North Coast Food
Web to move to
Astoria Food Hub
Operating larger commercial kitchen space
with the opening of the Astoria Food Hub.
Located in the old Sears building on Marine
The North Coast Food Web may only be
Drive, the hub will lease spaces to busi-
nesses, including a flower shop and a cafe
10 years old but it has already outgrown its
with its own roastery, both located in the
space in the cheerfully painted building in
main hall, and a cured meats purveyor in the
Astoria.
The nonprofit, which runs a small weekly basement. The front, street-level area will
host a retail market offering local prepared
farmers market, conducts educational pro-
grams, operates a commercial kitchen, and
and frozen foods. The hub will also offer
will in March be moving downtown, to
commercial kitchens, cold storage as well as
Astoria Food Hub.
an array of business support services, such
At the new location, the food web’s pro-
as marketing, packaging, and distribution. In
grams will continue to expand. Its weekly
the next phase, the basement will also house
farmers market now brings together pro-
a restaurant and a speakeasy.
duce, eggs, meat, and other goods from
In that sense, the food hub “aspires to be
some 35 vendors located within a 100 mile
a platform for food businesses on the North
radius of Astoria. Many
Coast,” said co-founder,
of the vendors are first-
Jared Gardner, who also
‘WE’LL SHARE
time retailers, so the
owns the Nehalem River
RESOURCES IN
nonprofit, said execu-
Ranch. “It’s very much
THE SPACE,’ SAID about pooling resources
tive director Jess Tan-
tisook, “is their entry
and creating efficiencies
TANTISOOK,
point to the local food
in food production and
WHICH WILL
system.” Vendors can
distribution.”
MAKE FOR
launch their businesses
If the food web is a
GREATER
or test new products at
“baby incubator,” as Tan-
EFFICIENCIES
tisook calls it, which
a much smaller price
aims to support the cul-
than a traditional gro-
FOR CLIENTS.
ture of local food produc-
cery store would charge.
tion, the food hub will be
In addition to a larger
a bigger commercial operation for businesses
office space, the food web will be operating
that wish to scale up past the nascent stage.
an expanded commercial kitchen at Asto-
ria Food Hub. Virus precautions permitting,
One such business is Cascadia Cured, the
its state-of-the-art kitchen will help grow its brainchild of Jeff Graham, former executive
educational programming. While the cur-
chef at Fort George Brewery. The basement
rent kitchen accommodates up to nine con-
tenant will cure meats and make packaged
current cooks, the new kitchen will be avail- products, like salami or prosciutto, using
able to fit up to 25. Clients will also have
inputs from area ranches.
the hub’s cold storage and palette spaces
Graham will also help with educational
available to them for rent.
programming in the commercial kitchen,
“We’ll share resources in the space,” said teaching, let’s say, “someone who makes
Tantisook, which will make for greater effi-
chimichurri at home but wants to make it
ciencies for clients.
into a business.”
The food web is running a capital cam-
In its early days in the mid-1930s, the
paign, “Dough for the Decade,” with the
John E. Wicks-designed building was home
goal of raising $500,000 to support improve- to the wholesale produce distributor Mason,
ments in the new space. Donations can be
Ehrman & Co. whose lettering is still visible
made online at NorthCoastFoodWeb.org.
on the riverfront facade. “It’s fun to get back
The organization’s move will coincide
to the roots,” Gardner said.
BY PETER KORCHNAK
Delivery driver Daniel Brew and market coordinator Lila Barrett load a van for home
deliveries at the current Food Web location.
Jeff Graham, left, and Jared Gardner, right, at the Astoria Food Hub building.
The North Coast Food Web is moving to a new location at the Astoria Food Hub.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 // 7