Going to the dentist or throwing a dinner party? Some people might choose the dentist because the latter option presents an altogether different kind of discomfort. For Wild Sage Bistro's executive chef Elijah Crume, though, the kitchen is his happy place, both at work and at home.
"I find it very relaxing and therapeutic," says Crume, who knows not everyone feels that way, however. "A lot of people stress out because they're probably following the recipe to a T and then like, 'Oh, I need this certain pot,'" he says.
For Crume, recipes are more like guidelines, he says, although he has the advantage of abundant culinary experience. In high school, he attended culinary classes at a Tri-Cities skill center. Then he worked in catering while saving money to move to Spokane. Even though he was accepted by such places as the Culinary Institute of America and Seattle Art Institute, Crume chose Spokane Community College's Inland Northwest Culinary Academy. He's never looked back.
In Spokane, Crume worked in kitchens with compelling concepts — Café Neo, Bin 9820, Café Marron, and Santé — that have since closed.
"I was at the wrong kitchen at the wrong time," says Crume, who found the right kitchen at Wild Sage, where he's been since 2010.
When he's not cooking, Crume entertains frequently in his downtown Spokane space, so he's a natural to provide Inlander Health & Home readers with an easy-yet-elegant approach to a three-course dinner party. Crume's inspirations include seasonal ingredients, especially produce, as well French cuisine.
In 2019, for example, Crume and his partner — she speaks fluent French — ate their way across France. A highlight was meeting celebrated French chef Alain Passard, whose Arpège restaurant has consistently ranked in the top 50 worldwide. The French chef invited Crume to visit the restaurant's gardens outside of Paris and cook alongside him the next time he was in the area, but the pandemic squelched those plans, Crume says.
"Passard ran a vegetarian menu for seven years in Paris and kept three Michelin stars the entire time," says Crume, adding that a place in New York, Eleven Madison Park, tried to go all-vegetarian but ran afoul of diners for its alleged food waste.
It's just a bit of culinary trivia but within five minutes of sitting down with Crume, he's mentioned prominent chefs, trends or restaurants in France, Atlanta, New York and Seattle. This is classic Crume, who stays current on what's happening elsewhere through both reading and travel. Upcoming trips include San Francisco, Mexico City and Japan.
Crume thinks some of the food in the Northwest is as good as one-star spots he's visited overseas, he says. "We just don't have that representation or that whole structure [of] Michelin stars. But we do have the James Beard, which is nice."
Maybe someday Crume will be among the growing list of local James Beard Foundation honorees, but until then, Crume and his culinary skills are ours to enjoy at Wild Sage.
