“The delicious and most nutrient-dense food is local and in-season,” Wendy Deaton of Wendy Simply Cooks says, explaining why her menu fluctuates with the seasons. She sees her menu as a way to educate her customers and make it easier for them to eat seasonally.  

Wendy’s passion for seasonal eating was sparked back in New York City, where she worked in upscale restaurants under Michelin-star chefs. She watched the chefs visit the local farmers markets and saw first-hand the difference that high-quality, seasonal ingredients can make in a dish.  

In 2020, the restaurant she had been working at closed down and Wendy decided to make a quick visit to her family in Seattle to get out of New York, where the pandemic was raging. A two-week visit turned into a month, and the month turned into six, as shutdowns continued and the pandemic showed no signs of stopping.  

Not knowing when she would be leaving Seattle, Wendy decided to start a business. Since so many people were newly working from home, her business plan was to deliver healthy, locally-sourced meal bowls to people across the city.  

Her biggest priority was to make plant-forward meals with seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms. Talking to Wendy, it is clear how much she cares about the quality and care put into every single dish. She developed a formula, to start with a grain and add flavors through vegetables, pickled and roasted.  

The business began to take off and Wendy decided to stay in Seattle. She made a quick trip back to New York to collect all of her things she had left behind and to say goodbye to the fast-paced restaurant industry that had taught her so much.  

One of the hardest things for Wendy to leave behind was the community she had found in the kitchens in New York. Going through crazy dinner rushes together was a bonding experience that her team would share, night after night. Now she’s building a different kind of community. 

When she started at the University District Farmers Market in the summer of 2022, it strengthened Wendy’s existing relationship with local farmers, and helped her build a community with her shoppers, which is one of her favorite things about her work.  

Back in New York, Wendy was working back-of-house and never got to see customer reactions and responses to the food she was working so hard to prepare for them. Now she gets to hear her customers’ stories about what they’re buying at the markets and who they’re bringing Wendy’s bowls home to. She gets to chat with farmers and ask them about the produce that they’re bringing to markets in the coming weeks. Being a small business allows Wendy to get involved and build relationships with people every step of the way.  

You can taste the care that Wendy puts into every dish at the University District and West Seattle Farmers Markets this weekend!