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.
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•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