The C Word
How Culture connects cuisine in Bellingham, WA.
Written by Tayler Robertson
Driving in the city of Bellingham, there are multiple sites to see. Handfuls of quaint, local shops selling homemade goods grace every corner, along with beautiful views of both Lake Whatcom and Lake Padden, and of course, multiple hiking trails.
Some may call Bellingham a “college town” with the numerous colleges in the area, such as Western Washington University, Bellingham Technical College and Whatcom Community College. While those sound like great adventures to explore, where is all the food?
While Bellingham has multiple fast food options and tons of burger joints, let’s get out of our comfort zone and try different foods from other cultures. No, pizza doesn’t count and is also not necessarily Italian. Though American pizza has similarities to Italian pizza, they are also extremely different. Toppings may vary. Pineapple is not an option. Look to Google for more answers.
It is tough to try new foods in an unfamiliar area; that’s called neophobia, the reluctance to try new things. If you are looking to explore, the article “Academicians’ Attitude towards ‘New Foods,’” sums it up best: “When individuals are exposed to the culture of different countries and various ethnicities, it causes them to adopt new kinds of food more easily.”
What do you think will happen if, little by little, you take steps to get outside of your comfort zone? Let’s start by trying a familiar cuisine.
The city of Bellingham is home to about 11 different Italian restaurants. Only two offer authentic menus without providing classic American-influenced Italian dishes such as spaghetti and meatballs or chicken alfredo. Storia Cucina and Bar Cicotti offer meals from the heart and passed down recipes of the owner, Jonathan Cicotti. The menus from both restaurants are designed so that each item pairs well with each other.
If you’re looking for a place that caters to Italian coffee, wine and plenty of delicious appetizers, Bar Cicotti is the place for you. The small cafe near the Whatcom Museum is bursting with the incredible aroma of coffee beans and the sound of intimate conversations the minute you open the door, a nod to cafes you may find in Italy.
Want a full Italian meal along with multiple drink options? Try Storia Cucina, just down the street from Bar Cicotti. Try going on a Friday night to experience the lively crowd and idolize the giant wall of alcohol that one can only wish graced the walls of their home. By the way, the off-menu espresso martini is to die for.
Both restaurants are from the mind of Jonathan Cicotti. Growing up on Lopez Island, surrounded by fresh produce and a farm-to-table lifestyle, Jonathan realized how much joy working with food brought him. This passion inspired him to go to culinary school and start working alongside chefs to expand his palate in the challenging industry. Home is where the heart is, and his heart consists of his adorable niece and family, so Jonathan opened up shop in Bellingham to be closer to his relatives on Bainbridge Island.
Jonathan grew up with a family who loved cooking and eating together, and he remembers who inspired him the most regarding food with a sparkle in his brown eyes.
“My Italian grandfather, Mario Cicotti, always taught me about food. We were always cooking or making the sauce or taking us out to eat at Italian restaurants, and he would have me try a little bit of the wine when I was young. He was never afraid to order something and try it.”
Jonathan’s favorite pasta from Storica Cucina is the pappardelle bolognese. The specific dish is a family recipe that uses simple, delicious ingredients. The tender pappardelle pasta gets covered in a rich, meaty tomato sauce with beef and pork topped with nutty parmigiana. This dish holds a special place in Jonathan’s heart as it is from a region close to where his family roots are, a little town near Bologna, Italy, which is 5,413 miles from Bellingham.
“It’s important to me as a chef to keep these recipes going and train the young cooks in my kitchens and show them these techniques that have been around for years and years, so they don’t get lost through the generations,” Jonathan said.
Are you heading over to Bar Cicotti? Don’t forget to bring friends for a nightcap; they’ll love the Grande Platter. a cheese, salumi, nut and fruit board paired with a bottle of wine and friends, which creates the best happy hour according to Jonathan.
When looking at the menu, don’t be alarmed at the thought of white anchovies. In fact, Jonathan encourages people to try them, though be warned, that dish is for true foodies — people who desire to step outside of their comfort zones and are looking to try something new.
Moving on from familiar to a bit more peculiar for someone wanting to get out of their comfort zone. Let’s explore a side dish hailing in from a country that is 5,172 miles away from Bellingham. Can you take a guess?
If you’ve ever been to the Bellingham Farmers Market, chances are you have passed a bright yellow sign with the bright pink pig nose on it labeled Buuchan Eats multiple times.
Amidst the crowded walkways filled with wandering eyes, humming of eager customers, and the smell of hot and fresh pretzels, this shop holds the trendy side dish known as kimchi, which contains many health benefits and is seen on the table of many Korean homes when food is served.
This dish is popular in Korean barbecue restaurants or Korean restaurants in general as a part of banchan, or a side dish, on the table. Kimchi, the national dish of South Korea, is fermented vegetables made with ingredients like sugar, salt, salted shrimp paste, Korean chili flakes, garlic and scallions. Don’t be fooled by the elements; once a person tastes it, one realizes the hold of a spicy, yet sour, surprisingly not fishy umami bomb has on them, and they’ll be sold on kimchi forever. The savory, crunchy and potent-smelling dish can be eaten in multiple ways. Just be sure to crack open a window and have the air freshener handy.
Buuchan offers various versions of kimchi such as radish, cucumber, and the most well-known version, cabbage. Some people may enjoy the cabbage version in kimchi fried rice or kimchi-jjigae, a kimchi stew; most people want the side dish simply served cold with fresh, hot white rice.
Rika Wong, the owner and kimchi-maker of Buuchan, opened the shop in January of 2021 to change the Asian food scene after working at a restaurant where she realized not much of the food was homemade.
“I realized that nobody here was selling authentic homemade kimchi,” Rika said. “We used to have a producer in Bellingham about five years ago. Other than myself and another shop, nobody here makes that.”
Though Rika is half Japanese and half Chinese, watching multiple Korean dramas inspired her to step out of her comfort zone and make various banchan dishes while learning more about the culture. To test the waters, she started to make kimchi as a hobby, only sharing the treasured recipe with friends and family members until the shop took off and began to sell at the Bellingham Farmers Market.
Like Jonathan, Rika also pays homage to her family within her shop. Buuchan is a Japanese word for “little piggy,” hence the snout seen on the packaging for the brand, and was the nickname of her grandmother, who inspired her love of food and its power to bring people together.
That inspiration pours out of Rika; she hopes to understand better what authenticity tastes like through ingredients and traditional preparation methods.
“You can learn to recognize it by tasting foods alone and paying attention to the flavors they give off. You should first learn to appreciate each of these tastes for what they are.”
Think of exploring food as learning how to ride a bike, slowly starting to get comfortable with the training wheels. When it’s time to take them off, you’ll hauling ass to every restaurant in town. Don’t forget to take people with you and, most importantly, enjoy your food, one bite at a time.