Blog Entries

Public House 124 – by Kirsten Telander

kirstentelander@gmail.com — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100

You know spring has sprung when you see ramps on a menu, am I right? O.K., so it's not your every day ingredient, nor would you expect to find it on a menu of a restaurant called Public House 124 unless it was deep fried and served with ranch dressing. But there they were. Pickled ramps perched atop grilled g [...]

Real Men Drink Pink at Spring Release - By Catie McIntyre Walker

jujubee_1979@yahoo.com — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Flowers are being planted and cases of new wines are being opened. The temperatures are rising and Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla, May 4 through May 6, is here.

Every first weekend of May the wineries in the Walla Walla Valley bring out their new releases. It's an opportunity to celebrate the glorious new season and to showcase the [...]

“Fussy Finished!” - by Kirsten Telander

kirstentelander@gmail.com — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100

This was legendary fashion editor Polly Mellen's response to Angelica Houston's overdone, ostentatious jewelry at the Oscars a number of years ago. Clearly Michelle Adams and her partner Michelle Giannunzio channeled this when naming their breakfast spot simply Bacon & Eggs.

Giannunzio, longtime chef, and Adams converted a down [...]

+On the Corner - by Susan Monahan

juliaherres@gmail.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Sometimes changes to buildings result in the loss of distinctive features; sometimes the additions add interest and give the building character it lacked.

I often ask friends to share their memories of Walla Walla buildings and sometimes ask for ideas of what building to write about. Diane suggested the one at the corner of Main and 2nd, [...]

Hidden Treasures - by Catie McIntyre Walker

jujubee_1979@yahoo.com — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0100

It is a large part of my bloodline to take on the "hunt" - the occasional gathering of treasures such as the collectibles I enjoy in my home. I have a couple of aunts who used to be in the antique business and even my father sometimes brought home "treasures" that he traded. My list of treasure hunting is broad such as furniture, dep [...]

Faces and Places: Paul Jenes of Bright's Candies

aholt@wallawalla.org — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Meet the Willy Wonka of Walla Walla . . . Paul Jenes, a mild mannered version of Roald Dahl's famous classic candy character. Although the University of Washington grad does not possess the flamboyance of Mr. Wonka, his passion for making life much sweeter for the world, and particularly the Walla Walla Valley, is just as evident.

Jenes [...]

Beyond Bread – Kirsten Telander

kirstentelander@gmail.com — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen

I wrote about Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen for Northwest Palate several years ago, and at the time, I thought Chef/Founder Chris Ainsworth was bonkers: In the course of a year, he had moved to Walla Walla, opened Saffron, then opened Pho Sho, got married, and bought a house. I waited for his reality-show-worthy me [...]

The Quinn Block - by Susan Monahan

juliaherres@gmail.com — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The most fascinating part of writing about Walla Walla's historic buildings is learning how a space can change over time, its owners altering and molding it to their needs. If I walk into Tallman's Drug Store at 4 West Main today I am greeted by friendly folks who fill my prescription and ask about my day. If I had entered that door in 1880, I [...]

Faces and Places: Chuck Reininger of Reininger Winery

aholt@wallawalla.org — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Meet Chuck Reininger, passionate winemaker and passionate outdoorsman. Born and raised in Bellevue, Wash., Reininger calls the Walla Walla Valley home mainly due to his love of the outdoors, the region's spectacular geography and rich history. The former mountain climbing guide says all of this passion is reflected in his wine. Hence, [...]

Walla Walla's Sweet Tooth – by Susan Monahan

juliaherres@gmail.com — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

When I say Walla Walla Sweets, I am not referring to baseball or onions. I am talking candy. Residents and visitors certainly appreciate Bright's on Main Street and many remember fondly the many years Russell's Candy was in business. But there is a "ghost sign" on an elegant brick building at 108 South Third that marks Walla Walla Cand [...]

The Beehive: A Building with Two Lives – by Susan Monahan

juliaherres@gmail.com — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

There is a fond place in the hearts of many Walla Walla folks for the Bee Hive Building on the corner of First and Main. Built of dark red brick and featuring tall, gracefully curved upstairs windows, it now houses several businesses. It's really the Sayer building, named for the man who built it in 1890, but everybody calls it "The Bee Hive" because they re [...]

Scenes from Walla Walla by Jim Willis - Pioneer Park

julia.designs4u@yahoo.com — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The image in this blog entry was captured in Walla Walla's Pioneer Park. The snow laden trees lie on the east shore of the park's south pond. Pioneer Park is one of my favorite sites because of the great variety of landscapes, structures and sculptures within the park. It is a great spot for artistic shots and people shots. A good number of sen [...]

Henrietta's House – by Susan Monahan

juliaherres@gmail.com — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Photograph of Henrietta Baker
Courtesy of Ft. Walla Walla Museum

If you were to be invited into the parlor of Henrietta Baker's house, you might not be able to stand upright--that is if you were older than ten or eleven. When Henrietta's parents, Henry and Clara, built the playhouse for Henrietta in 1905, she was 11 years o [...]

Faces and Places: Nimal Amarasinghe of South Fork Grill

aholt@wallawalla.org — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100

To say that Nimal Amarasinghe, Executive Chef of the South Fork Grill, is far from home is a grand understatement. The likeable head of the kitchen is some 15,000 miles from his native country of Sri Lanka. Yes, the small former British colony in Southeast Asia is where Chef Nimal spent his childhood, swimming with his friends in the ocean and playing cri [...]

Scenes from Walla Walla by Jim Willis - Winter Barn

julia.designs4u@yahoo.com — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Walla Walla Valley barns provide a rich source of picturesque scenes. It is difficult to travel down one of our country roads and not encounter enchanting barns. The challenge with taking pictures of barns is to avoid the "mug" shot. The solution is to employ classical composition. Think of your visits to museums and of the landscape painting you viewe [...]

Isabella's Ghost? – by Susan Monahan

juliaherres@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

No one who knew Isabella Kirkman would ever think of her as having potential to "haunt." Isabella and William Kirkman were, as most locals know, the hardworking wealthy citizens who built the Kirkman House on the corner of Colville and Cherry. Their elegant home was finished by 1880 and the Kirkmans lived there until the 1920s when Isabell [...]

Scenes from Walla Walla by Jim Willis - Sculptures

julia.designs4u@yahoo.com — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

If you appreciate sculptures, Walla Walla is an ideal destination. Between Downtown Walla Walla, Whitman College, Walla Walla University, Walla Walla Community College and Walla Walla public parks there are over 50 commissioned sculptures in public view. The area also boasts two fine art foundries: Walla Walla Foundry in Walla Walla and the [...]

The Baumeister Building, Made With Metal – by Susan Monahan

juliaherres@gmail.com — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

I can't walk by the elegant mauve and gray Baumeister Building without rapping one of its columns with my knuckles. Each rap is answered by a gratifying metallic clunk because this building is a "Mesker" and that means it's faced by a "galvanized storefront system." All its lovely ornamentation that looks carved and handmade is actually pressed sheet metal, a combination of galv [...]

Faces and Places: Ian Crawford and Doug Gisi of Vinoture

aholt@wallawalla.org — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

How would you like to drink the wine from the barrel you are sitting on? Sound impossible? Not in the eyes of Ian Crawford and Doug Gisi, co-owners of Vinoture, a thriving furniture company whose artistic and tasteful products are solely comprised of used wine barrels. As Crawford puts it, when sitting on a bar stool made by Vinoture, you are experiencing the f [...]

Once Upon a Time in a Town Called Walla Walla

jujubee_1979@yahoo.com — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This is the time of year when the vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley are beginning to take on veraison - the onset of ripening for the grapes. Crush will be starting at the wineries soon and the sweet smell of grapes will fill the air along with the smoky leaves of autumn. This is truly my favorite time of the year in our valley. This is the time o [...]