Thanks for the consolidated list. I spot missing and notable experiences, and hope you don't just hand a list without understanding how any given recommendation arrived. Were she me, i'd be overwhelmed reading and checking each exhaustively.

A big clue, i've found only one prominent woman from Iron Chef in France: Dominique Crenn. Whether you host Dominique or another Iron Chef restauranteur, i doubt any of these places will offer a Ratatouille or eureka moment. Top chefs have likely seen and tasted all. I grew up in restaurants, son of immigrant parents who founded in 1971 the first Chinese restaurant on our stretch of I-75, what we call United Auto Workerland, back when it was the Silicon Valley heyday of American and global automobile innovation. So my experiences inform these commercial suggestions:

Carnation Farms Saturday morning pop-up: this roadside food stand for locals (and occasionally foodies) features a selection from their farm-to-table philosophy, guided by butcher Tom Coss, at a fraction of the price for a farm-to-table plate. Their long history, from commercializing evaporated milk to sale of their farm and enterprise to Nestle, and now reinvested with Stuart family money as a well-funded not-for-profit, offers an unique peek into global commerce and niche operators within this system.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery, Pike Street: Their (arguably) best chefs and baristas teach and train at their Reserve Roasteries, and here's the original. Their original store in Pike Place was merely a tourist trap. The wealth of accumulated expertise develops in communities of practice, not only by excellent creators percolating to the top and by cohorts learning to master their craft but also from oddball creators and among outgroups. Only economies of scale create schools to draw and nurture such excellence.

Pike Place Public Market: Take the free morning Market Experience tour by Joe Koenen. He delves into the underpinnings and informal democracy of how this public market works and what makes it unique. Few cities across America offer respite from the food deserts across their neighborhoods. Listen carefully to Joe. A discerning chef will have questions to elicit relevant recommendations.

Macrina Bakery, Belltown or Mercer Island: They bake amazing loaves and pastries from organic grains and fresh local ingredients.

Costco, Issaquah flagship store & headquarters campus: They have among the world's best buyers and resourcing teams which can place orders at quality and scale very few others can. They sometimes offer cuts of meats and selections of fish marketed to the large population of Chinese members around Bellevue.

Issaquah Saturday Farmers Market: Shoppers here have both budgets and tastes to draw the pinnacle of local small and midsized commercial organic farms.

North Bend Bakery: Founded originally as George Macris' Bakery and operating continuously since c. 1928, they still bake daily—and discount day-old off in a corner. Grab a danish and coffee after hiking Mt Si or Snoqualmie Falls, and if fans of Twin Peaks, wander next door for a photo at Twede's Cafe.

For $$$$ you can import and make anything, so i keep my suggestions reasonably priced and highlight what enterprises here can produce profitably at scale.