Daniel Ferreira (Image courtesy of Daniel Ferreira)
At Owen Beach, Daniel Ferreira had a camp stove, a cutting board and a view of the Sound. He was making smoked salmon mac and cheese while his daughters and friends helped film the process, with kayakers and seals adding a distinctly Tacoma backdrop.
Ferreira’s Instagram account, Cooking Around the Sound, has nearly 60,000 followers. His videos pair Pacific Northwest scenery with meals made outdoors—from local beaches to kayak outings. The Owen Beach dish took about two and a half hours to film, even though the final video would run about a minute.
The setup is deliberately simple, but the cooking can be slow going. Ferreira works with limited counter space and a camp stove; even bringing water to a boil can take around half an hour. He also tries to feature regional ingredients, including local cheese and other Northwest products. The grocery bill can reach about $100 for a video, and brand partnerships supplement—but haven’t replaced—his full-time cooking job at Clearwater Casino.
The News Tribune’s Minnie Stephenson reports that Ferreira started out far from the beachside kitchen he has now built, and that the polished clips can hide some spectacular production mishaps. His followers also help choose where he cooks next, including Tacoma-area locations. Read Stephenson’s full story in The News Tribune for the longer journey, the memorable kayak shoot that went wrong, and what Ferreira hopes to cook up next.
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