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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2016)
ï Support is always close at hand in a small community, and these peninsula [j businesses value giving back Story by CATE GABLE There’s a new breed of entrepreneurs operating in our small coastal towns. They’ve either grown up here and want to come home to give a little back, or they’ve found their way to us because of the com munity values that are so apparent where we live. business for these special entre preneurs is not just about profit anymore — it’s about supporting their communities. Tiffany and brady Turner are two of these folks. They were raised on the Long beach Peninsula, graduated from Ilwaco High School and went off to college. but they always knew they wanted to come back home. They recently opened the 22- room Ashore Hotel (the old Sundowner Motor Inn) in downtown Seaside, and they own and manage the 12-room boutique ho tel Inn at Discovery Coast in Long beach, the 80-room Adrift Hotel in Long beach, and Pickled Fish bar and Restaurant. Their most recent way to support the community is Cocktails for a Cause. u ___________ ________ ____________ Photo by Joshua bessex Pickled Fish offers a different Cocktail for a Cause each month, benefiting a local organization. From left: the Silly Kid, Man's best Friend, and Winter Warmer cocktails. \ •ß. Submitted photo Photo by Joshua bessex Nicholas James Wilson-Codega, 28, grew up on the Long beach Peninsula and was diagnosed in May 2015 with stage four esophageal cancer. The Lost Roo hosted a fundraiser for him in December that raised $10,000. Nick died Jan. 10, about a month after the fundraiser. Catherine and Ed Ketel are community boosters, working closely over the years with the Long beach animal shelter and hosting a fundraiser in December for Nick Wilson-Codega. Adrift's Cocktails for a Cause Photo by Joshua bessex Matt Lessnau, the bar manager at Pickled Fish in Long beach, Washington, shows off three Cocktails for a Cause at the bar. 12 I January 21,20161 coastweekend.com “I guess I can take partial credit for the idea,” says Tiffany, “but it was really a team effort. We’re always looking for ways to support our community, and our bar manag er, Matt Lessnau, also a local, had worked with the Ilwaco Parks and Rec for awhile. They were trying to raise money for a new [. community park, and we just started won dering if there was some way we could help. Cocktails for a Cause was bom!” The idea was that the team would create a cocktail and on a special night sell it for S10, sending $5 per cocktail off to the parks effort. The first Cocktails for a Cause eve ning went off without a hitch. Once they saw how fun and successful it could be, the [’ Adrift staff thought, “Why not do this every Adrift Operations and Marketing Direc tor Linh DePledge says, “Our pay-it-for- ward campaign lias raised more than S3,100 for deserving local organizations since Sep tember. And we’re already planning for the next couple months of the new year.” “One of the organizations we’re think ing about is the Liberty Theater—wouldn’t that be a good one?” DePledge continues. “We have a presence now with Ashore on both sides of the river, so we consider the whole North Coast our community, and we want to continue to support our vendors, customers and staff— all the people who make a difference in our business.” The first few charities supported were recommendations from die staff, but Adrift is also open to getting suggestions from members of the community. (Send your ideas for notable organizations or causes to Rebecca Charles, the food and beverage director for Pickled Fish at the Adrift, at re- becca@adrifthotel.com.) “I also want to say that this Cocktails for a Cause is not some new shiny toy we just created. It really conies from the heart,” says DePLedge. “There is a authenticity to who Tiffany and brady are and how they want to pay it forward. It’s in their family DNA. They see the business they’re devel oping as a conduit for giving. They do so many tilings on a personal level.” The reality of this vision is apparent when you enter the lobby of the Adrift — the coffee is always hot, customers and their dogs are frolicking, kids are playing games in the comer. It’s a new model for doing business that includes the well-being of all the stakeholders. Hawaiian Luau at The Roo Photo by Joshua bessex Photo by Joshua bessex The Winter Warmer is the current cocktail for a cause at the Pickled Fish. Proceeds benefit the Peninsula Poverty Response. night?” So the project was launched. Now, Pickled Fish offers a special Cocktail for a Cause that changes roughly every month, each time supporting a dif ferent local organization. The added twist that’s evolved is that each craft cocktail is brady and Tiffany Turner sit in a room of their new hotel, the Ashore Hotel, in Seaside. tailored to its cause. So, for the South Pacif ic County Humane Society, the drink was Man’s best Friend; for the boys and Girls Club, it was Silly Kid; for the Ocean Park Food bank, it was Comfort and Joy. The Adrift team has fun with both the cocktail ingredients and the names. Another recent example of community caring happened late last year, catalyzed by the veterinarian team of Catherine and Ed Ketel. Catherine and Ed have always been community boosters; they’ve worked closely over the years with the Long beach animal shelter, offering services to abused dogs and cats. And Ed is also an accom plished chef. As often happens in a small town, word got around that the Wilson-Codega fam ily had another crisis. (Some folks may remember that the family lost their father Jim Codega to a heart attack while he was fishing in Alaska years back.) Son Nick, 28 and an Ilwaco High School grad, was diag nosed with stage four esophageal cancer in May. Leigh Wilson, Nick’s mother, was the cashier at Adelaide’s bookstore for many years, and sister Lily was a friend of the Lindblad-Ketel family. When Ed got the news about Nick’s diagnosis, he and Catherine talked it over and decided they wanted to put on a spe cial dinner benefit for Nick. First they called Mark and Helen Johnson, owners of the The Lost Roo, a restaurant in down town Long beach because they knew they would need a fairly large venue. The Johnsons have been at the center of several community fundraisers and loved the idea. Then Ed checked in with local business owner Jeff Harrell who was the second half of the duo wrapping sushi for Jimella Lu cas’ fundraiser several years ago. Jeff was on board with the idea immediately. Lost Roo chef Jeff Marcus was rarin’ to help. Once they established the Hawai’ian Luau theme, Ed and Catherine bought an entire pig to roast, and the team set to work creating side dishes, just hoping they would attract enough people to make it all worthwhile. Local musicians lined up to provide entertainment, and the tickets went for $25. On the evening of the event in early December, and despite the short notice, the community came out in droves. The Lost Roo was packed with hustle and bus tle and community spirit. Over $10,000 dollars was raised to help the Wilson-Co dega family with medical bills. Nick died on Jan. 10, one month after the fundraiser. His Facebook page has since been flooded with notes, memories and tributes from friends. Fundraising generosity can also hap pen in large urban areas, but there is something special, more personal about our North Coast fundraising events. We know each other, we know who is hav ing trouble making ends meet, or who is sick. We may not talk about it, or even need to, but when there is a way to give, support pours forth. Man's Best Friend This cocktail, created by Matt Lessnau and served as November's Cocktail for a Cause at Pickled Fish, benefited the South Pacific County Humane Society in Long beach. It's a smooth, fall flavor-inspired cocktail featuring bourbon, walnut liqueur, cinnamon syrup, benedictine, and apple. Ingredients 2.5 ounces Joshua brook bourbon 1/4 ounce Nocino Walnut Liqueur 1/4 ounce benedictine 1/4ounce Cinnamon Syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters Photo by Joshua bessex .1 The Man's best Friend cocktail, served in November, benefited the South Pacific County Humane Society in Long beach. Apple (anything but green) slice Lemon twist, for garnish Directidns Muddle the 1/4-ounce pours with apple. Add the bourbon and bitters, and shake with ice. Double strain into a coupe, garnish with a lemon twist. Silly Kid This Cocktail for a Cause, created by Paige Elisabeth Metka and served in October, benefited the f boys & Girls Club — it's like lemon meringue in a glass. Ingredients 2 ounces house-infused vanilla vodka 3/4 ounce lemon juice 3/4ounce simple syrup 1 egg white Directidns Photo by Joshua bessex The Silly Kid — a mix ofvanilla vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup and an egg white — was served in October and benfited the boys & Girls Club. Shake ingredients vigorously without ice, then add ice and shake again. Strain into a coupe, and enjoy. January 21,20161 coastweekend.com 113
