Canlis seattle

Chris and Alice Canlis

A former Navy pilot and Stanford University graduate, Chris Canlis brings to the restaurant a sense of tradition, success, and order. While his father and Canlis founder Peter was quite a showman, Chris prefers an understated approach to running a fine dining restaurant. Says Chris, “At Canlis I want the food and the service and the guests to take center stage. My role is to orchestrate harmony into the dining experience. I want our guests to hear the music, not watch the conductor.”

Alice Canlis was raised in a large southern family where life’s celebrations and events centered around boisterous suppers at a country table that could seat 18 people. From that background, she brings to Canlis the warmth and hospitality of her family’s traditions. As President of Canlis Inc., Alice is the visionary whose drive, risk preference, and attention to detail have pushed Canlis to stay focused on the future, not the past. Alice feels that her role is to “maximize opportunities by taking the traditions of our past and moving them always forward, towards the art of hospitality.”

Chris and Alice operate Canlis as a partnership, and they each bring uniquely different strengths to the restaurant. They consider Canlis to be a celebration that flows out of the dynamics of their own 34-year marriage. “Like us, Canlis is steady, trustworthy, and honest. Yet like us, it carries a sense of adventure, romance, and fun. We are constantly adapting and evolving as we serve one another with respect, kindness, and consideration. That’s the foundation of our relationship with each other and with our restaurant.”
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