Bad Chancla, good talk: Chef José Garzón brings Latin flavor and ‘stories through food’ to E Olive Way

Chef José Garzón is more than just a culinary master; he’s a storyteller whose dishes weave tales of culture, tradition, and personal history. As the concept generator of Garzon, Chifa Baby, Lola Supperclub, and, now, Bad Chancla on E Olive Way below The Reef pot shop, Garzón’s journey from musician to well loved chef is a testament to his passion for food and community.

Having played in bands from Sunset Lily to MxPx, Garzón has traveled around the world playing music and eating street food. Each of Chef Garzón’s culinary ventures offers a unique dining experience that reflects his diverse background and culinary influences. From his celebration of Latin American street food to Lola Supperclub’s homage to his beloved caretaker in Ecuador, Garzón’s menus are a fusion of flavors and narratives.
Joining with other local chefs, Garzon is hoping to be a part of the change in Seattle’s kitchen culture “the kitchen scene or whatever you want to call it. It’s so different these days. And a lot of people will tell you, it’s bad, but I think it’s great. It’s growing and it’s healthier. You know, chefs and management now care about days off. We care about your well being.” Continue reading

Seattle City Council land use committee pulls an unusual move — voting no

In a rejection rare for the body, the Seattle City Council’s land use committee Wednesday failed to pass legislation to launch a new Connected Communities pilot program in the city dedicated to creating 35 “community-led” affordable housing developments over the next five years.

Committee chair and bill sponsor Tammy Morales can still bring the proposal to the full council but it will carry the rare — and likely doomed — “do not pass” recommendation from her committee after Wednesday 1-3 vote.

The Seattle council’s procedures in recent years rarely resulted in the outright rejection of legislation at the scale of the proposed pilot — especially when carried forward by the chair. But the new council has been more likely to vote against bills under the leadership of council president Sara Nelson. Continue reading

911 | Harvard Market overdose death, Madison Park Wells Fargo hold-up, slow truck chase arrest, Cal Anderson off-leash ‘brawl’

See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt/Signal (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS 911 coverage here. Hear sirens and wondering what’s going on? Check out Twitter reports from @jseattle or join and check in with neighbors in the CHS Facebook Group.

  • Shopping center overdose death: Seattle Fire says it was unable to revive a man found unresponsive after a reported fentanyl overdose at the Harvard Market shopping center at Broadway and Pike Tuesday morning. SFD says its crews attempted CPR on the 41-year-old but were not successful and he was declared dead at the scene. Fire Chief Harold Scoggins has said the department currently responds to around 15 drug overdoses a day driven by a surge in fentanyl use. King County is adding treatment facilities, and relaunching its Seattle sobering center to take on the crisis. Continue reading

Chicago-based dental startup Dentologie puts teeth in expansion with planned Capitol Hill location

The Lincoln Park location (Image: Dentologie)

(Image: Dentologie)

The next startup ready to experiment with retail and service concepts on the densely populated blocks of Capitol Hill hopes to give the neighborhood’s busy young renters something to smile about.

Dentologie, a Chicago-based dental services startup backed and fronted by former Redbox CEO Gregg Kaplan, is making Seattle its first expansion market beyond the Windy City with plans for a new office amid the restaurants and shops of Capitol Hill’s very walkable Melrose Ave. Continue reading

Council committee to decide on Connected Communities pilot program and 35 ‘community-led’ affordable housing developments

The Seattle City Council’s land use committee is expected to make a decision Wednesday afternoon whether the city should launch a new pilot program linking community organizations with developers to create affordable “equitable development” in neighborhoods across the city. The program could help organizations like Habitat for Humanity or El Centro de la Raza more easily develop affordable housing projects on their Seattle properties.

Committee chair and legislation sponsor Tammy Morales calls the proposed Connected Communities pilot a “win-win” and highlighted the bill’s potential for streamlining a cumbersome process for community groups.

“The fact is many community-based organizations are seeking opportunities to help build affordable housing and develop vital commercial spaces and third places,” Morales said in an announcement of the planned Wednesday vote. “We just need to get out of their way. This legislation does that by cutting red tape and onerous regulations,” Continue reading

If they can turn Seattle’s old Bed Bath & Beyond into a new arts center, just think what they can do with the shuttered Capitol Hill Amazon Fresh

The old Value Village building was temporarily used as a pop-up arts and gathering space

With Capitol Hill suddenly faced with an empty 8,000-square-foot grocery, here is hope for filling some of the neighborhood’s most gaping retail holes with life and activity. The Capitol Hill and First Hill-connected producers behind Bumbershoot have announced they will put downtown’s emptied Bed Bath & Beyond into motion as Cannonball Arts, hosting everything from art exhibits, to concerts, to fashion shows when it opens in spring 2025.

New Rising Sun, now signed up to produce Bumbershoot for the next decade under a leadership group including Steven Severin of Neumos and Life on Mars, and Greg Lundgren of First Hill’s shuttered Museum of Museums and sorely missed Vito’s, announced plans for the new venue and said they are ready to get to work creating two stories of contemporary and performing arts space in the former 3rd Ave store.

“Cannonball Arts gives Bumbershoot a year-round platform to celebrate the wealth of creativity that calls the Pacific Northwest home,” Lundgren, co-producer and creative director of the organization, said. “It is ambitious in scale and scope, will contribute to the revitalization of downtown Seattle, and train the next generation of makers, producers and curators using Cannonball Arts as classroom.” Continue reading

Seattle Community Police Commission to hold community meeting on new police union contract

The Seattle Community Police Commission will hold a community meeting next week as it calls for holding strong on accountability measures in the city’s labor agreement with the Seattle Police Officers Guild.

“Stronger accountability standards create the conditions and opportunity to improve the relationship and trust between SPD officers and the community,” CPC chairs Rev. Patricia Hunter, Joel Merkel, and Rev. Harriett Walden wrote in a letter, below, on the negotiations. “Seattle deserves a police department that shares its values, and officers deserve the opportunity to earn the community’s trust and respect.”

The CPC says the city’s 2017 police accountability ordinance was gutted in the previous rounds of deals with the city’s police officer union. Continue reading

RapidRide G will do a lot of things — but it won’t have the 14th and Madison crossing bell

It is a tiny thing in the scheme of things of 2.4 miles of new bus stops, transit priority, new crosswalks, and better sidewalks. Enjoy it while you can. Unlike other crosswalks in Seattle, 14th and Madison has a vintage bell that rings when it is time to cross the street, but as the city works to finish the RapidRide G project and increase pedestrian safety through initiatives like creating lead time intervals for pedestrians and full-way crosswalks, the old bell — maybe the last of its kind on Capitol Hill — won’t remain for much longer.

“We will be replacing old equipment and modernizing the traffic signal to meet federal standards for ADA accessible crossings,” Ethan Bergerson, press secretary for SDOT, told CHS.

Once installed, the new crosswalk button will trigger an electronic voice message when it is safe to cross the street. The button will also vibrate for individuals who cannot hear the spoken message or see the walk symbol. The intersection will continue to have automatically displayed head-start walk signals.

“The new signal will also prioritize buses to help RapidRide G and other bus routes move through the intersection efficiently and reliably,” Bergerson said. Continue reading

Hollingsworth amendment for Seattle Transportation Plan focuses on Lake Washington Blvd safety

(Image: City of Seattle)

A Seattle City Council committee Tuesday morning will take up a handful of amendments including a proposal from District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth as it finalizes the city’s new long-term transportation plan.

CHS reported here on the proposed 20-year transportation plan for transit, street, sidewalk, and bridge projects across Seattle that will serve as the framework for the city’s planned transportation levy renewal.

Tuesday, the committee could move the plan forward to a full council vote after debate on a roster of amendments including downtown representative Bob Kettle’s push to remove funding from the so-called “Pike Place Event Street project” and amendments that seek to help better address the estimated 27% of Seattle streets that do not currently have sidewalks. Continue reading

Madison Valley down a vegan joint as Araya’s Place moves out, Hanuman Thai Cafe moves in

Araya’s ube soft crystal dessert (Image: Araya’s Place)

Once of Central Seattle’s dedicated vegan eateries is gone.

Araya’s Place Madison shut down as it reached its tenth year in Madison Valley last month.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support over the past decade,” a message posted by the vegan Thai family of restaurants reads. “It has been an incredible journey serving you at Araya’s place in Madison.” Continue reading