Michael Boyer
F&B Product Development Chef
Nordstrom Restaurant Group

Kitchen Collaborative is a recipe-development initiative formed by Summit F&B and Flavor & The Menu. To fuel flavor innovation, a group of talented chefs partnered with sponsor brands and commodity boards to create recipes that showcase the passion and potential of our industry.

Downtown Seattle is home to the corporate headquarters of Nordstrom, where Michael Boyer serves as F&B Product Development Chef for the retail giant’s in-store restaurants and coffee bars, which comprise more than a dozen original concepts with 200 locations across the U.S. The iconic Pike Place Market is just a short walk away, a prime destination for a meal and a little inspiration. “There are a variety of produce, seafood, meat, cheese and spice vendors offering the highest quality ingredients that the Pacific Northwest has to offer,” says Boyer. “I frequent this Market prior to any recipe innovation session to seek inspiration and secure the best ingredients for my dishes.”

Boyer likes to tout the influence of the region’s bounty in both employee training and customer-engagement efforts. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with production staff during special events and promotion periods is another aspect of his job that he values. It becomes a great opportunity for him and his team to “provide context for why our recipes are written as they are and the key elements that ensure our food is always the best it can be,” the chef explains.

Here, Boyer is generous in providing the context underpinning his three Kitchen Collaborative recipes: La Brea Bakery^® Blackened Salmon BLTA, Moroccan Harissa Grain Bowl and Ghirardelli^® Chocolate Lava Cakes with Smoked Sea Salt.

La Brea Bakery^® Blackened Salmon BLTA

Photo: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley

Boyer’s La Brea Bakery^® Blackened Salmon BLTA was born of two sources of inspiration. “When I first baked and tasted the La Brea Bakery^® Everything Roll, my mind immediately went to brunch,” recalls Boyer. “The everything flavor profile is so on-trend, and it pairs well with so many savory brunch applications. It’s an easy way to add flavor, texture and craveability to a dish.”

Boyer’s periodic visits to nearby Pike Place Market gave him a more concrete direction. “When I’m at the Market, I’m always struck by the popularity of this small food stall that serves a blackened salmon sandwich. I felt the combination of the poppy and onion roll with spiced salmon and a cool, herbaceous dressing would make the perfect pairing.”

The Alaskan sockeye salmon BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado) delivers robust flavor, featuring roasted garlic aïoli blended with avocado; incorporating the avocado into the sauce ahead of time saves time and adds nice color to the aïoli. Other components of the build include applewood-smoked bacon, green goddess dressing, oven-roasted heirloom tomatoes and lettuce chiffonade.

Those heavy, wet ingredients are key elements in the crave factor, and Boyer says the La Brea Bakery roll is up to the challenge. “The key is moderation. The herbs, spices and acidity of all the ingredients combined cuts through the creaminess of the aïoli and the dressing, and the soft interior of the bread absorbs moisture, while adding a nice crunch when toasted.”

Get the recipe

Moroccan Harissa Grain Bowl

Photo: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley

Boyer is a chef who enjoys finding new recipe inspirations by rummaging in the pantry. Presented with his assigned Kitchen Collaborative ingredient, Moroccan Harissa Paste from SupHerb Farms, “I knew the dish would need to reflect Middle Eastern flavors and traditional recipes to highlight the depth of flavor in the harissa paste,” Boyer recounts. A package of kamut berries printed with a recipe featuring lentils fired his creative synapses and eventually resulted in the Moroccan Harissa Grain Bowl. “We’ve had great success at Nordstrom with innovating grain bowls featuring a wide variety of flavor profiles,” he notes.

This dish combines boiled kamut berries and lentils, tossed in a mixture of oil, parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice until well coated. “Kamut is similar to pearled barley, but it has a bit more texture. I’m also a fan of wheat berries—both retain a slightly chewy texture on the exterior of the grain, which adds to the flavor experience,” says Boyer.

The chef uses the SupHerb Farms^® Moroccan Harissa Paste twice in this dish: first in a flavorful sauce with tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic and Aleppo peppers and then in a honey glaze for roasted carrots. “A little of the paste goes a long way,” advises Boyer, affirming its use as a flavor booster in a sauce, vinaigrette or marinade.

The bowl is assembled with hummus spread along the interior rim, followed by a layer each of the grains-lentils mix, the tomato sauce and the roasted carrots. It’s finished with crispy fried onions. “The dish is incredibly flexible,” says Boyer, noting that it could be prepared with proteins like chicken or shrimp or kept vegetarian with a boost from za’atar-roasted eggplant.

Get the recipe

Ghirardelli^® Chocolate Lava Cakes with Smoked Sea Salt

Photo: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley

Chocolate. Lava. Cakes. Sometimes, all it takes is the name of the menu item to trigger a mouthwatering response, pretty much selling itself with no further description required. This is one of those dishes, “an all-time favorite dessert in my family,” says Boyer, citing the celebratory nature of the indulgent flavor and texture, as rich, bittersweet chocolate pours out of the moist, warm cake.

His recipe for Ghirardelli^® Chocolate Lava Cakes with Smoked Sea Salt features two types of chocolate, as well as a surprise ingredient: gochugaru. “I wanted to highlight the complex flavor profiles of dark and semi-sweet Ghirardelli chocolates, first with smoked sea salt to accentuate the earthy depth of the cocoa, as well as with the warm, fruity notes of the Korean chile flakes,” he explains.

“I often visualize flavor by color,” Boyer continues. “Great quality chocolate makes me see the red and purple from the ripe berry and taste the flavor profiles that linger when the chocolate is melting in your mouth. The taste experience is similar to wine—it’s personal, as you pick out the recognizable ingredients.” The chef took an even hand with the percentages of the Ghirardelli^® Dark Chocolate Wafers and Ghirardelli^® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. “I always start with a 50/50 ratio of dark and semi-sweet,” he says.

The addition of the gochugaru seems a happy and successful experiment. “I had not paired gochugaru with chocolate previously,” Boyer admits. “But it’s an ingredient that I like, because rather than being spicy, it has a mouth-warming, red fruit flavor—almost like raisins—that makes it more complex. I thought it would be a good pair with the rich chocolate.” The smoked sea salt is added early, with the eggs and sugar. “You want it to dissolve and be delicate,” he notes.

Taken all together, “The rich chocolate highlighted with salt brings out the complex flavor profiles of high quality chocolate, while the warmth of the chile flakes adds a layer of excitement to make it memorable,” says Boyer. Garnishes can range from whipped cream to gelato or a fruit compote, but when served to the chef himself, caramel sauce is his personal favorite.

Get the recipe

Project Management: Summit F&B
Photography: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley