The Seattle Seahawks announced they have signed fourth-round pick A.J. Barner to a four-year rookie contract. He became the fifth player in the Seahawks draft class to sign his rookie contract, with Nehemiah Pritchett, Sataoa Laumea and D.J. James having signed earlier on Monday.

John Schneider hasn’t wasted time in trying to get his draft class signed. The only players that haven’t signed contracts yet are guard Christian Haynes, linebacker Tyrice Knight and tackle Michael Jerrell.

Barner comes from Michigan where he was their TE2 behind Colston Loveland, who is already getting projected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Barner has the frame to be successful at the next level while also having the ability to develop into a secondary receiving option.

Head coach Mike Macdonald had some good things to say about Barner.

“His run after the catch is good. “I think he’s an underrated athlete. I think he’s got a little bit more weight to put on, but the blocking tight end is a really important position. It starts in the C-gap in the run game and who’s going to defend it and who’s going to block it, so you have to be able to answer those questions. Those skill sets don’t just grow on trees. It’s tough to do. So we expect him to be able to do that. It’s a coveted skill set.”

– Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald

Barner won’t be asked to do much right away, but he will be a blocking tight end opposite of Noah Fant, which will help him thrive right away. Long-term, Barner could be a valuable weapon in both the running and passing games.

Here are a few sweet ways friends and fans and family have come up with to keep telling the stories of people who played a key role in shaping the culinary landscape in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Thierry Rautureau

Many in the culinary world and beyond were deeply saddened when The Chef in the Hat died in the fall of 2023. A recent celebration of his life was filled with poignant stories, lots of tears and an invitation by his friend and colleague, Tom Douglas, to get up and dance at the end of the remembrances.

Douglas has vowed to keep the dance party going on his weekly Hot Stove Radio show and podcast, a program he co-hosted with Rautureau for decades.

Over the next year, one segment of each show will be dedicated to revisiting a different recipe from Chef in the Hat’s cookbook. “Rover’s” was published in 2005 and covers a lot of ground, with more than 100 recipes and stories from this landmark French restaurant in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood. It shuttered in 2012 after 25 years and is still missed by its devoted fans.

During a recent episode of Hot Stove Radio, Rover’s co-author, Cynthia Nims made an appearance and talked about the process for making complicated dishes approachable enough for the home cook. The research was delicious and the book was a big hit. On that episode, Nims talked about a goat cheese tart with beets. “He cooked the beets very slowly and it took a lot longer than you think,” she said.

We’re looking forward to more of these deep dives into this memorable cookbook and stories of the esteemed chef. Merci, Tom and team.

ForbesUpdate: A Tip Of The Hat To One Of Seattle’s Most Beloved ChefsBy Leslie Kelly

Rose Ann Finkel

It’s hard to imagine it now, but there was a time when smaller breweries didn’t exist. Rose Ann and Charles Finkel were part of the microbrew revolution when they launched Pike Brewing Company in 1989.

“Rose Ann was my partner in every way and was involved in all aspects of the business,” Charles said in a recent interview. “She had a great palate and was particularly talented in menu development, beer lists, creative development of Pike brands, service, and employee relations. Our employees loved and respected her. She was a very hard worker, focused on all tasks.”

After Rose Ann’s death in June, 2020, Finkel said The Pike decided to honor her by establishing a scholarship in her name at Washington State University, the Rose Ann Finkel Diversity in Brewing Scholarship.

Additionally, during this year’s popular Women in Beer celebration, for which Rose Ann was the chief proponent, Finkel said “we highlighted her with both the event and with our March Women’s History month seasonal beer, Rose Ann Amber. It has been a big success, both because of the beer and the love and admiration of Rose Ann in the brewing and greater community.”

Christine Tirado of Yakima, Wash., is the artist who created the label for Rose Ann Amber.

ForbesA Nod To Culinary Cinema Makes This Film Festival Extra TastyBy Leslie Kelly

Jon Rowley

He was called a culinary evangelist, preaching the gospel of wild salmon, oysters on the half shell and the obscure Shuksan strawberry to name just a few. Rowley was the go-to guy Julia Child would call when she was craving Dungeness crab and former Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl featured him in an entertaining episode of Adventures with Ruth in 2009.

When he died in 2017, friends and family gathered at Tamara Murphy’s Terra Plata to share sweet and salty memories. She’s still got a tribute to her late friend on the shelf of her Capitol Hill restaurant.

In nearby Bellevue, there’s private dining room was named in his honor.

“Out of respect for Jon and his contributions to not only our company and oyster program but to oyster quality and education for the region and beyond, our private dining room at Water Grill Bellevue has been named the Jon Rowley Room since day one,” said Sam King, chairman and CEO of King’s Seafood Company, a California-based restaurant group that had consulted with Rowley for more than 35 years.

Way back before it was trendy, “Jon introduced the word umami to us. This was decades ago. He was a stickler for quality and doing the right thing. We were of like minds and we continue to hold ourselves to these high standards every day.”

Rowley’s deep connections led Water Grill to some of its most important purveyors: “It was Jon who helped us establish relationships with many oyster farms nearby, including Taylor Shellfish and Hama Hama, which you’ll find on our menu today.”

A must-order when dining in the Jon Rowley room!

The Seattle Seahawks, like every NFL team, have brought in some undrafted free agents to fill up their roster before the start of OTAS and training camp.

Instead of the customary 53 that each team can have during the season, rosters are expanded to 90 during the offseason and training camp. Many of those extra spots are filled by undrafted free agents, but some find their way onto the 53-man roster despite not being a hot commodity coming out of the draft.

Pro Football Focus picked one undrafted free agent that could make each team’s roster and chose Wyoming linebacker Easton Gibbs for the Seahawks.

“Gibbs is an all-action linebacker who has been a tornado on the Wyoming defense for the last three seasons, registering 319 tackles and 20 tackles for loss as a starter. He might not be an elite athlete but his tackling ability and instincts could see him force his way onto the Seahawks roster,” Pro Football Focus writes.

A lot of the science behind undrafted free agents has to do with the fit on the roster of whichever team they are going to, and Gibbs is entering a favorable situation in Seattle. The Seahawks lost Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner in free agency this offseason, leaving open a big need for a linebacker.

Seattle drafted Tyrice Knight out of UTEP in the fourth round, but there is still a need with free agent signings Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker only being on one-year contracts. Add in the fact that coach Mike Macdonald has specialized in developing linebackers and Gibbs is in a great spot to possibly contribute for the Seahawks in his rookie year if he can make noise this summer.