Readers’ choice awards
BEST CATERING
Baked Alaska
Astoria, Oregon
Runner-up: Bridgewater Bistro, Astoria
Honorable Mention: Astoria Coffeehouse & Bistro
wilderness lodge. The next day,
their pilot dropped them off with
When they stumbled upon their mountain bikes for a 20-
Astoria in the spring of 2000, mile journey home. The Holens
Chris and Jennifer Holen were grew accustomed to adventure
newly wed, en route from Ari- and to seizing opportunity.
zona to Alaska to run an itinerant
Scuttling down from the Col-
catering service from their VW umn, they learned that the Astoria
van and trailer, chasing music Café next to Gimre’s Shoes was
festivals between Homer and for sale. In 10 minutes they had a
Fairbanks. That sunny day they deal, and in the fall they opened
found themselves atop the Asto- a restaurant. A few months later,
ria Column.
the eatery moved to Baked Alas-
“Wow. This is amazing,” ka’s current location on the water
they agreed. “Let’s see what at the foot of 12th Street.
rent’s like here.”
“We’ve just grown into this
Who knew that a year later community. I didn’t realize
their restaurant Baked Alaska what an impact Astoria would
would establish itself among the have on us,” says Jennifer. Peo-
quintessential dining venues that ple often thank them for all they
distinguish Astoria?
do, but, she says, “We couldn’t
The couple met in Denali be successful like this anywhere
National Park, where they were else.”
working for competing tour
From their early catering ad-
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SODQH ÀHZ WKHP WR D UHPRWH van, the Holens honed their skills
By JON BRODERICK
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renton Chamber of Commerce
After Hours events and then,
while they owned the Schooner
restaurant at the Hotel Elliott (an-
other opportunity they seized), at
Liberty Theater events.
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ing philosophy is inspired by the
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ed for their wedding in Sedona,
Arizona. “We had a very clear
picture of what we wanted, and
they were so accommodating,”
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question for our own custom-
ers now is ‘How can we help
you achieve your vision for the
event?’”
Now, three or four times a
week, the new Baked Alaska
catering truck delivers happy cu-
linary experiences to baby show-
ers, graduation parties, wed-
dings, anniversaries, memorial
services, Chamber After Hours
events, and Goonies anniversary
reunions.
“Food brings people togeth-
er,” Jennifer says.
Baked Alaska offers custom catering ser-
vices; find the restaurant’s catering inquiry
form online at www.bakedak.com or call
503-325-7414 for more information.
BEST SERVER
Jean-Marc Bourgouin
42nd Street Cafe, Seaview, Washington
Runner-up: Teona Dawson, T. Paul’s Supper Club, Astoria
Honorable Mention: Zackery O’Connor,
Fort George Brewery, Astoria
By JON BRODERICK
Bering Sea on a factory trawler.
Ultimately, he landed a job as
Nothing quite garnishes a barista at the Anchorage Muse-
¿QH GLQLQJ H[SHULHQFH OLNH D um Restaurant. In the summer
charming waiter with a French he worked between Anchorage
accent. A diner hears accordion and Fairbanks as a server on the
somewhere, suddenly craves Alaska Railroad passenger train.
a cigarette, and imagines that
“My real training in ‘haute
waiter’s earlier life working in cuisine’ started when Van Hale
a Parisian brasserie. Jean-Marc hired me to work at the Marx
Bourgouin, of Seaview’s 42nd Brothers Café, one of Anchor-
Street Cafe, though, isn’t your DJH¶V ¿UVW ¿QH GLQLQJ UHVWDX-
typical French waiter.
rants,” Jean-Marc explains in
He began his accomplished pleasantly accented English.
serving career in Alaska. During “We had an incredible menu and
his earlier life he didn’t wait tables wine list. He trained me. I really
at Les Deux Magots. He sorted loved it.”
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At the Marx Brothers Café,
But in 1983, romance and he met his wife, Kathleen Mc-
adventure lured him to Anchor- Cormack, a French-trained chef.
age, where he worked as a la- It was on a wine tasting trip to the
borer, a bank courier, a Penny Willamette Valley 15 years ago
Saver circulation manager. Then that they stumbled upon Astoria.
he spent two years working the “We were just looking at houses,
Photo by Jon Broderick
Jean-Marc Bourgouin, a waiter at 42nd Street
Cafe in Seaview, Washington, has won Best
Server in the Coast Weekend Readers’ Choice
Awards every year since 2009.
and we found one that we liked,
and we said, ‘Shall we do it?’ and
we bought the house.”
A year later, in 2003, they
were back. Kathleen works now
at Fort George and Jean-Marc
drives — as he has for 12 years,
he says — “those scenic 20
miles between Alderbrook and
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42nd Street Cafe & Bistro is located at
4201 Pacific Way in Seaview, Washing-
ton. For more information, call 360-642-
2323 or visit 42ndstcafe.com
BEST THEATER
Columbian Theater
Astoria, Oregon
Runner-up: Liberty Theater, Astoria
Honorable Mention: Coaster Theatre, Cannon Beach
quirky and community-centered
as the Columbian (where you
“My background was in can enjoy a movie at 7 p.m. any
theater costume design and con- night for $4 and get the kids in
struction. I don’t pretend to be at half-price). Jeanine’s favorite
DQ H[SHUW LQ ¿OP VR GRQ¶W WU\ audience might be the school
to stump me,” says Columbian children who arrive at the end
Theater owner Jeanine Fair- of each school year for a private
child.
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She’ll stump you, though,
When the inevitable time
and you’ll end up clicking arrived a year and a half ago to
through YouTube for trailers to switch the theater from 35 mm
favorite movies you ought to ¿OPWRRWKHUZLVHSURKLELWLYHO\
have seen by now, like “Down expensive digital projection,
by Law,” “Factory Girl” or “All the theater’s Kickstarter cam-
About Eve.” You thought “Cad- paign raised nearly $60,000
dyshack” was funny? Jeanine and, so, the Columbian will
invites you to watch “Captain continue showing movies and
Ron.”
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Few towns enjoy a theater as certs, Blind Pilot CD release
By JON BRODERICK
Photo by Jon Broderick
Baked Alaska owners, Chef Christopher Holen, left, and his wife, Jennifer Holen, stand with their daughter, Ana Holen, outside their
restaurant on the Astoria riverfront.
Photo by Jon Broderick
In 2013, the Astoria’s Columbian Theater
replaced its old 35 mm film projector, in
operation since at least 1979, with a new
digital projector and sound system after
raising more than $60,000 through inde-
pendent fundraising site Kickstarter, ben-
efit events and concerts, and donations.
parties, “Dragalution!” galas
and FisherPoet gatherings.
The Columbian Theater is located at 1114
Marine Drive. Movies show at 7 p.m. night-
ly; general admission is $4 and children 12
and under are admitted at $2.
January 29, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 23