I can’t believe six months have passed since my son, Jeff Parr, and I became majority owners of Allyson’s Kitchen. It has been hectic, and even a little crazy at times, but exciting and fun. So many things to learn, new friends to make, and of course, lots of stuff to do. Steve and Allyson Holt worked 24/7 to make this business a success and left some pretty big shoes to fill. However, their vision of Allyson’s Kitchen – neighborhood gourmet, a place for “foodies” and wine lovers, is alive and well.
The staff has been fantastic during this transition, everyone stayed with us and taught us what we needed to know. They have really stepped up to the added challenges, made even more difficult by the economic realities of our times.
In Bend, store manager Adryon Wong and Executive Chef, Joe Morgan, have become a strong leadership team. They manage all aspects of the business and have made Friday Night Wine Tasting, catering and the cooking classes a big success, while maintaining the core café and retail business. They have forged strong relationships with other businesses such as Orvis and have dozens of ideas for improving and growing the business. Jeff and I just have to keep up with them!
In Ashland, store manager, Callie McQueen and deli manager, Jody Hupp, immediately rose to the challenge. The café/deli hasn’t missed a beat and that business has held up well. It’s been nice to see so many old friends coming back as the season picks up. Friday night wine tasting continue to be popular and we’ve held some great events in our cellar (e.g. 63 people from the Ashland Chamber Greeters joined us for breakfast on April 24th). It would be great to see more people use our location for events – it has such a nice ambiance.
The toughest challenge in Ashland has been the Cooking School. Chef Cristina Topham joined us in January to pick up on-going classes and keep things going. She did a fantastic job and brought lots of new ideas and fun classes – Curries of the World, The Ultimate Burger. Everyone loved her, but unfortunately other opportunities called and she has been pulled away to work on a book and other publishing ideas. Cristina remains on as one of our guest chefs, however, so watch for up-coming classes (Lebanese, anyone?)
So once again, we had a big hole to fill. We needed someone with a passion for food and a passion for teaching. Luckily for us, we found exactly that combination in Chef Mare, aka Marilyn Moore, CCE. Marilyn is from Ashland and already teaches at Southern Oregon University. She also runs the Serve/SAFE program for Jackson County. I’ve come to believe she knows every chef in town as she has created a great line-up of guest chefs for our new Tuesday night program (what a great Mexican Mole Chef James Williams (Omar’s) created for us on Cinco de Mayo. Check out our new cooking class schedule on the web (insert link to schedule)and sign up for Confident Cooking with Chef Mare which starts May 18th. Look for other great classes too – including some great recipes from a local nutritionist, Kia Sanford, who is going to show you how to make all that great tasting food be good for you too (who knew cream was actually good for you – well, the right kind of cream…).
More recently we learned of another transition that is coming our way. The Ashland store manager, Callie, has decided to return to SOU to get her Master’s in Education. She will be leaving us in mid-June. This news sent us on yet another search, this time for the perfect store manager – knowledgeable about food and wine, great with people, experience with retail management, out-going and up-beat. We found all of this in our new manager Cecilia.
I will wrap up with a heartfelt thank you to Callie for the great job she has been doing. I know she will be missed by all (don’t you just love her big smile?). Be sure to take time to wish her the best of luck and she and Corey go on to manage their own transition – two students in one house? We look forward to catching up with them at Friday Night wine tastings.
-Lynne Galligan President/CEO
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Shop Locally for a Healthy Community - A Letter to our Friends
The following is a Letter to the Community of Ashland, Oregon in the Rogue Valley. It was published December 4, 2008 in Vol. 19, No. 2 of the Sneak Preview. While this letter was addressed to the Ashland Community, the importance of shopping locally, not just during the holidays, but year-round, is an important decision that each person has an opportunity to make, where ever they may live.
Dear Friends,
You have a choice to make this holiday season. your vote will decide the fate of our local communities and our way of life here in the Rogue Valley. Each of you will make decisions that will affect your friends, neighbors, family members, colleagues and more.
We all understand that our economy has experienced an unprecedented decline. Too many folks in our communities are facing unemployment, mortgage foreclosure and a loss of retirement benefits.
It is a time of worry about the future, and a fear of what may come. And although many of us feel that there isn't much we can do to affect the big picture, we each have an opportunity to affect our local communities with the choices we make this season.
All of us are affected, and as local business owners, we feel the pain in numerous ways. All of us who have chosen to open shops and restaurants, or provide services in the Rogue Valley have made those decisions because we love our Valley with a passion that cannot be matched.
We open our doors every day to serve the people who work and play here. Our businesses provide jobs that keep our local economy turning. And many of our companies collectively make up the small town charm and uniqueness that we all treasure.
Since most of us will be spending fewer dollars on holiday gifts this year, I want to appeal to you on behalf of local business owners, by asking all of you to make the decision to shop locally.
Your support will make the difference. If each of us in the Rogue Valley invested $100 in the local economy by shopping local businesses, the result would be an impact of more than $28 million in our community ... $4 million more than if those same dollars were spent with big-box retailers.
Your support could be the deciding factor in whether a business succeeds or fails. And each time a business fails, the community suffers. Each vacant shop or storefront in our downtown area means more jobs lost, downtowns that turn into ghost towns, less dollars and volunteers to support nonprofit organizations, fewer children in our schools creating less dollars coming in to provide for a quality education, and more stress on our local economy.
Where you choose to buy your holiday gifts, the ingredients for your holiday feasts, or what restaurants you choose for holiday get-togethers are the most important decisions you may make this season.
Your choice to visit and support local businesses over large corporations and national chains is vital to the health of our community. And a healthy community is one of the greatest gifts of all.
To all of you who choose to shop and dine locally, we are deeply grateful. Please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday and a prosperous new year.
Sincerely,
Steve and Allyson Holt
Allyson's Kitchen
Downtown Ashland, Oregon
You have a choice to make this holiday season. your vote will decide the fate of our local communities and our way of life here in the Rogue Valley. Each of you will make decisions that will affect your friends, neighbors, family members, colleagues and more.
We all understand that our economy has experienced an unprecedented decline. Too many folks in our communities are facing unemployment, mortgage foreclosure and a loss of retirement benefits.
It is a time of worry about the future, and a fear of what may come. And although many of us feel that there isn't much we can do to affect the big picture, we each have an opportunity to affect our local communities with the choices we make this season.
All of us are affected, and as local business owners, we feel the pain in numerous ways. All of us who have chosen to open shops and restaurants, or provide services in the Rogue Valley have made those decisions because we love our Valley with a passion that cannot be matched.
We open our doors every day to serve the people who work and play here. Our businesses provide jobs that keep our local economy turning. And many of our companies collectively make up the small town charm and uniqueness that we all treasure.
Since most of us will be spending fewer dollars on holiday gifts this year, I want to appeal to you on behalf of local business owners, by asking all of you to make the decision to shop locally.
Your support will make the difference. If each of us in the Rogue Valley invested $100 in the local economy by shopping local businesses, the result would be an impact of more than $28 million in our community ... $4 million more than if those same dollars were spent with big-box retailers.
Your support could be the deciding factor in whether a business succeeds or fails. And each time a business fails, the community suffers. Each vacant shop or storefront in our downtown area means more jobs lost, downtowns that turn into ghost towns, less dollars and volunteers to support nonprofit organizations, fewer children in our schools creating less dollars coming in to provide for a quality education, and more stress on our local economy.
Where you choose to buy your holiday gifts, the ingredients for your holiday feasts, or what restaurants you choose for holiday get-togethers are the most important decisions you may make this season.
Your choice to visit and support local businesses over large corporations and national chains is vital to the health of our community. And a healthy community is one of the greatest gifts of all.
To all of you who choose to shop and dine locally, we are deeply grateful. Please accept our best wishes for a happy holiday and a prosperous new year.
Sincerely,
Steve and Allyson Holt
Allyson's Kitchen
Downtown Ashland, Oregon
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Local Catering in the Current Economy
Our Ashland Deli Manger, Jody Hupp, was interviewed by local newschannel KDRV 12 about the effects of the current economic downturn on local catering businesses. While the nationwide trend has definitely impacted local businesses, the trend towards do-it-yourself home cooking has kept customers interested in our Confident Cooking Series. Surprisingly, in our Bend Location, the demand for Allyson's Cooking Classes has greatly exceeded our expectations and continues to grow. For that, we want to offer a gracious "Thank You" to all our loyal customers.
[Watch video here]
[Watch video here]
Monday, October 27, 2008
2008 Best of Bend Award
Wow! Now this is exciting! We are so happy to be a part of the Bend Community, but this is a completely unexpected welcome gift. Allyson's Kitchen would like to thank all our customers and cooking school students for their support.
Allyson's Kitchen Receives 2008 Best of Bend Award
U.S. Local Business Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement
WASHINGTON D.C., October 27, 2008 -- Allyson's Kitchen has been selected for the 2008 Best of Bend Award in the Kitchen Accessories category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).
The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.
About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)
U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.
The USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.
SOURCE: U.S. Local Business Association
CONTACT:
U.S. Local Business Association
Email: PublicRelations@USLBA.net
URL: http://www.USLBA.net
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Ancient Comfort Food - The Tagine is Featured in the Medford Mail Tribune
From the ancient Arab marketplace to gourmet emporiums like Allyson's Kitchen. It's the unlikely path of the tagine, the signature slow-cooked and heavily seasoned dish of Morocco that lately has been embraced by adventurous American gourmets.
...
Traditionally made of clay, tagines allow liquid to slowly evaporate, condense on the chimney-like lid and reinfuse the food with moisture, leading to incredibly tender meat.- Food Editor Sarah Lemon, Mail Tribune
read more at mailtribune.com/alacarte
This week the Medford Mail Tribune featured an article on Tagine Cooking, a slow-cooked cuisine of Morocco and the ancient Arab world. The word "tagine" does not only refer to a style of cooking, but to the actual cookware most commonly used, the Tagine. The Tagine is a conical shaped piece of cookware that allows foods to be slow cooked, efficiently using the foods own juices to keep it moist and delicious. Allyson was asked by Mail Tribune videographer, Jim Craven, to explain some of the meanings of "tagine," and show the differences in some of the tagine vessels used to cook this ancient cuisine.
Allyson is also teaching a Hands-On Moroccan Cooking Class this Sunday, Oct, 26 in Ashland. for more information visit our Cooking Classes Schedule for Ashland, or call our store at (541) 482-2884.
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