I too live in the PNW, but spend significant time in the southwest when camping. I have a soft maple butcher block top. I just rub on a food grade wax/mineral oil periodically. I do food prep on the surface. It looks used and, after two years there is a minor crack in one of the glue lines. Since my interior is not nearly as posh as the ones, above, the countertop looks just fine. If I wanted posh, I would have used hard maple and urethane and cutting boards.
