The Man Behind the Compass

Creating a commemorative edition of Anthony’s Scoop d’Jour honoring founder Budd Gould

Written & Designed by Emily Burns

When my grandfather and Anthony’s founder, Budd Gould, passed away in July 2026, I was given the opportunity to create a commemorative edition of The Scoop d’Jour, Anthony’s longtime company publication.

I began working on the issue on July 21 with what felt like an impossible question: How do you tell the story of Budd’s 86 years in a way that captures who he was, what he built and the impact he had on so many people—including his role in shaping the Northwest dining scene and helping define what Northwest hospitality could be?

As I began talking through the issue with my mom, Amy Burns, the president and CEO of Anthony's, we knew the letters people had sent sharing their memories of Budd needed to play an important role. They showed the impact he had on so many lives, but there were far more stories than we could ever include. Simply gathering them into a scrapbook of letters and photographs didn’t feel like enough to capture the full story of who he was.

I also didn’t want the issue to feel like a collection of condolences or be defined by the sadness of his passing. This needed to be a celebration of his life. I wanted readers to experience his journey, laugh at the stories he loved to tell, feel the emotion behind the memories and see the passion and love for people that guided his life.

Of course Anthony’s history needed to be part of the issue. This was The Scoop d’Jour, and Budd’s life was deeply intertwined with the company he spent more than 50 years building. But that history could fill an entire book, and this special edition was meant to commemorate his life.

In his own words, I needed to “keep it simple.” The history would carry readers through his journey, but the focus needed to remain on the stories, values and people that revealed who he was and what mattered most to him.

I wanted readers who had never met him to finish the issue feeling like they knew him. For those who did, I wanted them to hear his voice as they turned the pages.

That became the creative brief for everything that followed.

Researching the Person Behind the History

Before designing, I went through decades of Anthony’s history, newspaper archives, family albums, company materials, speeches and letters. I also returned to recordings of my conversations with Budd, including an interview I had recorded toward the end of his life.

I wasn’t trying to build the most complete timeline possible. I was looking for the moments that revealed something about him.

The recordings became especially important because they captured the way Budd told his own story. When he talked about a restaurant, he usually ended up talking about the people who made it successful. When he talked about a mistake, he often turned it into a funny story. When he talked about an accomplishment, he was already thinking about what came next.

Those patterns helped me identify the principles connecting the different chapters of his life.

Building the Story Around a Compass

The breakthrough came from something Budd had said himself:

“You’ve got to have a compass. You’ve got to know where you want to go.”

The compass was rooted in Budd’s lifelong relationship with the water and his magnetic pull toward leadership. It connected the world he knew with the way he approached his life.

He tried things, learned from what happened and changed course when necessary. What remained consistent was his sense of direction.

The concept allowed me to organize 86 years by meaning rather than chronology. It also gave the history, letters, photographs and personal stories a shared purpose. Each part helped reveal what guided him.

• North represents the compass’s fixed point of direction. It reflects Budd’s forward-thinking vision, his focus on the right opportunities and his drive to build on each success by asking, “What’s next?”

• East represents the sunrise and new beginnings. It reflects Budd’s willingness to try, learn from failure and use each experience to guide what came next.

• South represents the foundation. It reflects Budd’s belief that you are only as good as the team that supports you, along with his ability to recognize the right people, trust them and give them the confidence to grow.

• West represents the sunset and the close of a journey. It reflects Budd’s return to what mattered most: home, family and the people he loved, while still looking toward what came next.

• The Navigator gives the compass meaning by interpreting the conditions and choosing a path. It represents Budd’s judgment, experience and instinct when deciding which direction to take.

  
  

Together, these ideas created an emotional journey rather than a chronological one.

“As the winds and tides changed, he adjusted his course, but never his direction.”

That line became the thesis for the publication.

Telling His Story Through Other People

The South section represents Budd’s team as his foundation. It is also where the letters from longtime team members found their place. Each letter offered a different view of the same person. Some captured his humor and passion. Others showed his expectations, his direct approach to solving problems or his belief in giving back. Together, they formed a portrait of Budd through the people who worked alongside him, learned from him and experienced his leadership firsthand.

The letters were not simply tributes added throughout the magazine. They became the voices of his foundation and showed why Budd believed a company was only as strong as the people behind it.

Preserving His Voice

I did not want the writing to sound like a formal corporate tribute or polish Budd’s words until he sounded like someone else. He was direct, opinionated and funny. Some of the stories that revealed him best involved mistakes, disagreements or things going completely wrong. Keeping those moments made the portrait feel honest and alive. Whenever possible, I preserved his original phrasing:

“And she was right.”

“Ferleman, you’ve caught enough fish and I’m ready for a nap.”

“Damn it... just get it there. Put it on a taxi!”

Often, I built a passage toward one of Budd’s quotes and let his words finish the thought. My role was to provide the context and then step aside.

His handwriting extended that voice into the design. I recreated selected sayings from samples of his notes and signatures, preserving the shapes, spacing and imperfect quality of ballpoint pen.

Placed across photographs and note cards, the handwriting made his words feel personal and tangible, almost like something he had left behind for the reader.

Designing Between History and Memory

The visual direction needed to respect the history of Anthony’s without feeling like a history book or traditional memorial program. The compass sections use soft Northwest blue, open space, nautical illustrations and larger photography. The letters and personal stories shift toward warm cream, serif typography and more archival arrangements.

This allowed the magazine to move between history and memory. Structured pages carried the narrative forward, while looser collages reflected the way memories are preserved through old photographs, family albums and saved letters. The hand-drawn boats, maps, shorelines and compass details remain subtle. The metaphor needed to guide the publication, not overwhelm it.

Pacing was equally important. Dense letters are followed by full-page photographs. Humor gives way to quieter reflections. Open pages provide time to absorb the story without allowing grief to define the entire experience.

Completing the Journey

West brought the story back to home and family. Budd loved watching the sun set over the water, and those quiet moments became the visual language for the final chapter. Even near the end of his life, he was still looking forward. In one of our last conversations, he talked about walking again and asked whether we could go dancing once he got out. That memory shaped the closing line of the section:

“Like so many evenings before, one day was coming to a close, and Budd was already looking beyond the horizon toward what came next.”

The compass then led to The Navigator. A compass can show direction, but it cannot interpret the conditions or choose a path. That responsibility belonged to Budd and reflected the judgment, experience and instincts behind his decisions.

The idea of The Captain was woven throughout the issue rather than treated as a separate section. Each direction revealed part of what made Budd a captain. He set a clear course, trusted his crew and believed every success belonged to the team.

After moving through the full compass, the story returns to the Northwest, where Budd’s journey began and where his heart remained. It brought the story full circle, returning his history, leadership and love of family and the water to his roots.

Giving Budd the Final Word

One of the final spreads pairs Budd’s handwritten words, “I’m a family business guy. Once you get it in your blood, you can’t stop,” with a photograph from his celebration of life on Whidbey Island. Our family is gathered in Hawaiian shirts from his personal collection, bringing together grief, unity, pride, and continuity in one image as a family.

The back cover shows the sunset over Mutiny Bay, the place Budd called his “slice of heaven.” Across the sky are five words written in his hand:

“I had a magnificent life.”

There is no explanation or final summary. After 36 pages of stories, mistakes, lessons, friendships, restaurants, family and laughter, those words were enough.

What the Project Became

I could not document every accomplishment, include every letter or preserve every memory. I had to decide what would help someone understand him.

History established the journey, but stories revealed the person. Other people’s memories showed his impact. His own words preserved his humor and outlook. His handwriting made his presence tangible. The compass gave every piece a shared direction.

The finished issue is not a complete history of Anthony’s or a traditional biography of its founder. It is an interpretation of the values, relationships and choices that shaped Budd’s life.

For someone who never met him, I hope they finish it feeling like they did.

For those who knew him, I hope they can still hear his voice in the pages.