Wednesday, March 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Raidwater Café opeds id Sisters
By Steve Kadel
Correspondent
Rainwater Café, which
opened recently in Town
Square shopping center, has a
full menu for breakfast, lunch
and dinner. But many custom-
ers won’t get past the display
case filled with tempting pies,
cobblers and jumbo cookies
— all made by hand by co-
owner Dera Rainwater.
She and her husband Gary
bought the restaurant January
6 and set about turning the
former Ali’s Deli space into
their own culinary world.
They report that they’ve
been embraced by the Sisters
community.
“We want to thank all the
townsfolk for their support,”
Dera said. “The businesses
nearby, everybody has been
extremely supportive.”
“The locals around here
are awesome,” Gary added.
The new restaurateurs
already have developed reg-
ular customers, including a
man who stops in every day
for a piece of pie, Dera said.
She previously owned
the Red Rooster coffee shop
and a quilt store in La Pine,
turning both into successful
enterprises. She’s also a for-
mer assistant manager of Sea
Lion Caves. Now, with her
children grown, Dera wanted
to start another business with
her husband of one year, who
is learning the restaurant busi-
ness from dishwashing on up.
“I have dishpan hands,”
Gary joked.
He’ll do more of the cook-
ing in coming months, saying,
“I love to cook. I’ve cooked
since I was a little guy.”
He previously managed
a Teen Challenge store in
Eugene, which was a form of
thrift store. He met Dera when
she applied for the assistant
manager job. Together they
boosted sales significantly
after the owners had consid-
ered closing the outlet for
poor performance under pre-
vious managers.
Gary was confident in his
role because his father and
stepfather both managed busi-
nesses, and he’d seen their
examples.
The café is open from 8
a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days
a week. The Rainwaters
are working 13 hours a day
alongside their three employ-
ees, one of whom will staff a
gift shop the Rainwaters also
operate in Town Square.
The couple opened their
new ventures with a big
financial gift from Dera’s
brother Jack, who died of
cancer last September at age
66 and left money to invest
in the venture. Jack was an
avid outdoorsman who lived
the Oregon lifestyle — photo-
graphing wild animals, hunt-
ing, and telling stories about
encounters with elk, deer and
cougar that entertained friends
and relatives.
The Rainwaters say they
are dedicating the restaurant
to Jack.
The menu is extensive,
and breakfast is served until
11 a.m. Omelets, breakfast
burritos, scrambles, French
toast, pancakes, and oat-
meal and cream of rice (both
offered gluten-free) are some
of the morning offerings.
We both love this
town and couldn’t have
found a better spot.
— Dera Rainwater
There’s also a full selection
of sandwiches, hamburgers,
soups and salads. The restau-
rant offers a children’s menu,
too. The owners believe their
take-and-bake pizzas will be
a hit with people who don’t
want to drive to Redmond or
Bend for the same thing.
“People are really liking
that,” Gary said of pizza.
He said his previous tenure
as a manager has instilled the
secret of retail success: good
customer service. It’s some-
thing they promise to pro-
vide for every customer. The
Rainwaters say God led them
to Sisters for a reason.
“We were brought together
Rainwater makes everything beautiful!
HOMEMADE BREAKFASTS,
ESPRESSO, LUNCHES
Marionberry
arionberry
& BAKED GOODS
Cobbler
TAKE-N-BAKE PIZZAS Natural
Meats
Opening
p
g Soon!
THE RAINWATER GIFT SH
S
SHOP
HO P
An eclectic
A
l t collection
l ll l t
of f b beauty
t
The
RAINWATER
CAFE & PIZZERIA
161 E. Cascade Ave., Sisters
Open every day 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
In Town Square • 541-904-0153
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PHOTO BY STEVE KADEL
Gary and Dera Rainwater are working 13 hours a day at their recently
opened restaurant, which is open 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. seven days a week.
at the right time in our lives,”
Dera said. “We both love this
town and couldn’t have found
a better spot.”
The barber
is in!
Call Jeff for an
appointment today!
152 E. Main Ave. • 541-549-8771
Jeff • Theresa • Ann • Jamie • Shiela • Terri • Shanntyl • Brittany
Celebrating
Our 1st Year!
T HANK Y OU F OR
S UPPORTING O UR
B UNKHOUSE …
Alpenhimmel, Bank of the Cascades, Best Vue Blinds, Best Western
Ponderosa, Blue Spruce Bed & Breakfast, Bogey, The Buckmasters,
C&C Nursery, City of Sisters, Cork Cellars, Camp Sherman Store,
The Cottonwood Café, Davis Tire, The Depot Café, Dixie’s, Earth-
wood Timber Frame Homes, FivePine Lodge, Flowers by Deanna
& The Culver House, First American Title, The Fly Fisher’s Place,
Fred A. Ast Jr & Associates, Fullhart Insurance, The Gallery, Hop
In The Spa, Hoyt’s, Hull’s Construction, Innoviator, Life-Love-Yoga,
Mayes Architecture, Maggie, Mackenzie Creek Mercantile, Meto-
lius Property Sales, Momentum Promo, Mountain View Insurance,
The Open Door, Ponderosa Heating, The Porch, Preedin Design,
Preston Thompson Guitars, R Spot, Rancho Viejo, Ray’s, Richard’s
Farmstand, Sey-Lah-Vie!, Signs of Sisters, Sisters Ace Hardware,
Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire, Sisters Chamber, Sisters Coffee Com-
pany, Sisters Glass & Mirror, Sister’s Habitat for Humanity, Sisters
Lock and Key, Sisters Motor Lodge, Sisters Olive & Nut, Sisters
Post Offi ce, Sisters Saloon, Slick’s Que Co., Sno Cap Drive In, The
Stitchin’ Post, The Suttle Lodge, Sweeney Plumbing, Swiss Moun-
tain Log Homes, Takoda’s, Tewalt & Sons, Three Creeks Brewery,
Three Sisters Floral, Tumbleweeds, Van Handel Automotive, West-
ern Title & Escrow…and our moms (Phyllis & Suse)
— Gratefully, Michael & Kathleen Blesius
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We’re looking for someone to assist with our cleaning
and chores from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. a few days
a week, some weekends.
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No experience necessary – we will train you!
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161-C N. Elm St., Sisters
ShibuiSpa.com | 720 Buckaroo Trail, Sisters | 541-549-6164
541-588-6122
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41 588 6122
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