Food & Drink
Want Good Food?
It doesn't get any "gooder" than Dayton's Weinhard Café. And the café's new co-owner and chef, Anne Jaso, plans to keep it that way.
Story and Photos by Ken Graham
The words "food" and "fad" sound a lot alike – and maybe there's a reason. They've been used together a lot in the last several decades: whether French or Thai; sushi or souvlaki; waffles or gelato. Many people are always eager to follow the latest food trend, until it's not the "latest" anymore.
Fads die and trends fade, but what lasts is good basic food that tastes good. The best food, no matter its origin or how popular it is, is prepared from fresh unprocessed ingredients – mostly local – and then eaten immediately.
Since its beginning in 1996, that's been the guiding principle behind the food served at Dayton's Weinhard Café. For new co-owner and chef, Anne Jaso, who came on board at the beginning of 2009, that philosophy won't change. "If it ain't broke . . . well, you know," she says.
Jaso purchased the ownership share in the Weinhard Café of previous chef Tiffany Cain, who is now co-owner of the Colville Street Patisserie in Walla Walla (see March 2009 BMN). "I'm sure I'll find some new things I like to do over time," says Jaso, "but any changes will come slowly. We want our customers to continue to get what they've always loved."
Jaso's business partner, Mae Schrey, has been co-owner of the café since 2000. In 2003, she and Cain moved the restaurant from the front of the Weinhard Hotel to its current location in the former home of the Homeport Tavern. Over the years, the café has built a reputation as one of the finest dining spots in Eastern Washington.
Jaso grew up partly in Walla Walla and moved to San Francisco after high school, where she met Cain several years later. She later lived and worked in Austin, TX and Philadelphia, before moving back to Walla Walla in 2007. Last fall she accepted Cain's invitation to move to Dayton and take over as
the café's chef.
"I think the most important thing in the Weinhard's success has been the people," says Jaso. "That's why I'm so excited to be here."
Waitress Jennifer Villaro has worked at the Weinhard Café since 2001. She was joined by kitchen assistant Esther Rodriguez in 2003. Waitress Theresa Eier joined the team in 2008. "Esther's been a huge help to me since I've been here," says Jaso. "All of these women have made the transition so much easier than it might have been."
The menu changes with the seasons, but basics like panini sandwiches for lunch and rib-eye steak for dinner are always on the menu. At least one vegetarian dish appears on each menu as well. Entrees at the Weinhard Café range from seven to nine dollars for lunch and 12 to 20 dollars for dinner. The café also has a large dessert menu and a complete wine list.
With exposed brick walls and a beautiful wood floor, the surroundings are elegant, yet comfortable.
"We call our food ‘American', and that takes in a lot of things," says Schrey. "But our commitment to great food with fresh local ingredients won't change." In other words, the Weinhard Café's "good food" is as good as it gets.
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