Two eateries add to downtown Walla Walla mix

A couple of new businesses in the works will bring a little rise-and-shine to downtown Walla Walla.

Two new eateries slated for separate downtown corridors will specialize in breakfast and other fare.

The Maple Counter Café is slated for 209 E. Alder St. in the former home of a transmission shop. Crews have been working on framing inside the building and workers Wednesday were busy pouring concrete pads outside.

Owners Kory and Rachel Nagler, transplants from the west side of the state, plan to offer breakfast and lunch, as well as beer and wine sales, according to an application filed with the Washington State Liquor Control Board. A little poking around online shows the couple have a history together in the business. The two have been part of a family tradition in breakfast spots through Oak Table Cafe Kingston, a restaurant created by Kory’s sister in the image of their parents’ own Oak Table Cafe in Sequim, Wash., according to the business’s website.

If The Maple Counter Café continues the tradition, expect … Continue Reading

Sharing meals together nurtures more than just body

The weekend before last I pulled my family out of bed early for a pancake breakfast at the Muddy Frogwater Festival in Milton-Freewater. We arrived at the park with the sun starting to peak over the hills. There was a variety of people gathered, from seniors to toddlers, and everyone in between. After passing through the line, where we were offered pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs, we found seats at communal tables, and enjoyed our breakfast amongst other members of our community. Smiles and warm greetings easily passed across the tables, along with the maple syrup and butter.

Sharing meals with others is more than just the physical benefits of nutrition and health. Eating together builds family and community bonds. It brings people together over something common. It promotes unity and a sense of belonging. It gives us a chance to relax, nourish our bodies and connect with the people around us.

Food is something that is common among us all. But we each have our own food culture and history that we bring to the table. From the food we grew up eating, to recipes passed down from generation to generation, to cooking skills and knowledge we have learned along the way. These are all treasures to be shared and passed on.

Like the “suzy pancakes,” or crepe Suzette, my grandma made whenever we visited. Rich and delicious, with butter oozing out of the folds. My grandpa would joke that … Continue Reading

Walla Walla Valley Farmers’ Market serves up cooking classes

The Walla Walla Valley Farmers’ Market is taking a hands-on approach to cooking with fresh seasonal produce.

A series of cooking classes using local items will run every other Saturday through the duration of the market, said Manager Beth-Aimee McGuire.

The classes take place across the street from the market at Someone’s in the Kitchen, 132 W. Rose St. The three-hour classes begin at 9 a.m. and cost $30 per person. Participants meet in front of Someone’s in the Kitchen and will trek to the market to pick up a variety of seasonal ingredients.

Participants sign up via email — sitkwallawalla@mac.com; telephone — 240-6388; or in person at The Green Spoon, 13 E. Main St.

Featured produce throughout the series will change for each class.

On the produce menu for the rest of the classes: Sept. 10 — eggplant, cauliflower, plums; Sept. 24 — tomatillos, radish, carrots, blackberries; Oct. 8 — leeks, potatoes, beets, melon; Oct. 22 — winter squash, winter Walla Walla Sweets, spinach, apples.

Everybody, let’s get stoned …

No, you read the headline to this column correctly, but it’s not what you’re thinking. That’s not my bag, baby.

What I am talking about is the beautiful bounty of summer stone fruits that should be hitting your local farmers’ markets soon.

When I was a kid I LOVED summer. Long days, no school and all the great things in the world to eat. We had several fruit trees at our house where I grew up. The peach tree was my favorite. Peaches the size of softballs (really) and amazingly juicy and sweet.

My dad and I would wait with anticipation all year long for the peaches to grow. Then came the torture. Day after day of waiting until they were ripe. Really ripe. It was a game. We would go out there and I always thought they were ready, and my dad would always say, “Nope not yet. I think we need to give ‘em a few more days.” It killed me. I wanted to eat that darn thing NOW.

Finally, I would walk out one day and gently squeeze one to see if it was just soft to the touch, and the peach would fall off into my hand. I freaked. I thought my dad was going to kill me for picking it early. I ran inside washed it off and waited for him to get home from work.

I explained what happened and he would give me that straight face. “Well, you can’t put it back on that tree now, can you?” He’d cut it open, juice running everywhere and … Continue Reading

Joys of eating from the ground up

My first carrot I can remember came straight out of the ground, dirt still clinging to the sides. I pulled it out of the garden myself, rinsed it off with the hose and munched on it as I browsed the rest of Grandpa’s lush garden for other tasty snacks.

My sister and I would spend hours hanging out under the cherry tree, watching him tend to his garden. He was a man of few words but so much love for his garden and family. He’d send us with a box full of fruit or vegetables to deliver to Grandma for canning. She would stock the cellar with enough treasures to last the family through the winter. I’d look forward to our visits, knowing she’d pull out a couple jars filled with sweet juicy plums or, my favorite, raspberries in rosy red syrup.

I feel fortunate to have had these experiences, to know the joys of fresh, home-grown fruits and garden vegetables. Some folks only know the taste of grocery store produce, or, even worse, canned, overcooked versions. I’d hate veggies too, if that was my introduction to them.

In working with urban kids in Los Angeles, I’d often hear they hated vegetables. One kid swore he would never eat a carrot as we planted the seeds to grow our own. After tending to our … Continue Reading

No need to also swelter in the kitchen during those hot days

Summer stirs Walla Walla Valley produce passion

Summer is in full swing in the Walla Walla Valley, and with it comes a variety of tasty locally-grown produce. Ever since I was a child growing up in Maple Valley I’ve looked forward to this time of year, not only for the break from school, but foraging for blackberries in overgrown back alleys and blueberries off bushes between my grandma’s house and her neighbor.

The bushes belonged to the neighbor and I was told over and over that I should ask before picking, but how could I resist plucking those luscious plump purple berries, sweet and warm from the summer heat? Popping them into my mouth, one-by-one, I’d savor each morsel. Filling my cupped hands with as many as I could carry, they would be empty when I got home. Luckily there was always tomorrow to pick more.

Summer also brings a delicious spectrum of vegetables at their prime. Nothing compares to a freshly harvested tomato, with that sweet earthy scent of vine still lingering and sweet juiciness. After your first taste of one of these vine-ripened beauties it’s hard to look at off-season, tasteless, grainy grocery tomatoes the same again. In our family, we can’t wait for … Continue Reading

Chefs at Feast Walla Walla talk about feeding the hungry crowd

Chefs participating at this year’s Feast Walla Walla tell us about what they cooked up for the crowd.

VIDEO – Preview of Feast Walla Walla 2011

Here is a paid-for video promo for this year’s Feast of Walla Walla. Have you purchased your tickets yet?

Classic Coffee Cake

My bookshelves are stuffed full of cookbooks, many of them expressly devoted to baking. And yet, for a few years now, I haven’t been able to find a recipe among them for a really classic coffee cake, the kind you imagine women sharing over afternoon coffee in the kitchen, while their children play and their husbands are away at work. I didn’t want some fancy coffee cake with all kinds of crazy fruit or flavors like cardamom or Chinese five-spice powder. I wanted something that would reach that Platonic ideal of coffee cake flavor, something moist and dense and just a little bit hinted with cinnamon. But search as I might, I couldn’t find just the recipe I was looking for.

Over Thanksgiving, my aunt Cathie handed me an old tin recipe box full of yellowing index cards. These recipes were my Grandma’s, a woman who died years before I was born, and in that tin box was the exact recipe for coffee cake I’ve been looking for. It’s simple, but full of flavor. Even better, it’s easy enough to make that you can always have a dish ready in case a friend decides to drop by at the last minute, for a cup of coffee and some gossip. … Continue Reading

Isle of Mull Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese from a box has become so ubiquitous that it’s easy to forget how very simple it is to make from scratch, and how delicious. Real cheese, fresh butter, and a sprinkling of simple herbs and breadcrumbs elevate this kid’s menu staple to something special. Here in Walla Walla, we’re lucky to have access to some pretty amazing cheese at Salumiere Cesario. I made this pot with some sharp, nutty Isle of Mull Cheddar, but it would be equally lovely with some Gruyere, or a Basque-style sheep’s milk cheese. If you’re not sure what to try, the friendly staff will probably have some great suggestions. I’ve also made this with a simple Swiss cheese, and with Tillamook cheddar, and it’s always good.
… Continue Reading