Garrett, who was born in Steilacoom, WA, returned to his hometown to open his restaurant. “The phrase “grow where you are planted” has always appealed to me. When I’m not at home, I daydream about the forests of Washington. The aroma of the woods pervades your being.” Garrett turned the old post office in town into a restaurant. In the restaurant’s doorway, he has a rotating exhibit of local and seasonal cuisine exhibited in antique post office boxes.

His work is part of the burgeoning Slow Food Movement, a philosophy and practice centered on local food. Its followers want to be the polar opposite of quick food. Garrett is a well-known forager who is well-versed in Washington’s land and terrain. In the kitchen, he rose to popularity by employing French methods on local Washington foods.