Mamnoon’s Jason Stratton dishes on “Top Chef”

It’s finally here, so cue up your DVRs or cancel plans for Wednesday night, Dec. 2, when Mamnoon executive chef Jason Stratton debuts on the season premiere of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” In a Top Chef first, season 13’s contestants will compete road-trip style up and down the California coast, from San Francisco to Palm Springs, where challenges include cooking on a golf course, catering a “big fat gay wedding” and using ingredients like Bugles and Spam.

Stratton, who recently turned 36 and also serves as general manager of the Capitol Hill restaurant, will cook alongside some hefty talent, including Los Angeles’ Giselle Wellman of Mama Shelter and Washington, D.C.’s Marjorie Meek-Bradley of Ripple. We caught up with Stratton recently to chat about everything from his favorite San Francisco restaurant (it’s Italian) to what a Pacific Northwest “Top Chef” road trip would look like.

For a full list of cheftestants, visit Bravo’s website and remember this is a two-night premiere so cue up the DVR for Dec. 3 as well.

Seattle Magazine: How did you get connected with Top Chef?

Jason Stratton: Six or seven years, I auditioned for the show that Robin Leventhal was on (Season 6) but I never made the cut. They called me out of the blue and asked me to come back and audition. It was the same day I decided to pull out of the restaurant group (Spinasse and Artusi).

 

SM: How did you enjoy the California coast?

JS: I was super stoked because a lot of what happens in San Francisco is similar to what happens here in Seattle. We have a real reverence for seasonality and I think it was something that I could just jump into. I go down to SF about four times a year so I’m pretty familiar with it. My favorite restaurant there is an Italian place called Cotogna.

 

SM: If you could build your own multi-city Top Chef tour in the Pacific Northwest, what would it look like?

JS: We’d probably start in Leavenworth. Seattle and Portland would be on there. Vancouver, B.C,. too. I would love to do something on Whidbey Island.

 

SM: We know you’re not at liberty to talk about your experience on “Top Chef,” but if you had to sum it up, what would you say?

JS: The whole experience was a very bizarre thing to go through. It was like a ritual. It was definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done.

 

SM: Did you bond with any chef in particular? Make any frenemies?

JS: One of the biggest reasons to go on the show is because you get to meet all of these talented people in your industry. When you get 17 professional chefs locked in a room you get close to several people and forge strong bonds for life.

 

SM: How did you keep your cool on the set? Espresso, maybe some signature Stratton karaoke?

JS: I tend to be a sort of zen person. People comment on how calm I stay in really dramatic situations. Weirdly, I relate it to this thing that draws me to poetry. Slow down and paying attention to things that other people are not.

 

SM: What’s your next move?

JS: Right now I’m loving what’s going on at Mamnoon. We just celebrated our three year anniversary and I’m really looking forward to the MBar project opening this spring. The nature of the space is breathtaking. You have an unencumbered view of the lake and a sweeping 230 (degrees) of Seattle. Creating food for that experience is what I’m about right now.