Chef Martin Victor Hahn

Chef Martin Victor Hahn, CCE, CCC, is part of a five generation restaurant family. Grandson of famed Seattle restaurateur Victor Manca he prepared his first professional recipe, house vinaigrette, at the age of eight for Grandpa at Manca’s Café. His pay was one dish of lime sorbet. Chef Martin worked his way through college as a chef and assistant manager of various restaurants for another famed Seattle Restaurateur Ivar Haglund. In 1963 as an eighteen year old assistant to Head Chef Robert Lam he participated in the only national American Culinary Federation conference ever to be held in Seattle. He has had a stint working in the public school system, work with Fritz Streff of Chez Panisse, studied at The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone School, worked with French Chef Michel Gerard and TV chef Graham Kerr. He opened a small Bistro of his own in the mid-1970’s. His Black Swan Café has been labeled by many local food critics as a pioneer of Northwest Cuisine. Chef Hahn was one of the first to use and promote fresh local products prepared with classical-based principles. He helped in the 1970’s to introduce the use of Penn Cove Mussels, local Chanterelles and Morels, locally raised grass-fed beef and the purchasing of products directly from the local farmer. His pioneering work resulted in local and national recognition. He was voted a top chef of Washington State in 1990 by The Seattle Weekly, received a “Best of 1988” award from Food and Wine magazine, was one of three chefs featured in Bon Appetite’s 1986 story on “Northwest Cuisine” and has had articles or recipes published in Gourmet and “La Cucina Italiana” magazines.

Since 1996 Chef Hahn has been an instructor and co-department head at Skagit Valley College’s Culinary Arts Program where he has mentored and coached numerous students to individual and team culinary medals. During his teaching tenure he has received two “Exceptional Faculty Awards” and in 2000 received the prestigious NISOD award as Technical/Professional teacher of the year.