Roza Baklanova Loves the Pike Place Market

Photo by Leslie Kelly

Rozalia Baklanova loves the guys at City Fish.

SW: When did you move to Seattle?

Roza: I came here from Russia in 1995 from a city called Perm, near the Ural Mountains. My sister was here first. She and I opened Café Yarmika one month after I came here. I was there for a long time. My sister became a nurse and moved to Hawaii. I was running it by myself for seven years. Sometimes working seven days a week, sometimes 10 hours a day. It was too much. I needed to do something different.

SW: Your food was so good. You made your own pierogi, right?

Roza: Pierogi, peroski, borscht, cabbage rolls.

SW: Are those dishes difficult to make?

Roza: No, it's like home cooking. But it takes time because we did everything from scratch. Dough, everything.

SW: How long have you been at Pike Place Chowder?

Roza: I start in March. I was walking through the Market and Michelle, the manager, asked me to come work here. She said I could work mornings. I missed being at the Market. Now people come and stick their head in door and say hi Rosa. My old customers see me and say "Now, we will eat chowder." We have a good team here. We never fight. We never scream. I like the kids who work here. I am the oldest. They call me Mama. Mama Rosa.

SW: Who taught you to cook?

Roza: My mom. We were five kids. I think it's in your blood. My grandmother cooked. My mother cooked. My kids cook. In Russia, everybody knows how to make pelmeni, like ravioli.

SW: What do you cook at home?

Roza: Russian food. I made borscht yesterday. I have my friends come over, some of them used to be my customers. They say they miss my borscht. They miss my cabbage rolls. One of my customers ask me "Can you show me how to make stuffed peppers?" Yeah, no problem. She wanted to pay me and I said no.

Photo by Leslie Kelly

Roza's to-do list at Pike Place Chowder.

Roza: Normally, we have eight soups. Today, I made six. Everyday, I make 36 gallons of clam chowder. Seafood bisque I make everyday. I make smoked salmon chowder everyday. I just finished making vegan chowder. That will last three days. Last one I make today is Market chowder. We use what is fresh. Today, I'm going to use mussels and clams. We have a chicken chowder for people who don't want fish. It's good.

Read part two of our Grillaxin Q&A with Rozalia Baklanova when she talks about some of her favorite places to eat in the Market.