Kirkland's Le Grand Bistro Hires New Executive Chef

A new executive chef has joined the staff of Ted Furst’s Kirkland restaurant Le Grand Bistro Americain at Carillon Point, the former chef at Bis on Main in Bellevue, Shawn Martin.

“I am delighted to join this wonderful young bistro on the rise with such an amazingly wonderful culture and creative kitchen staff,” Martin said in an announcement posted on Le Grand’s Facebook page. “What attracted me to this position was the opportunity to draw out their talents every day while showcasing the bounty of our locally stocked raw bar and traditional French menu offerings.”

Le Grand says Furst will continue to work the kitchen, and that Martin will build on the founder’s philosophy of locally sourced seasonal menus with dishes made from scratch. Le Grand is designed as an authentic French bistro with honest, well-prepared food, and includes a charcuterie program and bread baked twice daily in a central hearth oven.

Martin has more than 13 years experience, serving at Bis for more than five years and before that was sous chef at BluWater Bistro. He has also served in various positions from line cook to executive chef at restaurants in the Port Townsend area.

He wants Le Grand kitchen’s to serve as a place for young cooks to learn and train and his goal is to create a mentoring atmosphere.