Porch Talk with Thysen Scott

by Donna Geer, Staff Writer

You might have heard about the famous ‘fall-off-the-bone’ ribs, or the Sweet Thai Chili Salmon, or the brats with a side of warm potato salad garnished with bacon. Maybe you’ve seen the cars lined up for curbside pick-up every Tuesday and Friday or attended a catered event at the Beach and Bay Clubs in Port Ludlow. Chances are you’ve eaten some of Thysen Scott’s food.

Thysen Scott at GBF Catering Photo by Samiah McKnight

Thysen and his wife Debi started GBF Catering, also known as God Bless Food Catering, in 2013. After a fortuitous floor installation, a sampling of Thysen’s cooking at Port Townsend Paper Company resulted in a catered Christmas party. At the time, Thysen was a master installer of flooring, having worked for Precision Floors in Oregon starting at the age of 15, Westport Yachts in Port Angeles, and Dana Point Interiors in Port Ludlow.

It was his wife’s idea to start gifting food samplers to his flooring clients once he’d finished a job. She already knew he was quite the cook – she’s been sampling his food since their first date in 2009. As GBF began to take root, Thysen perfected his recipes, cooking three to five different dishes at home every week for four years. They didn’t always turn out like he wanted, so he’d tweak the ingredients until he thought everything was perfect. He said his chocolate chip recipe probably took six years to master. Now he tries out new recipes on friends when they come to his house for Seattle Seahawks games. If they don’t like what he makes, he tweaks it. Sound familiar?

The guy’s not afraid to start over, not with recipes and not with his life. When he crossed the Hood Canal nineteen years ago and decided to try something different, the bridge was more than just a way to get across the water. For Thysen, it represented a new beginning, a new future. That’s when his whole life changed, when he met Debi, when he started his catering business, when he finally found his home.

He comes from a family history steeped in cooking. His grandfather started the Taco Time franchise, and his father owns seven restaurants in the Seattle area. Even his aunt has a large catering company in Tukwila. Thysen says he is known as the best cook in the family, often preparing dishes for family reunions. He helped out the family business for a while, but eventually, he wanted to do his own thing.

When I asked him how he met his wife, he laughed. Said it was a setup of sorts, but a long time in the coming. For six months, a friend of his tried to set him up with Debi, but Thysen didn’t have the nerve to do it. Finally, they happened to be in the same place at the same time, and they ended up talking for a few minutes. It was enough to get both of their attentions. They were a couple after that.

And look at what they’ve accomplished together with GBF. Thysen’s won so many Best Chef and Cook awards, it’s hard to count them. He’s been voted the #1 Chef in Jefferson County a number of times. I know one thing for sure. He’s probably the only guy who’s won an award for best floor covering and best chef in the same year. Who does that?

Thysen’s catered all kinds of events, like Dove House in Port Townsend, Young Life in Port Angeles, and ANA (Association of Naval) Aviation. He provides meals for Jerry Cantrall and his rock band Alice in Chains when they’re back home in Seattle. He delivers cookies, probably those famous chocolate chip cookies six years in the making, to Shinedown, another rock band, though this one’s from Jacksonville, FL. I’ve no idea how they met, but wow.

Thysen’s just a busy, busy guy. You can check out his website to see more of what he’s up to at gbfcatering.com. He also does group cooking classes and sometimes posts YouTube videos on what he’s making. I watched a video of him chopping a head of iceberg lettuce in less than thirty seconds without breaking any skin. It was wild to watch, and so I did – twice. He just laughs and says if he’s going to do something, he needs to be the best.

Now he’s thinking about creating a cookbook, sharing all those famous recipes with the public. He showed me his two handwritten recipe books, what he calls his holy grail. It’ll take some work to pare the recipes down to four-to-six servings, and he’ll probably have to include more directions for people like me who require more cooking instructions. Wouldn’t you like to get your hands on a cookbook like that?

Thysen wants to keep building, doing the best he can every single day he wakes up. He ministers through food, one plate at a time, donating 1700 meals last year. Everybody has to eat, he says, but it’s more than just the food. It’s about community.

He’s quite a humble guy. He credits his success to his wife Debi and his faith in God. In fact, that’s how he came up with the name God Bless Food Catering. He says God made the food; Thysen just puts it together.

Interested in swapping stories? Let’s sit on the porch, share a cup of coffee or tea, and have a conversation. Drop me a line at sports@plvoice.org. Looking forward to hearing from you!