Applegater., November 01, 2011, Page 13, Image 13

Applegater
Advertiser Highlight:
year joke between friends is
now a dream come true. My
family will be moving back as
the restaurant is opening. Al-
though it has been a struggle,
it seems to have all worked out
for the best. I feel very lucky.
I want to take a mo-
ment to thank two local peo-
ple as well. First, my landlord
made it possible for us to
reinvest our life savings by
off ering a fair and long-term
lease. Secondly, the previ-
ous owner to whom I would
like to send my best wishes;
The opening of
My Way Cafe
in Ruch
BY JONATHAN SHULKIN
I fi rst moved to the Applegate val-
ley with a dream to settle my family and
open another restaurant. Here we are fi ve
years later, and the dream is coming true.
Although this has been both adventurous
and challenging, I am very proud of my
wife Tina and daughter Cierra for their
unconditional support.
During the summer of 2010, I set
my sights on the Magnolia Grill in Ruch,
and was able to purchase the restaurant
in October. While undergoing a massive
makeover, a plan was made to reopen as
My Way Cafe in February 2011. We are
remodeling the entire restaurant, and are
very excited to show the valley our vision
through all the hard work and passion
involved.
I opened my fi rst restaurant at the
age of nineteen in the Midwest (I am from
Chicago and Tina is from St. Louis). One
day at work a businesswoman came in with
a checkbook eager to buy me out. It was
my dream as a child to own a restaurant,
and selling it was a tough decision for me.
After fi nally accepting a later counteroff er,
I immediately focused my attention on the
next restaurant I wanted to open. I had no
idea it would take over a decade to achieve
this goal, and I am so happy to have this
opportunity once again.
Shortly after the sale of my restau-
rant, I moved to the Napa Valley in search
of the culinary knowledge that would help
make me successful in the future. Th e
move was supposed to be temporary, but
I became enthralled in the industry and
stayed over fi ve years. While traveling
back in the Midwest, I met my wife and
I had to decide whether to stay west or
follow my heart back home. I reinvested
my restaurant earnings in rental properties
which I was able to sell, allowing us to look
for property for our family out west. We
stumbled upon Applegate Valley and knew
right away we were not going back to the
Midwest. A beautiful 40-acre property in
the mountains near the wine country was
a dream that came true for both of us. Th e
only problem for me was that I still wanted
a business of my own which I found out
would take some time.
Living in the Applegate Valley, I
held a catering job in Napa while work-
ing full-time at two jobs in Ashland after
our move to Oregon. Th is nonstop work
schedule was hard on our family so Tina
went back home to complete beauty school,
and gave me the chance to work like crazy
and save the fi nances needed to open a res-
taurant. Without the love and understand-
ing of my wife and daughter, I would never
have reached this goal. I promised Tina that
after we opened a restaurant I would support
her in opening a hair salon, which is still in
our plans together and another great goal to
work toward.
Th e concept for My Way Cafe was
created after leaving the family style restau-
rant I opened as a young man, while growing
up in the intense, high-end service industry
that is the Napa Valley wine country. While
managing a bar there, the chef and I would
joke about opening a place together which
would cater to everyone’s needs, not just
those with disposable incomes. Both the
chef and I were from modest backgrounds,
but now had the experience of working in
some of the highest-rated restaurants in Napa
Valley. As passionate restaurant people we
loved the standard of service and culinary
excellence there, but shared the same frus-
trations that came with such expectations.
Th e fi rst being that great cooking does not
need to be so expensive; the second being
that every patron deserved such service, not
just the wealthy. Providing people with what
they want at an aff ordable price was the
basis of the service industry we both loved
so much, but was often lost in the high-end
Napa Valley environment.
Th e chef and I would joke about
how we needed a place called “My Way
Cafe”. Th ere people would be able to get
both amazing and affordable food and
service, plus whatever they wanted if their
requests were possible. Our intentions were
to use lots of fresh and local products while
off ering friendly, top-notch service at a price
everyone could aff ord. My family and I are
very appreciative that the chef is moving here
to execute this concept with us. Th e eight
Winter 2011 13
we have become close during this experi-
ence. I would also like to thank all of our
wonderful family members for their love
and support.
Th e goal is to be opened by Valen-
tine’s Day February 14, 2011. Rebuilding
a restaurant has many challenges, but we
should be on time. My family and friends
look forward to serving the Applegate Val-
ley for many years to come with great pride
and excitement knowing the path it took
to get here. Th ank you for your current
and future support in our adventure. We
hope to “Th ank you for coming My Way!”
as soon as possible.
Jonathan Shulkin • 541-899-8700