The cool wet spring might have slowed the ripening of Oregon blueberries this year, but the appeal of the tasty fruit is picking up steam locally and internationally.

The arrival of warm weather is heating up the harvest of what could be a record-setting crop this year, allowing the industry to keep up with growing demand. Fresh berries are still a hit in Japan, but have great potential in the fast-growing economy of India and possibly South Korea.

“Blueberries remain the popular superfood in Asia,” said Amanda Welker, international trade manager with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “The health benefits are notorious and the flavor profile fits the Asian palate well. While blueberries have been popular in eastern Asia for quite some time, Indian consumers are just learning about the fruit and its health benefits.”

India is a very small niche market right now, Welker said in a news release, but has room for exponential growth as that county’s market matures.

“The benefit for Oregon is the timing of our season. We can offer a fresh fruit in the middle of India’s hot and muggy summers when there is a lack of local fresh fruits in the market place,” she said.

Fresh cultivated blueberry exports from the U.S. in 2009 reached 14,391 metric tons with a value of $64 million. Specific data for Oregon blueberries is not available, but export markets remain a key point of sale.

Oregon’s blueberry production is predominately in the Willamette Valley, with Marion and Washington counties both having plantings in excess of a thousand acres, said Bruce Pokarney, ODA spokesman.

“In fact, more than 4,300 of the 5,700 acres in blueberry production are in the Willamette Valley,” Pokarney said. “There is smaller production along the coast and Morrow County reports 400 acres in blueberries.”

Umatilla County also has at least two farms growing blueberries with the closest to Walla Walla being Lampson Farms on Day Road near Milton-Freewater. The second is Golden Valley East in Stanfield, Ore.

Per capita consumption of blueberries has increased in recent years not only in North America, but in Europe and Asia largely because of the health benefits blueberries offer for both young and old.

In the 1990s, a Tufts University study showed blueberries to have higher antioxidant activity than all other fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants neutralize the effects of free radicals, those unstable compound molecules that can attack human cells and damage DNA. Additional studies and reports in the last decade continue to reinforce the berry’s health value.

“Health benefits are the overriding reason for our market success,” says St. Paul grower Doug Krahmer, member of the Oregon Blueberry Commission and State Board of Agriculture. “But health benefits alone won’t sell fruit. Taste, convenience, and quality must be high for us to continue selling our fruit at a profitable price.”

Prices have strengthened this year, compared to 2009. The demand is high, but so should be the supply.

“Barring unforeseen circumstances, we should easily break the 50 million pound mark for production, which would be a new record for Oregon blueberries,” says Bryan Ostlund, administrator of the Oregon Blueberry Commission. “Fortunately, I think we have the markets to support that production.”

Find a farm

Oregon blueberry farm locator: www.oregonblueberry.com/index.html

Lampson Farms, Milton-Freewater: www.lampsonblueberries.com

Washington blueberry farm locator: www.superblues.net

Recipes
Blueberry Waldorf Salad

• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries, divided
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups (about 4 ounces) baby spinach
• 1 tart apple (e.g. Granny Smith), cored and thinly sliced
• 2 ribs celery, cut into 1-1/2-inch matchsticks (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 cup pecan or walnut halves, toasted

To prepare dressing: In a blender container, combine1/2 cup of the blueberries, oil, marmalade, lemon juice, mustard and salt; blend until a smooth, thick dressing forms. In a bowl, toss spinach with apple slices, celery, pecans and remaining 1/2 cup blueberries. Arrange equally on four serving plates. Just before serving, blend dressing again until smooth; drizzle over the salads. Serve immediately.

4 servings

Blueberry Cheesecake for Calorie Counters

• 3 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
• 2 containers (6 ounces each) low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 4 ounces fat-reduced cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• Blueberry Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350¬?F. Spray bottom and side of a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable cooking spray; sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs, and tilt to coat evenly. Place a coffee filter or two layers of paper towels in a strainer; stir 1 container of the yogurt and spoon it into the filter; set aside to drain, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, blend the remaining container of yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese and cornstarch until smooth. Add the eggs and pulse until combined. Carefully pour into the crumb-coated pie plate; smooth top. Bake until set in the center, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the Blueberry Sauce. When pie is set, spread the drained yogurt over the top; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Chill until cold. Serve with Blueberry Sauce

Blueberry Sauce:

• 2 cups blueberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water

In a medium-size saucepan, over medium heat, stir blueberries with sugar (or granulated non-nutritive sweetner), lemon juice and water until berries are soft, about 5 minutes; chill.

8 portions

Per Portion: Including 1-1/2 tablespoons blueberry sauce: 152 calories; 19 g carbohydrate; 4.5 g total fat (2.6 g saturated fat); 1 g fiber

If you have ever read any articles about wine, you may have come across the word, “terroir.” Terroir is a French word that loosely translates into “a sense of place.”

The word acknowledges agriculture sites in the same region that share similar soil, weather and even farming techniques that contribute to the qualities of the crops.

Chef Bear Ullman has created his “sense of place” that is unique to the historical corner of Second Avenue and Rose Street in downtown Walla Walla. The Chef’s Table at the Marcus Whitman Hotel is where Chef Bear can be found sharing his very special terroir with others. It is a culinary adventure as Chef Bear’s guests make a connection to the terroir and terrain of the Walla Walla Valley through his “Sense of Place” dining event.

This epicurean experience offers an opportunity to learn about the innovative local partnerships that bring the best of the Valley right to the table. It was an experience I knew I had to indulge in and also share with friends. Jaime Chalk, wine club manager from L’Ecole Nº 41, joined our intimate gathering and

Chef Bear Ullman

added to the evening’s combination of great people, food and wine.

Our “Sense of Place” package included lunch with Chef Bear at the Chef’s Table, Q&A session with our chef, cooking demonstration, tips on wineries to visit during our free time before dinner and the seven-course, wine-paired dinner.

In this package, special hotel room discounts are available, so one can dine well and be safely guided by the elevator to a well-appointed room.

We started our experience with lunch and were presented with a plate full of spring colors, from the perfectly grilled, moist salmon to its bed of fresh- picked local asparagus, spinach and bite-sized, roasted fingerling potatoes. We watched Chef Bear prepare, at our table, a sauce verte to be enjoyed with the salmon. It was an herb-infused sauce made with aioli, crème fraiche, whipped cream, a green “juice” of macerated herbs, freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh ground pepper from a pepper mill that Chef Bear had handcrafted from dark hardwood. This fragrant mixture was then hand-whipped into a light and airy emulsion, and once on our plates, it was sprinkled with purple chive flowers. I couldn’t think of a better wine with which to pair our lunch than what was already in our glasses, L’Ecole Nº 41 Fries Vineyard Semillon.

After lunch, we did what any tourist would do: checked into our rooms, jumped up and down on the beds (No, not really. Just checking to see if you were paying attention), opened drawers and cabinets and tried on the monogrammed robes. Eventually, we settled in, went downtown to shop, took many photos and then a nap so we could be vibrant for what was yet to come. Later, we met at the hotel’s Vineyard Lounge for cocktails.

Once again, we were swooped away to the Chef’s Table, which faces a stainless steel inner sanctum — a well-oiled machine of skills meeting flavors. It is a view of the “behind the scenes” where a guest of the hotel can actually see how their food is prepared. Chef Bear gave us a tour of his microgreen garden in the kitchen. Those intense and compact flavors of freshness would later be incorporated into our dining experience.

We were seated at our table and given our menu, which was met with “oohs” and “ahhs.” Some of Chef Bear’s food and wine pairings seemed bold and not traditional, but with the first bite and the first sip, we knew these pairings were well- thought-out — perfection.

You quickly realize some of the foods, such as California Meyer lemons and Spanish Marcona almonds, do not grow in the Walla Walla Valley, and Maine lobster is not plucked from Mill Creek. These items may not be part of our local terroir, but Chef Bear had a vision for these exotic foods, and he artfully combined these non-native foods with our local food and wine and made them part of his own terroir.

We left the Chef’s Table and journeyed to our rooms. Our evening left us feeling giddy, satisfied and overwhelmed. We didn’t have to go around the world or even to the nearest metropolis — an epicurean adventure was just around the corner.

On the Menu

I’m a big fan of Thai food. While living in Seattle, I found a certain comfort in always being just a few steps away from the sweet, savory and fresh flavors found in the city’s countless Thai restaurants. Now that I’m a full-time Walla Walla resident, you can probably guess how I feel to have, once again, a choice of Thai cafés in my own backyard. Who says you can’t have it all?

Behind the walls of its unassuming brick facade, Thai Ploy restaurant consistently serves a variety of traditional Thai dishes in a large, colorful dining room adorned with rich wood paneling and traditional Thai artwork. From exotic soups, salads and noodle dishes to spicy curry and seafood entrees, Thai Ploy’s menu conveniently bridges the nearly 8,000-mile divide between Walla Walla and Bangkok.

Song Suriyo and Ploy Noisri

Owned by Ploy Noisri, with manager Song Suriyo busily overseeing the front, back and sides of the house, Thai Ploy is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Take-out orders and medium- sized caterings are gladly accepted by phone.

Between afternoon and evening rushes, Suriyo sat down with me to talk Thai food, foreign spices and good old lady luck.

LIFESTYLES: Are you originally from Thailand?

SURIYO: Yes, I’m from Bangkok. I lived there for a really long time. Actually, almost everyone who works here is from Thailand.

LIFESTYLES: Do you get back to Bangkok very often?

SURIYO: Yes. We still have a house there, and I go back to visit family and friends about once a year. Some of our family comes to visit us here too, which is nice.

LIFESTYLES: Is Thai Ploy’s menu pretty traditional, or is this the “American version” of Thai food?

SURIYO: No, it’s very traditional, but we do have to adjust the spice a little bit (grinning).

LIFESTYLES: What do you mean?

SURIYO: We have to make things a little less spicy than we would in Thailand. Back home, they want to make you sweat, but here we received feedback from customers that some dishes were too hot, so we adjusted the recipes. We try to make each dish as spicy (or not spicy) as they want it.

LIFESTYLES: It’s on the star system, right? With one star being the mildest and five stars being extra hot?

SURIYO: We actually do one to four stars … but if you want five stars, we can definitely do that, too.

LIFESTYLES: What about seven? Can I get seven stars?

SURIYO: (Laughing) If you want seven stars, we’ll probably just give you the extra spice to add in yourself. We don’t want you throwing food away because it’s too hot to eat.

Red curry with chicken

LIFESTYLES: Good thinking. So what’s behind all that heat?

SURIYO: Here, I’ll show you (retrieves a large tray of spices and herbs from the kitchen). We use chili powder, fish sauce with fresh chili peppers and several types of curry pastes.

LIFESTYLES: Looks like you use a lot of herbs too.

SURIYO: Right. We use fresh cilantro, sweet basil, tamarind, ginger, galangal …

LIFESTYLES: What is galangal?

SURIYO: It’s a larger ginger root, and it’s a little sweeter and spicier than regular ginger. It’s a main ingredient for most Thai dishes.

LIFESTYLES: What’s your most popular dish?

SURIYO: Almost every table orders the Restaurant Pad Thai and some type of curry.

LIFESTYLES: What’s your favorite dish on the menu?

SURIYO: I like a lot of spice. The basil beef is probably my favorite.

LIFESTYLES: Best dessert on the menu?

SURIYO: (Pauses to consider) I like the sticky rice with mango. It’s a very traditional Thai dessert and the mango is really sweet.

LIFESTYLES: What kinds of foods do you enjoy when you’re not at the restaurant?

SURIYO: Well, I eat Thai food almost every day. But I do eat a lot of American food, too. I’m here so much that sometimes I just want something different, you know?

LIFESTYLES: Like a hamburger and fries?

SURIYO: (Laughs) Yeah. Sometimes.

LIFESTYLES: Before I go, I have to ask about that shrine with the three little statues … (Smiles) Well, those are lucky ladies from different parts of Thailand. We give them offerings of rice, fruit and grape juice.

LIFESTYLES: Have they brought you any luck?

SURIYO: Oh, yes. A lot of luck … A lot.

You can create this Thai noodle dish at home in less than 10 minutes.  Most ingredients can be found in the ethnic food aisles at Walla Walla’s  larger grocery stores.

Pad Thai Sauce

• 1 cup tamarind juice
• 1 cup palm sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Additional Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons garlic oil
• ½ pound prawns, thinly sliced chicken,
• or cubed tofu
• ¼ pound rice noodles
• 1 to 2 beaten eggs

Preparation
In a medium-sized bowl, combine Pad Thai sauce ingredients  and mix well. Set aside.

Add rice noodles to boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they acquire the desired texture. Rinse drained noodles and set aside.

In a large wok or sauté pan, heat garlic oil over medium to high heat and add meat, seafood or tofu. Stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, or until meat is mostly cooked. Add egg and stir quickly, spreading cooked egg throughout the hot oil and meat. Add prepared rice noodles to meat, and stir-fry for 2 to  3 minutes. Pour in Pad Thai sauce and continue stirring 3 to 4 minutes, until everything is hot and well-mixed.

Serve in bowls and garnish with fresh bean sprouts, crushed peanuts and diced green onions.

Serves 2

The formula for good food is easy if you have a hot grill and a burning passion to serve the freshest vegetables and proteins. Chef Paul Freeman has definitely found the formula. Paul is an experienced French trained chef with over 15 years of catering experience. A fine balance of charisma blended with skill, and professionalism for his craft, equals a pleasurable meal. Watching Paul at the grill adds to the dining experience as he talks to his food and his guests using his own positive colloquialisms mixing greetings with kitchen terms such as “Sear Away.”

Growing up around agriculture, it was a natural for Paul to take his knowledge and perfect his grilling by using the finest meats and adding his “twist.” He also confides that when you are 19 years-old you discover that learning how to cook is a sure way to get a date.

Chef Paul would later introduce his cooking skills and his own twist on grilling while growing his business, Get Grill, at the Farmer’s Market in Moscow, Idaho. After several years of successfully running his business and working as the catering supervisor at the University of Idaho, Paul knew it was time for change and growth. He packed his mobile commissary and grill-on-wheels, and relocated to the Walla Walla Valley where he returned to school to attend the Culinary Arts and Science Program at Walla Walla Community College. Once in Walla Walla, Paul planted roots and has been seen at our own local Farmer’s Market and various local events. He can also be seen at Washington State University at Pullman where he serves his grilled delectable’s such as Santa Maria style tri-tip with fixing’s, at the campus’s Field House during WSU’s football season.

Always ambitious and looking to expand his ideas, Paul recently purchased the old bank building in Old Town Freewater Oregon at Milton-Freewater, 10 miles from the border in the Walla Walla Valley. Known by the locals as “The Bank,” the freestanding corner building with elegant Ionic columns was built in 1906. And as they say, “If walls could talk,” these walls would have their own tales of robbers on horses firing six-shooters and leaving with bags of gold riding off into the sunset. Paul has also left his own touch of nostalgia in his soon-to-be-opened restaurant named, of course, The Bank.

The once formal bank lobby is now painted in tones of warm apricot and trimmed in sage. The ornate vintage walk-in bank vault is now Paul’s office. Instead of bags of gold, inside of the vault, there are now starched white chef coats hanging from the vault ceiling. An assortment of old oak school teacher chairs and church pews create the finishing touch on the comfortable dining area. The entrance to the kitchen from the dining area is separated with an old saloon swing door fashioned from old barn wood. There is even a set of rugged old cowboy boots mounted like a metal sculpture reminding the visitor they are under the influence of the old west, yet infused with fine dining.

His goals for the new restaurant goes beyond dining, but also education about the food we eat and how we dine. Paul has a passion to teach and is eager to offer customers classes on how to hone their own cooking craft, from grilling tovarious ways of folding dining linens. A soft opening for the restaurant is planned for this summer. His pre fixe menu will include sustainable and in season produce and of course, special cuts of meat right off of the grill. Paul has promised slow food, but delivered fast – with energy. Sear away, Chef Paul!

By Catie McIntyre Walker

The goddesses of wine and herbs must have stayed with me throughout the day as I later discovered two local Walla Walla wineries will be featuring Seattle author, foodie, gardner and lavender enthusiast Kathy Gerht this holiday weekend.

Kathy will be introducing her new book, Discover Cooking with Lavender at Isenhower Cellars and Three Rivers Winery this weekend. Kathy will have her books for purchase, as well as be available for signing. She will also bring with her a sampling of recipes taken straight from her cookbook.

Kathy Gehrt’s cookbook “Discover Cooking with Lavender,” will take readers on a culinary adventure, exploring the fragrance and flavor of lavender. It features 75 recipes for seasonings, drinks, savory dishes and sweets. The book is filled with unique recipes, such as Lavender Ginger Lemon Sugar, Bruschetta with Tomatoes and Roasted Lavender, Strawberries with Lavender Yogurt Cream, Honey Ginger Lavender Lemonade, and Roasted Halibut á la Provence. Along with her recipe for Josephine’s Hot Chocolate, Kathy reveals to readers that lavender was the secret ingredient in the nightcap Josephine created to put Napoleon in a “romantic” mood.

You can join Kathy at Isenhower Cellars on Saturday, May 29 at 2:00pm and also at Three Rivers Winery on Sunday, May 30 at 12:00pm – 3:00pm. Just a mention of those recipes alone, I can think of all of the wines from both wineries that would make for perfect pairings with the cookbook’s recipes.

I am so looking forward to reading this book on my porch by my lavender while sipping a glass of summer rosé. I just have to know more about how Josephine put Napoleon in a romantic mood!

Salumiere Cesario, Walla Walla gourmet grocery, is offering a glimpse of its goods on a new website.

Owners Damon and Colby Burke have launched a new site dedicated to food at www.salumierecesario.com .

The site features detailed information about the products, as well as frequent updates about the store’s freshly prepared soups, pastas, sandwiches and more, according to an announcement.

An eCommerce addition is in the works so that customers will eventually be able to purchase foods online.

Designed and developed by Seattle-based TrueGood Creative, the site is a colorful showcase of the store’s products with easy navigation. Built on the WordPress content management system, staff can post updates on products, events and specials easily.

Damon Burke said customers can also connect with the store, 20 N. Second Ave., through Facebook and Twitter; read reviews on Urban Spoon and Yelp; subscribe to an RSS feed of the store’s blog; and sign up for Salumiere’s monthly eNewsletter.

“With the increasing importance of social networking in today’s business circles, we knew we needed to keep on the forefront of this movement,” Burke said in a prepared statement. “We hope to keep very active in today’s online communities to keep our fans and customers up to speed about the new and exciting things we have happening at the shop.

Viticulturist and winemaker Chris Figgins stands at the edge of a panoramic overlook taking in the neatly planted rows of his newest vineyard like a painter scrutinizing his masterpiece.

“I see a piece of ground as an artist sees a blank canvas,” he explains. “To me that land is telling me how it’s going to get planted.”

For six years Figgins, the CEO and director of winemaking for his family’s Leonetti Cellar, has painstakingly worked this northeastern Walla Walla County land in preparation for a new food and winemaking venture that showcases his passion for sustainability and quality.

The launch of his single-vineyard estate wine, FIGGINS, and a grass-fed cattle operation, Lostine Cattle Co., mark an expansion for the owners of Leonetti, one of Washington’s oldest wineries established in 1977 by Figgins’ parents, Gary and Nancy Figgins, and heralded for setting the gold standard for Walla Walla wine country.

Photo by Matthew B. Zimmerman

Leonetti and the two newest additions to the operation will be managed by Figgins under a single umbrella company announced Friday and called Figgins Family Wine Estates.

“My dad has always had a saying: ‘Push those ahead of you, pull those behind you,’” Figgins said as he meandered through the rows of vines.

The wisdom has helped spur his son to follow in the footsteps of a wine industry pioneer. It has resulted not only in a transformation for Leonetti to 100 percent estate-grown wines in recent years, but now to a company capable of providing a “whole table” experience with the beef. It’s also helped inspire a habit of looking ahead, which is how in 2004 Figgins began laying the groundwork near Leonetti’s Mill Creek Upland Vineyard for the new brand.

“I started from scratch with this,” he said. “I put two years just into the soil work.”

The first vintage of FIGGINS will be available for direct sale online in fall 2011. The wine will be a red blend of the cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and merlot planted on 32 of the 60 acres at the site. Production that first year is about 900 cases before building up to 3,000 – half the annual production of Leonetti. A winemaking facility has not yet been constructed at the site. A tasting room is not in the works.

Figgins, who cut his teeth in farming picking strawberries at Klickers, cherries in Milton-Freewater, driving a wheat truck and packing onions before he planted his first vineyard as a high school student, is eager to distinguish his new ventures from anything he’s done in the past.

Most visibly, the FIGGINS Estate vineyard is home to eight Scottish Highland cows. The cattle are part of a “lucky” selection from the more than 200 at the Lostine Cattle Co. in Wallowa County and will live at the estate to “mow the lawn,” Figgins quipped.

Beef will be available for sale this fall direct from the Internet at Lostinecattlecompany.com. Though the beef operation is new – and fulfills a lifelong interest for Figgins – the approach to that side of the business parallels the estate-grown wine model, Figgins said.

“You’re harvesting the sun using soil as a medium for a quality product, with biological diversity and no harm,” he said. “The big difference is that a grapevine doesn’t move.”

The sensibilities he’s learned at Leonetti are also helping with his FIGGINS Estate.

“Everything my dad has built has been with generational thinking,” Figgins said. He emulated that at the FIGGINS Estate with sustainability and heritage in mind. A well house on the property was built from an old root cellar in Milton-Freewater. More than century-old limestone was brought in from Kansas to serve as end posts to trellis the vines.

Figgins even removed rows of grapes in the vineyard to plant wild roses, lavender and lupine to attract beneficial insects.

“Those are our friends,” he explained. “It’s a lot of wine down the drain, but in 40 years it will be good for the vineyard.”

When his two daughters are older, he hopes he will have created an operation that will inspire them to join in the family business, too. For him it’s become a work of art – right down to creating the curves in the road that lead that scenic overlook.

“Who knows?” he wondered. “Maybe I’ll plant a vineyard that trumps it someday.”

Cupcakes and beer made their debut among the fine foods and wines at this year’s Feast Walla Walla.

But unknown to many local oenophiles, beer has already debuted in many local wineries, sometimes through the back door, said brew master Court Ruppenthal.

As the owner of Laht Neppur Brewing Co. in Waitsburg, Ruppenthal said he does a number of regular deliveries to Walla Walla wineries, which usually buy his 21/2-gallon “pigs” for their own personal consumption.

“It’s kind of a route. When someone is getting one (a pig), I will call and see if other guys need one,” and usually they do, he added.

Apparently Feast Walla Walla needed a couple pigs as well, and Ruppenthal noted coordinators approached him about selling his beer at this year’s event. But instead of pigs, he brought two dozen 64-ounce growlers of his peach hefeweizen or his India pale ale.

Photo by Matthew B. Zimmerman

“We actually have wanted to have beer here because we have so many good micro breweries in the area,” event coordinator Jennifer Northam said, adding that Feast Walla Walla is a reflection of the best food and drink the Valley has to offer, including beer.

It turns out other wineries at Feast Walla Walla are also tapping into local beer products.

Recently, Sapolil Cellars in Downtown Walla Walla started selling beer to its customers, including Ruppenthal’s beers.

And while Ruppenthal was being interviewed, the owner of Walla Walla Village Winery came over and had his wine goblet filled with the peach hefeweizen.

“We get a pig every once in a while from him,” Walla Walla Village Winery Owner Irish Clark said.

If all goes as planned, they’ll be getting and selling a lot more than a few pigs.

Clark explained he is currently obtaining the permits to allow beer sales at his winery, and added it is obvious to him a good number of his customers prefer beer.

“Some of the guys want a beer. They have been tasting wine all day long … The look on their faces. A lot of the guys are beer drinkers and they want to sit and watch a game and drink a beer,” Clark said.

“It’s one more niche, one more thing to bring in people,” he added.

As for the culinary delicacies most appreciated by kids – cupcakes – the Walla Walla Bread Company is now offering a gourmet line of them, alongside the scones, muffins and pecan rolls.

At Feast Walla Walla on Saturday, cupcake baker Marisa Wachter brought 200 cupcakes in two flavors: dark chocolate and red wine ganache, and maple cream cheese and bacon.

Photo by Matthew B. Zimmerman

“I just started at home playing around with these things,” Wachter said, adding that the official name of her cupcake line is daVine Delights.

Bread Company co-owner Rachel Kline noted cupcakes are the craze in big cities, where they are ornately decorated and come in more adult-oriented flavors like piña colada.

“Cupcakes are now the in thing. They even have cupcake carts in New York,” Kline added.

For a couple of weeks, Wachter has been working the evening shift at the Walla Walla Bread Company to bake a couple of dozen each night.

And whenever possible, she tries to keep them seasonal.

“On St. Patrick’s Day we had Guinness cupcakes with Baileys Irish Cream frosting. That was really good,” she added.

First Avenue between Main and Alder streets was closed Saturday to accommodate a 40-by-400-foot tent where more that 400 people took part in the Third Annual Feast Walla Walla.

“It looks like our wine sales were higher than last year, and at least two artists did very well,” said Jennifer Northam of the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation.

Wine sales weren’t all that was up; this year five more vendors were added for 50 mostly wine and food purveyors who served up their creations from 1-4 p.m.

In addition, several local restaurateurs who had opted out of the previous two Feast Walla Walla events decided to take part this year.

“They were kind of holding back to see how the event did, and now that we have had two successful years, they felt it was time to join us,” Northam said.

Also different this year were the addition of four open-flame cooking areas along the west sidewalk of First Avenue. The areas were added because fire regulations prohibit open flames in the enclosed tent, Northam said.

Photo by Matthew B. Zimmerman

A T-shirt design was also created and sold at this year’s event. And for the first time, a beer vendor sponsored a booth.

The price, Northam added, stayed the same at $45 per person.

In Feast Walla Walla, each participant is given 10 vouchers good for servings of food or wine provided by local wineries and restaurants.

Local artists also displayed their works, and music was provided by Whitman College jazz musicians.

CrossRoads Steakhouse, located at Veterans Memorial Golf Course, introduced more steak choices, as well as sandwiches and salads that feature beef, said owner Kim Kelly-Frank in an announcement.

Even better news for meat-lovers: The entire menu will be available all day. Order dinner at 11 a.m., if you like, Kelly-Frank said.

CrossRoads will also offer a fresh seafood and pasta special each week. Fish & chips and the restaurant’s in-house beer-battered prawns remain available daily.

Kelly-Frank said a number of other changes and additions have been made to the menu, including a new “soup, salad or baked potato combo.” She said the kitchen staff is working on apple, peach and other fruit crisps for dessert. The revamped kids menu comes with a new concept. As part of the CrossRoads Kids Club, children younger than 10 can win “Worms in Dirt” dessert by coloring their menus and returning them on their sixth visit for a meal. For more details on the changes call 522-1200.