Chef Omar Anzaldua brings Bellingham’s seasonal bounty to morning TV. When Chef Omar Anzaldua took over the KING 5 cooking counter this spring, he didn’t just bring a recipe — […]
Chef Omar Anzaldua brings Bellingham’s seasonal bounty to morning TV.
When Chef Omar Anzaldua took over the KING 5 cooking counter this spring, he didn’t just bring a recipe — he brought a postcard from Bellingham Bay. In a warm, fast-moving segment, the chef of Lighthouse Bar & Grill at Hotel Bellwether showed viewers how a single pan can capture an entire season.
The dish: a pan-fried gnocchi with spring vegetables in sage brown butter. Pillowy gnocchi, crisped in butter for a golden crust, meets tender asparagus, shiitake and oyster mushrooms, and blistered cherry tomatoes — all finished with a drizzle of parsley oil. “Always season while you’re cooking,” Chef Anzaldua and the host agreed.
Seasonality is the throughline at Lighthouse Bar & Grill. Chef Anzaldua changes the menu depending on the season, always reaching for the freshest local produce. Spring means asparagus and wild mushrooms. It also means the start of halibut season, and he offered a preview of a hazelnut-crusted halibut served with broccolini, wild mushrooms, and crispy potato curls.
Chef Anzaldua’s passion for the craft is hard-won. He started as a dishwasher at 16 and has spent 26 years working his way up through professional kitchens. That dedication lands on every plate.
And the setting? Hotel Bellwether isn’t just a place to eat — it’s a staycation in its own right. The property features a newly renovated lighthouse that Chef Anzaldua calls the only lighthouse in the United States where you can actually sleep overnight. For those driving up from the south, he enjoys skipping the freeway and taking the scenic Chuckanut Drive on SR 11 — winding through trees and along the coast before arriving in Bellingham.
Catch the full segment on KING 5 — then come taste spring for yourself.
