On Food: Get a seat at the tables of these promising chefs while you can

We make a lot of lists this time of year, reviewing the big events of 2007 and the exciting things we expect to come.

		Gilbert W. Arias / P-I
	Multitalented, self-taught chef Lorna Yee pops up all over the Seattle food scene. One night she might be cooking at the private dinner club Cache, the next day taking first prize in a Salumi contest.

On the food watch list, there's the new place coming from the post-Herbfarm Jerry Traunfeld. And there's the question of how Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi will do in their own restaurant, Joule, after their fascinating Northwest debut at Coupage.

But the names of three lesser-known chefs also emerge: Dana Cree, Neil Robertson and Lorna Yee.

Serendipity struck when I saw all three work together last month at a Cooks for Books event, creating pastries in honor of dessert goddess Alice Medrich.

I suggest seeking out their food because I predict all three will take us to some delicious places. Get a seat at the table while you still can.

I gave Veil restaurant a lukewarm review last year, but the news that Cree (nee Bickford) signed on as pastry chef makes me champ at the bit to try it anew. Cree -- whose training includes the Fat Duck, WD-50 and Lampreia -- applies pure heart, analytical curiosity and extreme talent to her delicious and original desserts. If you can't taste them firsthand at Veil (555 Aloha St.), Cree's thoughts on developing recipes and working in the restaurant industry can be found on tastingmenu.org.

Robertson just returned to town after an intense course of study at the French Pastry School in Chicago, followed by stints at some of the fanciest kitchens in Las Vegas (and that's saying a lot) -- Bellagio, Joel Robuchon at the Mansion and Restaurant Guy Savoy. Robertson recently won the job of first pastry chef at Canlis (2576 Aurora Ave. N.).

		Gilbert W. Arias / P-I
	Back in town after studying at the French Pastry School in Chicago, Neil Robertson landed a coveted job as first pastry chef at Canlis.

"We scoured the country, and interviewed folks from all over, and it's a pretty intense process," said Mark Canlis.

"And we really liked what we saw." Look for Robertson's original creations on the Canlis menu in months to come.

Look anywhere in the Seattle food scene, and Yee's name pops up. The multitalented self-taught cook might be cooking at Cache, the private dinner club where she's a co-host, with features such as a "Praise the Lard" dinner that includes crunchy crepinettes on potato galette and chive creme fraiche, and a dessert of homemade bacon brittle maple ice cream. Her prosciutto took first prize at Salumi's salami contest -- the first time she had tried curing meat -- and she writes about food for Seattle magazines. If there's such a thing as a Renaissance food geek, she's it.

At the Cooks and Books event, the three chefs created or adapted dishes from Alice Medrich's new book, "Pure Dessert" (Artisan, $35). Here's the recipe for Sour Cream Ice Cream, which Robertson served in little cones.

SOUR CREAM ICE CREAM
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

• 2 cups sour cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk