Eugene weekly., July 26, 2007, Page 28, Image 28

CHOW! SUMMER 2007
What’s for Dinner?
TOM KAMIS: Co-owner,
Davis’ Restaurant
Looking to the future of food with some of Eugene’s visionaries
W
hen a community boasts as many diverse and high-quality dining
and food-shopping options as Eugene, it’s easy to become spoiled.
It’s also easy to become complacent, repetitive and stuck in a culinary
rut, especially if the old favorites don’t change much over time. But successful food
businesses and programs don’t become that way by sticking to a rigid formula.
EW set out to find out what some of our local “foodies” see as the most important
shifts in practices and values coming over the gastronomic horizon.
ED KING: Owner,
King Estate Winery
“The consumers are ahead of the
providers in terms of locally grown,
organic, seasonal food,” Ed King says
when reflecting on culinary trends. “The
consumer is ahead of the grocery store;
Market of Choice didn’t invent a catego-
ry, they responded to a need. Who wants
same-old, same-old out of a box from
who knows where with who knows what
sprayed on it?”
In addition to hundreds of acres of
vines, King’s property includes 45 acres
of organic orchards and gardens for use
in the estate’s kitchen and marketplace.
The commitment to knowing where
food comes from is more than a business
decision for King, who established the
vineyard in 1991.
Ed King
S O UT H E RN
7
A N D
“From a philosophical point of view,
I don’t think I can overemphasize the
importance of supporting local food sys-
tems,” he says. “[Local farmers] live in
this community. They drink the same
water. They pay taxes here. They raise
their families here.”
The wine industry currently enjoys a
special and successful place in the
Eugene area agriculture market, accord-
ing to King.
“Supporting local wine is good for
tourism. We can appreciate the role local
wineries play. Coming out here is a good
reason for people to get out of town.”
TOM BARKIN: Slow Food Eugene
Slow Food is an international organi-
zation designed to promote consumption
of food that is “good, clean and fair.”
Tom Barkin
BY ADRIENNE VAN DER VALK
Barkin notes that while “it has become
the in-thing for corporate industries to
use ‘organic’ as a marketing label,” in
fact most people don’t have a clear idea
of what it means to eat organic and
locally. Slow Food educates the public
through activities like community din-
ners and school initiatives. For Barkin,
one of the timely issues surrounding his
cause is minimizing barriers to shopping
locally so that more people can reap the
advantages.
“We have to do several things that
are seemingly at odds with each other
simultaneously,” he explains. “We
have to support the local food industry,
but you have to make healthy food
more affordable. You go to Saturday
Market and it can be expensive to eat
there. But farmers aren’t getting rich; it
is hard, demanding work and there are
a lot of risks involved. If only the well-
off can afford to eat like that, then we
haven’t accomplished our goal of
reaching a healthier, more conscien-
tious world. Building awareness of
local farmers as their technology
increases mean they can produce food
more economically.”
“We set up to make sure we had good
quality food at affordable prices,”
Kamis explains when asked about the
philosophical base for the new down-
town restaurant and lounge. For the
Davis’ three owners, providing choice
meant not only offering diverse menu
items but also experimenting with por-
tion size.
“Serving both full and half orders is a
really good way to appeal to both ends of
the spectrum. If you want a big, full meal,
you’ll pay a little more. But if you want
to try some good food, you don’t have to
pay an arm and a leg. People don’t want
massive amounts of food. They want to
eat reasonable amounts of good food.”
Davis’ staff was hired from the
kitchens of Eugene’s finer cafes and
bistros, a choice Kamis says set high
standards for the quality of their food
from the beginning. He’s hoping the
establishment of a more upscale restau-
rant will not only satisfy their customers
but also improve the neighborhood sur-
rounding their Broadway and Olive
location.
“The ultimate goal is to redefine din-
ing downtown. Adam’s Place has done
good business for years. We want to take
the other side of the blocks, the side that
has a bad reputation.”
Tom Kamis
N O R T H E R N I ND IA N C U IS I NE
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8 JULY 26, 2007 CHOW!
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