in our pursuit of the digital age and convenience, so let’s spend some time celebrating the things that support and sustain these ideas.

Shotgun on the mantle place big reveal, Corporate America does not support or have interest in these things. Unless it lines their pockets, often at the expense as individuals or small businesses.

We, as so many of you know, have always been independently owned and operated. It’s just me these days. So I’m sure it’s no surprise to you we seek out and try to support as many small independents as we can. 

 For us, that means we buy our sparkling water from a small, family owned businesses, versus taking a few  hundred bucks in advertising from San Pellegrino (who’s owned by Nestle, one of the big evils) just to carry their water. 

We work directly with small farms, through our neighborhood farmers market, or direct relationships and deliveries for those who aren’t at the markets. These relationships take time and energy (like all relationships), and it has always been something we put a lot of value and time into. We always try to honor their hard work, so we manipulate the products as little as possible. 

You've probably heard me in the dining room saying something along the lines of "My largest job is sourcing, and not fucking it up". We hope it ends up showing in the plates of food we prepare for you.

Whenever a farmer calls letting us know they have something, we do everything we can to build a menu, and create unique dishes to work with these incredible products.

 

Our menus become ethereal because of these special products, one night might be mutton chops, the next a saddle, then maybe the braised neck, and then just like that blurry night in a jazz hall filled with music, it’s gone. It’s no accident I left Paris to come back to the PNW. We’ve got some of the best the world has to offer when it comes to small incredible farms and products.

Recently we were invited to Farestart as part of their incredible Guest Chef series. We had an incredible time cooking with the students last month, giving guidance to a wide variety of individuals with unique backgrounds and goals.The students were filled with great questions, and we really enjoyed getting to know them and work alongside them for a couple of days. If you’ve never been, it’s definitely an event and an organization worth supporting!

Full disclosure, cooking for the amount of people we often do in an entire month, in one night, was a real challenge for us! We got through with the help of a couple incredible mercenaries we called in last minute, so a special thank you to Danny, Heather, Jesus, along with all the kitchen staff at Farestart!

Now, allow me to stand on my soap (or in my case, lard) box for a moment.

Monopolies are forming all over the United States, unchecked and given full permission to obliterate or absorb any competition, which is bad for small businesses and our communities. We’re moving away from Tock for just this reason, as it merges with Resy, all under the stewardship of American Express. We’re not big fans of big corporate businesses, especially credit card companies, trying to get their claws into our small operation. Sadly the days are long gone when cash made up a large percentage of small businesses intake and now we're forced to give up 2-5% of revenue to credit card companies every year. For most restaurants, that's their entire profit margin.  It's becoming abundantly clear we need to choose whom we work with much more carefully, and we're doing just that.

I still dream of the day I can delete our instagram account because people show up not because of advertising or some influencer, but because we’re just supported entirely by our community, near and far. Lofty goals, but we managed to get rid of our service charge so maybe it’s within reach. If anyone has any solutions there, I'm all ears.

In the mean time, we’ll be having a few changes behind the scenes with our reservations, so pardon our mess if we have any hiccups in the transition.You’ll still be able to make reservations through our website, by calling or texting us (206 488 6170), through instagram, or now through the Sevenrooms (instead of Tock).

We’re always striving to improve and continue my original intention of creating a space that fosters community, creativity, inclusivity, and most importantly an ethical and fair work place. Happy cooks make happy food, and joy is infectious. We see it translate to our plates, and how you, our guests, interact with us and our space. We know that's becoming a big conversation globally right now, and we're proud to say we don't tolerate any forms of abuse, and never have or will.

Off Alley has always meant to be a place to gather and converse with strangers or friends alike. We make our own dog treats to feed the neighborhoods furriest members, and we love getting to know both the dogs and their owners. We’re looking forward to our spring and summer, when the winter doldrums shake off, to collaborate with new and old friends (we’ve got some heavy hitters lined up, stay tuned here).

 Spring always feels like a time to celebrate, and what better time to throw a few damn good parties. (Yes, Keiji is coming back, and this time we’ll see about him playing some music too.)

As always, a heartfelt thank you for all who support our small restaurant, local small independent businesses, farmers, and incredible organizations such as the Seattle Farmers Market or Farestart for example. The carousel you keep putting quarters in, is the one that keeps moving and providing our community with joy and spaces to share. It’s more important than ever to choose where you spend, so thank you every time you choose us. It means a lot.

Evan Leichtling

Chef / Owner / Frequent Dishwasher