Live Oregon

Roasted Sunchoke Hummus packs in the flavor for a perfect snack.

Roasted Sunchoke Hummus

written by Thor Erickson | photography by Tambi Lane I was drenched with sweat as I neared the end of my sweltering drive to Brownsville. The AC in my old Toyota pickup meant cranking the windows down. The best produce in Oregon, used by the best restaurants in the nation, is grown in this tiny pocket of the Willamette Valley, and I was here to convince the farmer to sell it to my restaurant. I rehearsed my pitch as I pulled onto the dusty road leading to George Weppler’s farm. As I got out of my truck, George emerged from a field where beautiful purple lettuce and sunflowers were growing. He greeted me with a firm handshake. “Swim with me!” he said in a raised voice as he shed his dusty clothes leaving nothing but a neckerchief and a straw hat. He gestured to the irrigation pond that resembled a…

Oregon beer and breweries

How Oregon Became the Epicenter of Craft Beer Culture

written by Jeremy Storton | illustration by Sophie Barlow In the fall of 1993, I walked into Deschutes Brewery for the first time. Bend was a sleepy mountain town of about 15,000 people with a well-known ski mountain. The micro-brewing fad had traction, but momentum was a few years off. Still, I was intrigued that Deschutes was a place where one could get beer with color and flavor, and not some giant factory pumping out industrial liquid widgets. In the early 1980s, Widmer, Bridgeport, Portland and McMenamins brewing companies pushed the legislation that would allow breweries to sell beer directly to consumers, thus breaking down the barrier between artisan and consumer. In doing so, they also showed us how to redefine ourselves through better beer experiences. In California, circa 1976, when the seeds that would grow into the craft beer movement were sprouting roots, the “Judgement of Paris” informed the…

Picture Framing and Matting

illustrations by Allison Bye Custom framing is not cheap—and there’s a reason for that. It takes skill and often specialized tools to build a custom picture frame. Read on for a quick guide to the components of the project. Depending on your skill level and shop setup, you might be able to make your own frames. Or, perhaps repurposing vintage finds is more your speed—we cover that, too. MATERIALS For the frame: Use scrap wood or search out old frames at Goodwill, garage sales or antique stores. Both can be refinished according to your tastes, and cut to the size needed. Tip: If you’re putting together a gallery wall and need a lot of frames at once, our favorite way to do it is to purchase antique frames, which are often made of higher-quality materials, then cut the mat and glass to fit, and assemble it all together. For the…

One of Cannon Beach’s finest bakeries, Sea level Bakery makes many breads and pastries for adoring patrons.

Eat Your Way Through Cannon Beach in 24 Hours

written by Kerry Newberry Start your morning with the locals at Sea Level Bakery (www.sealevelbakery.com), a husband-and-wife-owned spot serving up scratch-baked bread, veg-packed quiche and pastry specials like a crispy, caramelized kouign-amann, blueberry scones and sticky buns the size of frisbees. Expect a line on most days, but it’s easy to pass the time watching cute beach dogs bustle by. Next stop, picnic provisions for the beach, which you can find a few blocks away at Fresh Foods Cannon Beach (www.freshfoodsmarketplace.com). Early summer, local berries start to roll in and you’ll find ready-made snacks to tuck in beach totes. After exploring the town’s art galleries, boutiques and indie bookstores, swing by the boat-to-table Ecola Seafoods (www.ecolaseafoods.com) for a classic crab cocktail or a deeply satisfying seafood-and-chips basket. Find your afternoon refresh at the beloved Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters (www.sleepymonkcoffee.com) or Suzy’s Scoops (www.suzysscoops.com). After more beachcombing, enjoy a convivial happy…

A Portland interior designer undertakes a difficult mission—modernizing a classic cabin.

How to Decorate a Log Cabin

A Portland interior designer crafts a delightful, rustic-meets-modern retreat in Black Butte Ranch written by Melissa Dalton | photography by Kayla McKenzie When interior designer Wendy Scott bought this log home in Black Butte Ranch, the sale included not just the house, but everything inside it. “You name it, we inherited it,” said Scott. “Forks, cups, art, baskets of dusty fake ivy upon baskets of dusty fake ivy, log beds, phones from 1980, linens that were thirty years old, and games with missing pieces.” As one of the oldest, most traditional forms of American architecture, log cabins are storied enough without all the additional stuff. This one, built in 1990, is a more contemporary version, but still came with the design problems unique to its typology. For Scott, deciding what to keep or toss was the first of many issues to tackle. Add to that, the fact that the thick…

Your Guide to Summer Music Festivals

Soak in the sun and sounds of live music at these ten events around Oregon written by Ben Salmon | illustration by Ni Ma There’s no shortage of fun things to do in Oregon during the summer, and that includes music festivals, which give folks from Portland to Pendleton and points in between a chance to gather under the sun and enjoy a whole bunch of live music. Here are ten fests happening across the state that deserve a spot on your calendar this summer. ROOTS-ROCKIN’ Big Ponderoo This is year two for Big Ponderoo, a new event from the team behind one of Oregon’s great musical gatherings, the Sisters Folk Festival. Well-organized and expertly curated, Big Ponderoo features two days of Americana, folk-rock, rootsy soul and more in an easygoing atmosphere. At a time when too many festivals feel increasingly corporate (and expensive), Big Ponderoo is a throwback to…

Xiao Ye features standout dishes that change with the seasons.

Xiao Ye

written by Kerry Newberry Every dish at Xiao Ye is an ode to memories—from the mini masa madeleines that arrive perched on a bluff of whipped butter with a sprinkle of jalapeño powder to the savory seasonal toast (on a recent night the chewy slices of sourdough came topped with roasted acorn and kabocha squash and a tangle of fresh herbs). Even the name is steeped in nostalgia. When chef Louis Lin and his partner, Jolyn Chen, were recounting their most meaningful meals over the years, it wasn’t the fancy dinners that resonated most but the twilight dishes shared with family and friends. “I thought about the meals my dad and I had after a late night at work,” said Chen. In Mandarin, these dining moments are called xiao ye, which translates to midnight snack. “It’s always cozy and comforting, and it’s the kind of experience we want to give…

Come for the cerulean blue at the new Bar Rio.

Dining Hot Spots in Bend

written by Kerry Newberry After schussing down the nearby ski slopes, it’s time for a soul-stirring dinner. For this wintry scenario, Bend can’t be beat. Here’s the town’s latest hot spots for the ultimate après-ski feast. For a luxe night out, head to Dear Irene (926 NW Brooks St.; www.dearirenebend.com), beautifully bedecked in gold and jewel tones with a row of luminous chandeliers. Opened by chef Jonny Becklund and his wife, Irene, you’ll find sublime starters like arancini stuffed with Oregon Dungeness crab, an umami-packed grilled cheese with black truffle honey and prawn saganaki. At Bar Rio (915 NW Wall St.; www.barriobend.com), there’s a new concept from longtime restaurateurs Steven and Amy Draheim. In the redesigned bar space, you’ll find interiors in cerulean blue, contemporary pendants and Alhambra-inspired tiles. On the menu, there’s no shortage of festive tapas and cocktails from a zingy shrimp and mango ceviche to spicy chicken…

The fine craftsmanship of Perpetually Devastated played out in a 1968 Overlander.

Art and Craft in an Airstream

A couple creates one-of-a-kind Airstream interiors in Southern Oregon written by Melissa Dalton photography by Bethany Williams With a business name like Perpetually Devastated, Parker Bolden and Bethany Williams are used to explaining the meaning. “We are sensitive people and find the state of our world depressing sometimes,” said Williams. “People hate others just for being different. There’s environmental degradation, extractive capitalism, the list could go on and on. You could just be really sad. It’s all perpetually devastating. And yet, you have to find a way to make yourself happy, to make things just a little bit better if you can.” One of the ways that the two have done that is by renovating Airstream trailers alongside a talented crew at their shop in Southern Oregon. Each project starts with a trailer that has solid bones, which they use as a base to rebuild the interior from scratch, from…