Like many eventual chefs, South Perry Lantern executive chef Alex Szambelan got his start in the culinary industry as a teenager washing dishes. One day, when a snowstorm prevented staff from arriving for a catering gig in his hometown of Colfax, Szambelan took control of both the dining room and kitchen, cobbling together a big spread that stunned the chef when he finally arrived. Szambelan was 14, but already seemed to have a knack for running things.
After high school, Szambelan pursued hospitality business management at Washington State University, yet struggled with the program, so he switched to criminal justice and political science. Again, however, he ended up in a culinary role, this time with WSU Catering while eking out a general studies degree.
After WSU, Szambelan entered Spokane Community College's Inland Northwest Culinary Academy, where he excelled. While a student, Szambelan was also hired as an overnight baker for the Davenport Hotels, and pitched in at other kitchen stations there. His strong work ethic and focus paid off, and he was made lead garde-manger in charge of cold foods.
After graduation, Szambelan moved to Colorado to take a junior sous chef job at The Broadmoor Hotel, a luxury resort with 17 distinct food venues. His tenure there was cut short by COVID-19 in early 2020, so an overworked, burned-out Szambelan returned to Spokane, ready to forgo a culinary career if it meant a better work-life balance.
As it turned out, the industry still wanted him. Even though he was applying for anything but cooking jobs, a friend recommended Szambelan send in his résumé to Jeremy Tangen, who had bought and was remodeling the space formerly known as The Lantern. In July 2021 Szambelan took the reins of the revamped space with a menu that balances comfort foods, classics and pan-ethnic cuisine.
INLANDER: When did you know you wanted to become a chef?
SZAMBELAN: WSU doesn't contract out their food service like most places, so I got hired to work for their catering company while I was in school. And I just haven't found anything that I enjoyed studying in school as much as I did going into work [in culinary] every day.
Who is one chef you look up to?
For how little I cooked when I grew up, my parents are still amazed that I do this. Apparently my great-grandfather was cook for a lumber camp or something like that back in the day. So again, that must be where it came from. But I would say probably the one person who had pushed me the most in this direction would be Greg Blanchard, who is the chef at the catering company I worked for at WSU.
Favorite kitchen gadget?
The multitool I carry that's got the screwdriver, pliers... a Leatherman. It's like, I need a screwdriver almost every other day. And I've always been a handy person. I like doing my own maintenance. And I like fixing my own things at home. But you know what, you need to open a bottle — you got it. If you need a knife to just... you've got it.
What's your favorite thing to eat from your own menu?
OK, I really, really like ramen, and I spent a lot of time getting this one right. We do a tonkatsu-style, so it's overnight boiled, like a 12-hour boil. We use beef instead of pork, but I get in, you know, 50 pounds of beef bones every week, roast them off, blanche them in water, and then they boil. We're talking mushrooms and roasted onions overnight, and then we season it with a classic season paste in the bottom and then put the stock over that.
Favorite guilty pleasure?
Truthfully, the worst thing that I probably eat at night way too often is McDonald's. It comes down to what's open when I work into the morning or really late at night. Either that or [a quesadilla] from Taco Bell. That's one thing that I've found with most chefs that I've worked with is we all barely cook at home and just grab crap food on the way, or you microwave a pizza or get a sandwich out of the deli at Safeway.
One place you'd travel to just for the food?
New York, but also France. I like classic French. Charcuterie!
Name one restaurant in the Inland Northwest you return to over and over again.
My favorite place when I was living here before Colorado was Ruins [when it was on Monroe Street]. I mean, if I could afford to, I'd probably go to Gander [and Ryegrass] a lot more often.
What is the hardest thing about your job?
Staying staffed right now, because I'd never had to worry about it before. Jeremy hired me, and now suddenly I have to control for labor and food costs and all that kind of stuff.
How would you describe the regional food scene?
It's surprising Spokane was, and still kind of is, such a meat-and-potatoes town. Like, everybody just wants a burger or pot roast. But it has expanded so much from that. And it's surprising to see this undercurrent of foodies here that you just didn't see until these restaurants started to pop up. And then it was like, 'Oh, we can do crazy stuff now, because there's the market here for it.' ♦