August 2, 2017
Page 9
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Photo by
l eonard l atin /t he P ortland o bserver
Cedric Burton (left) and Aaron Peterson welcome customers to their new restaurant, 42nd Avenue Fish and Chips, which recently opened at
5302 N.E. 42nd Ave.
All Thumbs Up on 42nd Ave
A move to Northeast Portland’s 42nd Avenue busi-
ness district is turning out well for the operators of a
black-owned restaurant that has found stability in a
neighborhood that is providing them with a growing
and diverse customer base, a long term lease and good
food reviews.
42nd Ave Fish and Chips Owner and Founder Aar-
on Peterson and business partner Cedric Burton were
in business for a year at Northeast 14th and Alberta
when their property site was purchased for redevelop-
ment by Kdamdukong Suh, the NFL star with the Mi-
ami Dolphins and former Grant High School football
standout. A 90 day eviction notice required them to
find a new location.
Peterson eventually found a site at 5302 N.E. 42nd
Ave., and signed a 5 year lease with a 5 year option
to give the restaurant at least 10 years of stability and
maybe even more with the possibility of purchasing the
Restaurant grows
with new location
building in the future.
After 15 months of remodeling to meet city permits
and codes, 42nd Avenue Fish and Chips was able to
finally open. The change of locations has proven posi-
tive, with more room for parking, and more customers.
Peterson said traffic congestion is much less than the
old location, making it easier to park, and he’s getting a
diverse group of new customers, adding to the predom-
inately African-American base they enjoyed in the past.
He’s happy everyone can just come in have a seat
and enjoy their meal. It also helps to have a 5-star rat-
ing from Yelp, Yahoo and Facebook. The restaurant
specializes in preparing Basa, a really tasty Asian fish,
along with Catfish, Tilapia, Cod and Halibut.
Peterson mastered his cornmeal fish recipes from
his mother who he gives full credit as the key to his
success.
The move to 42nd Avenue is also a return to a famil-
iar neighborhood. Both Peterson and Burton are alumni
from John Adams High School which was located just
down the street from their new location. The business
partners have known each other for 40 years.
Peterson, who was born in Los Angeles, says own-
ing a restaurant is a blessing, especially when people
love your food. As an entrepreneur for many years,
his pursuit of the American Dream formerly includ-
ed starting his own grocery store, doing promotions,
operating a barbershop, a funeral home and starting a
newspaper.
Burton was born in Selma, Ala., and previously
worked for 30 years for Pendleton Woolen Mills.