Meet Research Chef Patrick Rolfe, Inspired by the flavors of the Pacific Northwest

Fresh produce, in bright colors, stacked in neat rows.

The smells of brewing coffee and baking pastries, mingling with the salty harbor breeze.

The slap and swish of fresh caught salmon tossed through the air.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market is an iconic setting that defines the spirit and flavor of the Pacific Northwest. It’s the place that inspired our newest employee, Patrick Rolfe, to become a chef.

As a child, Patrick spent hours running around the fruit, vegetable and seafood stalls of the iconic Pike Place Market, where his father worked as Director. He absorbed the sights, sounds, and smells with his senses, and the Pacific Northwest flavor profiles with his heart.

“Local, local, local. Fresh, fresh, fresh,” Rolfe said, describing his culinary style which was shaped at Pike Place. “Simple elegance is created by using fresh, high-quality ingredients.”

Rolfe received a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Seattle, just a few blocks from Pike Place Market. There he studied kitchen management as well as restaurant and business management.

Today, as Research Chef II at CuliNEX, Rolfe is dedicated to creating unique food experiences influenced by a range of culinary traditions, and combining them in bright, new ways. “Innovation is what we do here,” Rolfe said of his role at CuliNEX. “We are constantly looking at alternatives for this, solutions for that. We spend a lot of time doing research.”

Rolfe brings to the CuliNEX team more than 20 years of experience working in many areas of the culinary industry. This range of skills led him to positions as Executive Chef, Caterer, Corporate Chef and Food Product developer at corporate test kitchens. Rolfe even appeared on the Food Network on Season 3 of The Next Food Network Star.

“Flavor layering is the most important step in achieving that simple elegance,” said Rolfe. “Simple elegance is current cuisine.”

In addition to his dedication to fresh flavor layering, Rolfe values the sheer joy of culinary preparation. “No matter how simple or how complicated a dish, it is important to have fun with it,” said Rolfe. “The food only plays its own part in the overall experience, it’s up to the Chef to provide the rest.”