Chef Lisa Dupar, Owner, Lisa Dupar Catering and Pomegranate Bistro Restaurant, Seattle, Washington
For over 25 years, Seattle caterer Lisa Dupar has earned an unparalleled reputation for fresh creations, refined service and personalized event planning; whether catering a dinner party for eight people or an event for 600. Owner of two multi-award winning Redmond, Washington based businesses, Lisa Dupar Catering and Pomegranate Bistro restaurant, her team is renowned for providing the finest Pacific Northwest and internationally-inspired cuisine. With the November, 2010 release of her cookbook, Fried Chicken & Champagne: A Romp Through The Kitchen at Pomegranate Bistro, Lisa shares both hometown and haute recipes drawn from her culinary life. Lisa found her passion for food while growing up in her Atlanta, Georgia family home. Her mother, not interested in cooking, offered Dupar a compromise – she would clean, if Lisa would cook. From that moment, a career was launched. Following high school, she started a culinary apprenticeship at the Westin Hotel’s Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta. Three years later, at age 25, Lisa continued her training in Zurich, Switzerland. While abroad, she cooked for several top rated European restaurants, before returning back to the states in 1981.
She was drawn to Seattle when a position at the Westin’s elegant Palm Court Restaurant opened up, becoming the hotel chain’s first female chef. In 1984, Lisa left to open her first restaurant, Southern Accents which focused on the food she loved from her upbringing in the South. Shortly thereafter, she started Lisa Dupar Catering, with the goal of providing stylish restaurant-quality food at catered events. Over the ensuing years, she has had the privilege of cooking for many noteworthy clientele including: Martha Stewart, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Julia Child, Bill & Melinda Gates, President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Sophia Lauren, to name a few. In 2005, Lisa and husband Jonathan Zimmer opened Pomegranate Bistro – a sassy neighborhood restaurant, with the concept of providing locals with fresh, casual, comfort food and a fantastic hand-picked wine list.
Both businesses have garnered numerous accolades. Among the most recent, Lisa was named one of the “Top 25 National Trendsetters” by Modern Bride Magazine. Lisa Dupar Catering has won Seattle Bride’s “Best Caterer” award from 2005 – 2010, and has also been named “Best Caterer” by Seattle Magazine. Pomegranate Bistro has won Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence” from 2007 – 2010, Seattle Metropolitan’s “Best of Dining”, and Seattle Weekly’s “Best of Seattle” award.
Though Lisa loves her “play-time” in the kitchen, writing custom menus, and promoting her cookbook, she fantasizes about spending more time on the beach with her husband, four kids, and extended family in their South Carolina retreat home.