By CHRISTINA HARPER
Herald Writer
‘Tis the season for weddings at the Bush House Country Inn in Index, where people from all across the country come to tie the knot and dip into the food delights of chef Cindy Roberson.
Roberson, 44, has built up wedding bookings in her seven years here with lots of hard work and fun. She and the staff at Bush House Country Inn, established in 1898, have had lots of unusual nuptial requests, but none they couldn’t handle.
"We do an anything-you-want kind of wedding," Roberson said.
Roberson makes motif wedding cakes from rodeo themes to formal creations, including one black three-tier cake with spiders and two skeletons on top. A recent Spanish-theme wedding meant everything was in red including the tablecloths and staff outfits.
Whether visitors are coming for a wedding or stopping in for breakfast, Roberson’s only concern is a satisfied customer.
"My greatest reward is to see how happy people are when they leave," Roberson said.
Her love of cooking came from her mother, an Italian cook who wouldn’t let her daughter work for her.
"I started as a dishwasher like everyone else," Roberson said with a smile.
Roberson’s mother planned her menus on a chalkboard and made her own bread and pies. Dinner at their home meant as many as 10 people, family and neighbors, who would come to sample the elder Roberson’s eight-course meals.
"I guess that inspired me to be a cook," Roberson said.
Eventually Roberson’s mother moved from Seattle to Sultan and was the cook at the Dutch Cup in Sultan for 14 years.
"She was an icon," Roberson said. "Everybody loved her in Sultan."
Early in her training, Roberson rubbed elbows with some great cooks with a sense of fun. The first chef she ever worked with had been a cook for Hugh Hefner for 15 years.
When it came to Halloween and Roberson had no costume, the chef gave her an original bunny outfit to wear.
"Someone picked the tail off," Roberson said.
She studied with many pastry chefs from different countries during her 11 years at the Four Seasons restaurant in Seattle.
Roberson also found herself the only woman among many men in what was at that time a male-dominated profession, she said.
It took Roberson years to gain the respect of the male chefs.
"I wouldn’t give up," she said.
Eventually she gained the acknowledgment she wanted, and left the Four Seasons with many awards to her credit. The training was tough, but that it made her the kind of chef she is today, Roberson said
She worked at many other jobs through the years, as a model, a photographer and a singer in local bands.
Coming to Index and working at the Bush House Country Inn was just what Roberson was looking for, she said, combining her love of art with being a chef.
During winter, when life at the inn is not so hectic, Roberson likes to create scenes to sell, some with waterfalls, from mosses, rocks and dried flowers. Some now decorate the offices of doctors and lawyers, she said.
Another favorite from her career is the gingerbread replica of the Bush House Country Inn that she made six years ago.
It’s exact, right down to the windows, carpets and roof, made of frosted Mini-Wheats, Roberson said.
"One of these days," she added, "I will enter it in Good Housekeeping" magazine’s specialty contest.
Cindy Roberson’s recipe for success
Her restaurant: The Bush House Country Inn, 300 Fifth St., Index; 360-793-2312.
Favorite food: Old-fashioned, country cooked foods.
Favorite kitchen tool: A 12-inch serrated cake knife, essential in making precise cuts and slices on pies, cakes and bread.
Favorite chef: Roberson says she owes all her skills to the chefs with whom she has worked.
Chef’s tip: When cooking poultry, Roberson brushes the bird with olive oil, then mixes Italian seasoning and sage to add on top.
Stuffed Flank Steak With Gravy
13-pound flank steak
1pound sage, rice or boxed stuffing, prepared
Gravy (recipe follows)
Fillet steak down the center. Spread stuffing evenly over the meat. Roll the meat tightly and tie with string. Roast in the oven in a bread pan at 400 degrees for 11/2 hours.
Gravy
Drippings from flank steak
2cups water
2tablespoons flour
1/2teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon white pepper
1/4teaspoon garlic
2cups beef stock
Put drippings from flank steak in a pot over high heat. Add water. Boil on medium high. Add flour and stir until smooth.
Turn heat to low and add salt, white pepper, garlic and beef stock. Whip until smooth.
When steak is done, slice into 1/2-inch slices to display spirals.
Lightly ladle gravy over the center of the flank steak. Serve with mashed potatoes.
– Cindy Roberson
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