The Best Restaurant on Main Street? | Elements Restaurant - 📍 Vancouver, WA

Alert! One of the best restaurants in Vancouver is currently hiding behind a mound of construction and we need to make sure it survives. Elements Restaurant is a local treasure, and its chef, Miguel Sosa is working his butt off to make sure we all have approachable world-class food and service right on Main Street.

At Elements, Chef Miguel celebrates immigrant heritage, supports local farmers and artists, and proves that beautiful, sustainable food can be affordable. We talk about how Chef Sosa transforms comfort classics through global influences, why his menu changes with the seasons, and how he's created a space where regulars ask "What's new, Chef?" and let him lead their way through dinner.

🗺️ Visit them at: elementsvancouver.com | Instagram | Facebook

👀 For pictures and more, visit the episode page.

🎉  This episode also celebrates:
- Society of WA Artists
- Flat Tack Farm
- Julia Bakery
- Bleu Door Bakery

🎧 Other episodes you might like:
- Flat Tack Farm’s Soil to Table Movement (7.8.25)
- Vancouver Farmers Market: A Makers' Community (6.17.25)
- McClaskey Institute Crafts Clark's Top Chefs (8.12.25)

⭐️  Get your tickets to Chamber Music Northwest's summer festival! Use code IITPV for $10 off.

Transcript

Adriana: 0:34

Have you tried to drive down or up Main Street in Vancouver recently? So have I, and yeah, it's a hot, hot mess. Now, apparently it's not going to be a hot, hot mess for very much longer, but in the meantime, there are restaurants and small shops along Main Street where the construction is happening that are really, really struggling. And so today, I wanted to re-share an episode with my favorite restaurant, Elements, which is just behind all of the excavators, the huge piles of dirt, and the terrible torn-up sidewalks. Yeah. Elements is such an incredible restaurant, and Chef Miguel Sosa, is an incredible guy. He started this farm-to-table, really approachable, exquisite food restaurant, and he tells us all about where he comes from, where his ideas come from, and invites us all to come to Elements, because even though it's probably the best restaurant in Vancouver, it's not stuffy at all. There's no white tablecloths, and we're all invited to come and hang out and ask Chef Sosa what's new. And really, if you want, he'll design your entire dinner for you. I love Elements so much, and I love many of the businesses on Main Street, and I really wanna make sure that they survive through the Main Street Promise construction and thrive on into the future. Now, the good news is that Elements actually has a back entrance. It's off of Evergreen, you can actually park behind their restaurant and come in the back way, but not a lot of people know that. So I wanna make sure that you know that because I know that you're going to go down to Elements maybe even right now. Maybe even you're driving there right now while listening. We're gonna save the day, all of us together, and make sure that our independent businesses, farm-to-table restaurants, and creative geniuses don't get left in the dust. Welcome to I'm Into This Place, your deep dive into the local arts, culture, and heritage of Clark County. From fabulous new restaurants to quirky art installations to the historical sites you never even knew to look for, we're inviting you along. Whether you're a Clark County connoisseur or just starting to get to know her, get ready to fall head over heels for this place we call home. I'm your host, Adriana Baer, and I'm into this place. Let's go. I am sitting inside of beautiful, beautiful Elements Restaurant with Chef Miguel Sosa. Thank you so much for having me.

Chef Miguel: 3:21

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Adriana: 3:22

And what I think is really fun is we're recording this on your birthday.

Chef Miguel: 3:27

Yeah.

Adriana: 3:27

Happy birthday.

Chef Miguel: 3:28

Thank you so much

Adriana: 3:29

And then the week that this is going out into the world is my birthday week, and I did that on purpose because I love Elements, and I am really excited to celebrate my birthday here. Thank you. The fact that I like to come to Elements on my birthday, though, does not necessarily mean it's only for special occasions, and that's one of the things we're gonna talk about today because-

Chef Miguel: 3:50

Exactly

Adriana: 3:51

this is a beautiful space serving beautiful food, but it's a neighborhood, community-oriented place, and that's really why you got into it in the first place. It was one of the first restaurants I went to when we moved up here.

Chef Miguel: 4:07

Oh, really?

Adriana: 4:08

Yeah. I was like, "Where's a place that does vegetables well?" And then I found you, and I was like,"I shall come here forever."

Chef Miguel: 4:17

Thank you so much. Yeah.

Adriana: 4:18

Your purpose is this. It's making food for people and bringing people together-

Chef Miguel: 4:24

Mm-hmm… Adriana: and nurturing people with food. You said that that's your love language, and you wanna build a relationship with your community through that. Mm-hmm.

Adriana: 4:34

So will you take us back? Where does that stem from for you in your, in your life?

Chef Miguel: 4:39

Uh, I think, uh, a lot of it is, is memories of my childhood. Latin community is very family focused. I, I guess it's just, you know, gathering in my, my grandma's house. You know, every Sunday or, like, every special occasion, uh, it was always food. All my aunts and my mom and everybody used to be, like, cooking, making mole, or, uh, my grandma used to raise her own chickens, and so every once in a while, you know, they'd sacrifice a chicken or two and make mole into it. I never cooked. I never had a desire to cook. When I arrived to the States an immigrant, we come here to work, to have a better life, to give our people in Mexico a better life, so it's, it's a dream. So when I came here, my, one of my cousins is like, "What do you wanna do?" And I said, "I don't know, dude, I just wanna work." My cousin is like, "Well, I'm gonna send you to a restaurant." I went on my first day of work. I, I, I don't know, I fell in love. This restaurant that I worked for, in the beginning, very, very busy. Every single day was busy, busy, busy. Everybody was just, like, running around and it was seven of us, seven dishwashers. I was a dishwasher. So I think seeing… Uh, it's, it's weird, and it's probably hard to understand, but the chaos just kinda, like, took me in. If you see it or think about it, you know, whether it's a special occasion or just family gathering or just because you're bored, involves food.

Adriana: 6:10

Yeah.

Chef Miguel: 6:11

And it doesn't matter how you are, you know. If you're, whether you're s- uh, have a bad day or stressed, when you sit down and enjoy a meal, you are being served, you are being taken care of. When the restaurant is empty and there's not a lot of people, and I'm serving people, I'm always watching. I'm always in the kitchen watching. Uh, send out the food and just wait until they take their first bite, and, like, seeing their face expression, like, relax and take a bite, and like, "Oh, my God," that fills me. You know, you're making somebody happy through, through food. You're nourishing people. So even when I'm having bad days, you know, walking into a restaurant and cooking in general just, it just makes me happy.

Adriana: 6:59

Part of what you are creating or have created is there's a thread about food as storytelling. Mm-hmm. Can you talk to us about that a little bit?

Chef Miguel: 7:11

Yeah. I mean, a lot of it is memories. The reason the restaurant is called Elements is because it's my elements. It's my journey. Uh, but at the same time, I wanted to call it Elements because when I first moved here, after living in Chicago and moving to a place where it's like everything is beautiful, everything grows in here, this is, this is a magical place. So it's based on the four elements of the Earth as well. And it's the storytelling of the creations that I do in here it's past experiences. It's childhood memories. I could be, like, making something, come out with the sauce, and taste the sauce, um, and immediately just, like, it takes me back to when I was seven years old and like, "Oh, this tastes like this. I wonder if this is, this is what they use," you know? Some of the spices or something. And the thought of just, just making American food, which is an immigrant food. And it's very hard to describe because when people ask me, "What kind of food do you serve?" It's American food. Mm. You know, what do people think, immediately think of American food? Hot dogs, burgers, that kind of stuff. I'm like, no, American food is, it's, it's an immigrant food. So I decided to tie all the roots together. So I'm like, oh, wow, that's amazing how every culture from around the world is connected. It's like, why chiles are used in Mexico? Okay, because they were introduced by India. Learning the whole facts of, like, what the revolution of food is, it just it gets me really excited, which is why I'm like, "Okay, I have to do my own, my own interpretation of curry, for example, of, or mole." You know, making a curry and a mole is essentially almost the same thing. It's just different ingredients and, and mole in general is a mod podge of every culture around the world.

Adriana: 9:18

And that's an interesting way of thinking about the word "elements" too. It's like in each culture we have an element of some kind of stew, an element of bread or rice, an element… You know, that what are the different kind of categories of things that cross over. And using the food that is grown in our own soil right here-

Chef Miguel: 9:39

Exactly

Adriana: 9:39

is, is so, um, it's such an interesting story. It's a beautiful way of thinking about that concept.

Chef Miguel: 9:47

Yes, exactly. Any opportunity that I have to just go and get local ingredients, yeah, I, I'm in the farmers market.

Adriana: 9:58

And that informs your cooking for the week, right? Let's talk a little bit about what-… what a guest at your restaurant can expect from your menu, because it changes.

Guest: 10:07

It does change. Yeah.

Adriana: 10:08

Yeah. Tell us about that story.

Chef Miguel: 10:10

The evolution of food is changing every single day. And for me, doing, changing the menu every week or every month or sometimes every day, not necessarily the entire menu, but you know, the ingredients that go with it, is based on what is growing. I'm not gonna have Caesar salad whole year round, and it's for a simple reason. It does not grow year… It grows year round if you do a hothouse, but there's no one in here that has a hothouse growing romaine and, like, sustainably give it to all the restaurants. It's not sustainable. It is not sustainable at all. For the planet, and which is, uh, we're going back again to elements. It's like we have to be respectful with Mother Earth. We have to be respectful with what this earth is providing us instead of abusing it. And I think at this point we're abusing Mother Earth. Growing things naturally or not wasteful, that's, that's why my menu changes, 'cause I don't wanna waste. Even the, the… Like, for example, with the vegetables that I, that I buy, I don't throw the, the peels of carrots. I don't throw anything away because I don't wanna put it in the garbage can. Uh, so that gets turned into my demi-glace, which is entirely vegan, and it tasted like, like a real beef veal demi-glace. So that's why my menu changes, uh, because it has to be sustainable.

Adriana: 11:51

And you find something cool at the farmer's market you wanna try. Yes, yes. And then that gets on the menu.

Chef Miguel: 11:56

Exactly.

Adriana: 11:57

I love it. So I love your restaurant. You have people who come over and over and over again, and one of the things I think is so important to name here is that your food is so beautiful. It's so well presented, and I think we have this idea in our minds that, you know, if you're going to get food that is beautiful, and food that is well crafted, and food that has a story behind it, it's going to cost you a million dollars. And you're only gonna get that at a fancy restaurant, at a special occasion restaurant. Which I think is really too bad, because we shouldn't be thinking of that kind of thing only once a year.

Chef Miguel: 12:42

Indeed.

Adriana: 12:42

You have beautiful food, but it's not super expensive, and you are, you know, hosting people who come here as their regular restaurant.

Chef Miguel: 12:53

Originally, my idea was, like, "Okay, I'm gonna make comfort food look beautiful." This is still steak and potatoes, but I'm serving New York strip with potato pave, which it takes three days to produce, and let's throw shishito peppers. Let's throw a king trumpet mushroom grown locally. Let's do a French red wine sauce, a beurre rouge, that is both comfort, and it's also somehow elegant. But it's comfort food. You know? So that was the whole idea behind it, is like, one of the menu items right now is king salmon. I serve it with just simply green beans and sushi rice, sticky rice, and mango. So the whole idea was, like, okay, so this is, this, there's this Taiwanese dessert with sticky rice, coconut, and, uh, mango. It's delicious. I'm like, "Why can't I make that into a savory dish?" So I put that on the menu, and it's like, it's been going out really well. Everybody likes it, and I like it. I think it's great. Uh, and then I, I do miso. So it's kind of like the whole preparation, it's just still very comforting. You know, you're still eating rice, vegetables, piece of fish, miso butter. So it's open to everybody. You know, it's not just for a special occasion, I would say. You know, it's not highly decorated. We use local artists. We have no white table cloths.

Adriana: 14:28

Right.

Chef Miguel: 14:29

We, you know, it's all just natural. I want people to feel comfortable to, to treat it as your local neighborhood restaurant.

Adriana: 14:39

Do you feel that the food culture in Clark County is changing?

Chef Miguel: 14:46

I think there is more diversity. There's more restaurants now. There's more exposure of different cultures, different food, different options.

Adriana: 14:56

And are you noticing that people are more open to different experiences?

Chef Miguel: 15:01

100%.

Adriana: 15:01

And the connection to the small farms is something I keep hearing over and over and over again, is that there's really a clear pipeline between the small farms, the farmers market, and the, and the local restaurants. And there seems to be a community that's growing and-

Chef Miguel: 15:17

Yes… Adriana: helping each other- Yes… Adriana: grow. Yeah. I do think that part is very important.

Adriana: 15:22

Yeah.

Chef Miguel: 15:22

We have done this test, you know. I get, uh, especially like with lettuce. So if I get arugula from any farm, it's gonna last me. It's gonna stay nice and crisp, and I encourage every person to do that. Go buy from a farmer. Go buy from a farmers market. Go buy from your local farmer, and do this experimentation. Go get a, uh, organic lettuce at any store, and then go to your farmers market stand. Keep them in the fridge. Don't touch them. Don't open them. The first one that is gonna go bad is the one from the store. The one that is came from a farmer is gonna stay crisp, really nice texture. It's not gonna go bad. It's not gonna get moldy. And this is also for restaurants because some restaurateurs have told me, it's like, "Dude, you're crazy. You could buy this arugula for $4, but you choose to buy it for eight." I'm like, "I tell you why. Because at the end, you're spending the same money."

Adriana: 16:21

Yeah.

Chef Miguel: 16:21

And at the end, you're supporting this farmer, and you're keeping it local. I think it's very important, and I think that the food culture of it is changing. I, I have a lot of regulars that come here, and instead of asking, "Oh, I just came here for your rigatoni," well, they're like, the first thing they come in through the little window of the restaurant, like, "What's new, Chef? What should we have today?" It feels really good.

Adriana: 16:50

On your walls, you have art, lots and lots of art, like maybe 100 pieces right now from local artists.

Chef Miguel: 16:58

Yeah.

Adriana: 16:59

Who curates this for you, and what is your relationship to this art?

Chef Miguel: 17:03

It's all local artists. It's from a Society of Washington Gallery 360. A lot of people have told me, like,"Well, what do you get out of it?" I said, "Nothing. I just want to support it." It's a win-win. You know, I don't have to spend money on art to fill up my walls, and I get to choose what, what goes up.

Adriana: 17:21

Oh, that's nice.

Chef Miguel: 17:22

Yeah, 'cause I want, I want it to look cohesive somehow. Uh, I do love art myself and-

Adriana: 17:29

And the art is for sale, so you're supporting-

Chef Miguel: 17:30

The art is for sale, yeah

Adriana: 17:31

all these individual artists as well and letting, giving them exposure.

Chef Miguel: 17:34

Yeah. I have purchased from them as well personally, probably 10, I don't know- Yeah, that I have in my house. They change every quarter. I think right now we're displaying 30 local artists.

Adriana: 17:48

30 local artists. Yeah. That's amazing.

Chef Miguel: 17:50

And they're all local.

Adriana: 17:51

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, all Southwest Washington. I love it. We're going to link Society of Washington Artists and Gallery 360 in the show notes. So if you're interested in taking a look at what they do, too, you can find that there.

Chef Miguel: 18:04

Yes.

Adriana: 18:05

Awesome.

Chef Miguel: 18:05

Or you can come to the restaurant and, you know, have a great meal and-

Adriana: 18:09

Buy some art

Chef Miguel: 18:09

grab a painting from the wall.

Adriana: 18:11

That's right. Absolutely. Okay, Chef. So at the end of every episode, I ask what place or person are you really into these days? So I'm gonna give you just a moment to think about that because I know there's a lot. And while I'm letting you think about that, I'll remind all of our listeners that you can find pictures of what we talked about today, including some of those gorgeous shots of Chef's beautiful food at imintothisplace.com, or you can click on the episode page link in the show notes. If you're not already signed up for our weekly newsletter, please do that because that's where we share upcoming events and even more behind-the-scenes photo and info about all the creative people and organizations in our community. If you like today's episode, especially if you want to come down and check out Elements with your friends or family, please click the follow button on the podcast app and then text the episode to a friend. Following and sharing is the absolute best way that you can help us continue to offer this free arts and culture coverage for our community. Okay, Chef, what are some of the places or people that you're really into these days?

Chef Miguel: 19:23

Oh my God. Uh. Well, if we go, you know, farmers market, I always get excited for Julia's Bakery. I've been using Julia's Bakery for the past five years for my challah, for the French toast. Everything is so special. They're only available in the farmers market, and I always get excited about that. I think one business that has always believed in what we wanted to do a- and also help us along the way is probably Blue Door Bakery. Uh, we buy our bread, our daily bread, table bread, from Blue Door Bakery. Not only the bread itself, but you know, we have become really good friends, and it's one of the business that I want to people encourage to go there as well and, and try her food. You know, Bonnie is a funny, nice person.

Adriana: 20:12

Awesome. We will link both Julia's Bakery and Blue Door in the show notes, too. Chef, thank you so much for inviting us to come and chat with you today. I can't wait for more people to come and taste your beautiful and delicious food. Yes. And I look forward to my birthday dinner later this week.

Chef Miguel: 20:30

Thank you so much. I, I, I enjoyed it very much, and I want to invite everybody to visit our website as well. Uh, sign up for our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Reservations, you can make reservations at resy.com or by calling us. Walk-ins are always, always, always, always welcome. There is always room for everybody.

Adriana: 20:51

Thank you so much.

Chef Miguel: 20:52

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Adriana: 20:56

If you liked today's episode, here's a few others you might enjoy. Look for our episode from July 8th, 2025, which was an interview with Flat Tack Farm,. On June 17th of last year, we interviewed the Vancouver Farmers Market to hear more about the makers and the artisans at the market. And then on August 12th, we had an episode with the McClaskey Culinary Institute at Clark College, who is training Clark County's best and future top chefs. I'm Into This Place is produced and edited by me, Adriana Baer, and engineering for this episode was by Chris Martin. We recorded this episode at Elements Restaurant, and you can find out more about us and them at imintothisplace.com. See you out there!