Port Ludlow Yacht Club Women's Group

by Liz Healy, Women’s Group Co-Chair

While the club has written many articles for The Voice, I don’t know if any have covered the Women’s Group, which was established in 2006. Since then, we’ve organized annual fundraisers for local charities, donating over $130,000. We also plan events for the club women, usually about four a year.

In June, Women’s Group members took the Kingston foot ferry to Seattle to join Eat Seattle’s Pike Place Market food tour. We were not disappointed. 

Our chef-guide, Sylas, led us through Seattle’s top local eats and hidden gems. Because the Eat Seattle guides are chefs themselves, they bring insider culinary expertise and an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at Seattle’s vibrant food scene. We tasted some of the market’s best artisan foods while learning about the history and culture of Pike Place Market. Eat Seattle’s chef and owner, Liz Philpot, is a classically trained chef from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

For two hours, we cruised the market and tasted Pike Place Chowder clam chowder, Pizza & Pasta Bar pizza, Hellenika Cultured Creamery Greek gelato, Indi Chocolate chocolate chip cookies (best in the world, in my opinion), Mariscos Mexico tacos, Choice Produce fresh peaches, Totem Smokehouse smoked salmon, and El Mercado empanadas. Along the way, we visited the rooftop Secret Garden and cheered as one of our fellow tourists caught a flying fish at Pike Place Fish Market.

We ended at Fran’s Chocolates at the Four Seasons Hotel, the only five-star hotel in the state, where each of us received a box of four Fran’s favorites. Since we were already at the hotel needing a rest, we went inside, ordered a bottle of Argyle Brut, and proceeded to have a blast!

What a perfect way to end the most delicious day in Seattle. I’ve lived here for 46 years and, thanks to Sylas, discovered market gems I had never known. With the awesome waterfront renovation, the market has expanded and is better than ever.

Sylas also shared his knowledge of cookware, knives, sourcing the best products, and more. The Women’s Group will do this again. Walking tours are a perfect way to see and learn; each guide brings her or his own perspective to the subject.