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Coyote Creek Pizza Co.
Coyote Creek Pizza producs prolific pies
By Seanna Browder, Correspondent
Never underestimate the influence of a mother.
For Bill Tamiesie, his mother and the famous Italian cook Marcella Hazan are the biggest inspirations behind his creative cuisine at Coyote Creek Pizza Co.
The new pizzeria on Kirkland's Central way boasts a menu of fresh herbs, gourmet cheeses and pesto sauces. Nothing could be further from Domino's than Coyote Creek.
The exciting food fare is a reflection of Tamiesie's 25 years of experience in the restaurant business. He is a veteran of Hot Lips pizza, famous among the corporate types in downtown Seattle. He also helped open Big Time Pizza in Redmond.
His goal is to combine "the good earth in a simple format" like Marcella Hazan. He uses the freshest ingredients possible and tries to create everything in the confines of his kitchen.
Good food and cooking is in Tamiesie's blood. While the rest of us were eating tuna casserole, Tamiesie dined on salmon loaf. His mother would let him operate the Sunbeam mixer while she made cakes or soufflés. He and his two sisters would do the prep work for Thanksgiving feasts.
Now he can showcase his experience and talent at Coyote Creek. Tamiesie and his partners Laura and Steve Brodniak opened the casual dining spot just three months ago after a year of preparation.
"Starting the business was a challenge for me," said Steve Brodniak. "Building a pizza is Bill's thing."
And that is how their partnership works. While Tamiesie creates in the kitchen, Brodniak runs the business. Together they complement each other like mozzarella, the basic pizza cheese, and fontina, the pungent cheese that gives the pie its kick.
Brodniak comes from a strong finance background. He was an executive with First Interstate Bank for 25 years and holds a master's in finance. But when First Interstate Bank decided to consolidate its operations, Brodniak was let go.
Unemployment is a powerful motivation, Brodniak admitted. He and Tamiesie talked about opening a restaurant for a couple of years. But for Brodniak, it was just going to be an investment while he had a "real job."
Opening up Coyote Creek has been more job than Brodniak bargained. He has worked non-stop for a year to get the place ready. He secured financing, the location, and the licenses for Coyote Creek.
He also was the resident handyman who laid the floor, built the pine counter and painted the walls so the storefront on Central Way would boast a unique atmosphere when customers stepped inside.
His wife, Laura, was the driving force behind the Southwest theme. The walls are painted a sunny yellow with indigo blue trim. The tablecloths are hand-painted with Indian motifs. And decorating the walls is a series of amusing paintings of a coyote in search of the perfect pizza.
The name Coyote Creek is a case of hard work and luck, like most good things. The Brodniaks and Tamiesie thought at first they wanted an Italian name for their special spot. They drew up a list of 50 names and had their circles of friends vote on it. Nothing was a standout, besides Italian names are hard to pronounce, Brodniak said.
So one night, they got together and drank some wine while contemplating the name. Outside of the Brodniak's Juanita home, there was a coyote and the bottle of wine was "something" Creek. The rest is history.
The name fits the place. Together the trio has created an atmosphere that is both sophisticated yet casual. It's a place where you can bring the kids and still enjoy a good wine list. The prices are reasonable but you could bring Alice Waters here and not apologize.
Alice Waters is the chef at Chez Panisse, the Berkeley restaurant that elevated pizza to a gourmet experience. Coyote Creek follows that direction with menu items like the Texas Fajita, a pizza pie that combines chile sauce with marinated chicken, red peppers, jalapenos, and onions.
Or there is the Northwest Delight with roasted hazelnuts, mushrooms, green apples and red onions.
And there is still the standard fare of cheese and pepperoni pizza. After working a year on the menu, there are just a few changes expected in the upcoming months. There may be a dessert item added and Tamiesie hopes to expand into pasta. Coyote Creek will also feature a fresh food board where daily specials will be posted.
"What's special about this place is what comes out of the ovens," Tamiesie said.
