REGION
Saturday, September 18, 2021
East Oregonian
A3
Round-Up food vendors say
business is slow going so far
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The smells of
grilling meats and delicious treats are
fi lling the streets of downtown Pend-
leton now that dozens of food vendors
and trucks have arrived for the Pend-
leton Round-Up.
People meandered South Main
Street on Wednesday, Sept. 15, to see
what’s cooking and to check out the
many artisans the Round-Up attracts
every year. But at least fi ve vendors
said the crowd was underwhelming
and hoped business would pick up
heading into the weekend.
“It’s not as big as we’d hoped,”
said Diana Howe, a worker at Sangers
Gourmet Hamburgers with Caramel-
ized Onions out of La Grande. “Hope-
fully it gets busier.”
Vendors had different opinions
about the lack of a crowd. Some said
people might not have been aware the
Round-Up was happening this year
after its cancellation in 2020. Others
said it was too early in the week, that
people were just arriving and most
people may just be down at the rodeo.
But Lua Sepeni, co-owner of Poly-
nesian Grill food truck out of Herm-
iston, expressed why she thought
business was slow: COVID-19.
“COVID,” she said. “I think so.”
Several vendors said bringing their
business to the Main Street Show was
more important this year than ever
before. After a year where events were
canceled, staff and supplies were short
and prices were high, vendors were
primed and ready to dish out their best
and rake in cash.
“As long as we make our money
back, we’ll make it work,” said Angel
Black, co-owner of H&H BBQ out of
Forest Grove.
Like several other vendors, Black
said getting inventory for this week’s
festivities was a struggle. She’s had to
drive long distances and pay extra for
supplies. She also said business has
been slow to get going this week
“I think a lot of people are just
afraid,” Black said. “We’ve always
stepped out on faith.”
Jeffrey Violet, the owner of
Sangers, said the price of food for his
already-expensive burgers have spiked
recently. That, Violet said, makes it
more important for him to come to
events with many customers — to
break even.
Vendors now are looking toward
the weekend with hopes business will
Erick Peterson/East Oregonian
The latest OMG! Burgers & Brew will be on Main Street in
downtown Hermiston.
OMG! Burgers
& Brew opens
downtown location
Owner is excited for the
opening of his second location
By ERICK
PETERSON
East Oregonian
Bryce Dole/East Oregonian
Fitu Sepeni grills chicken Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, at the Polynesian Grill food
truck at the Main Street Show in downtown Pendleton while his daughter, Tuta,
watches. For the many vendors that line South Main Street during the Pendleton
Round-Up, business was slow to start. Several pointed to the pandemic as a pos-
sible cause.
boom. Regardless, the vendors said
they were thrilled to be back at the
Round-Up after a year off .
Sepeni, of Polynesian Grill, spent
the day cooking alongside her daugh-
ter, Tuta. She learned her famous
barbecue recipes from her aunt, Maima
Peterson, who died this year, she said.
Now, she was glad to be handing down
the recipe to her daughter and show-
ing her the values of hard work and
commitment.
“You’re going to have to learn no
matter what,” Sepeni said. “And you’ll
remember the lessons you learned.”
Black also spent her day working
alongside her family at their barbecue
joint. Her father, who took the reins at
the business after his father started it
in Las Vegas in the 1950s, stood at the
street corner, watching the family dish
out brisket, ribs, cornbread, catfi sh,
pulled pork and their famous mac and
cheese. Black calls it their “cheesy
dope.”
To Deron Johnson, a chef who has
worked for the family for decades,
food is a way to share experiences
and connect with new people in new
places.
“I just love doing it,” he said of
cooking, “And I love my family.”
LOCAL BRIEFING
Crash injures
two Round-Up
contestants, kills
one
UMATILLA COUNTY
— A crash Thursday night,
Sept. 16, injured two Pend-
leton Round-Up contestants
and killed another.
Oregon State Police
reported the crash occurred
at about 8:15 p.m. on the
eastbound side of Interstate
84 near milepost 193 where
a Volkswagen Jetta ran into
the rear of a potato truck.
Jate Frost, 20 of Randlett,
Utah, was driving the Jetta
east with passengers Richard
Schleicher, 24, of Stockton,
Oklahoma, and Jesse Hopper,
21, of Magnum, Oklahoma.
Ediberto Ramirez Carrillo,
31, of Hermiston, was driv-
ing the commercial vehicle
hauling potatoes.
The Jetta rear ended the
truck, and Frost suff ered seri-
ous injuries. An emergency
helicopter fl ew him to Kadlec
Regional Medical Center in
Richland, Washington.
Hopper was in the rear
seat and also suff ered seri-
ous injuries. He was trans-
ported to Oregon Health &
Science University Hospital,
Portland.
OSP reported Schleicher
was in the front passenger
seat and suff ered fatal inju-
ries.
Carrillo was not injured.
All three occupants of the
Jetta were contestants at the
Pendleton Round-up, accord-
ing to Oregon State Police.
Wolves injure one
calf, kill another in
Umatilla County
UMATILLA COUNTY
— The Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife reported
wolves in late August in
Umatilla County injured one
calf and killed another.
While checking cows,
a livestock producer found
an injured calf the evening
of Aug. 28 in a large private
forested pasture in the Horse-
shoe Ridge area.
The calf was approx-
Tobias Unruh, owner
600 David Eccles Rd
Baker City, Oregon
imately 4 months old,
weighed around 400 pounds
and was intact. The calf was
injured that evening, accord-
ing to the ODFW report.
The morning of Aug. 29,
several cow/calf pairs inde-
pendently returned to the
livestock producer’s camp
and one calf had an open
wound above the right hock.
This calf was approximately
3 months old and weighed
around 300 pounds.
During the investigation
that day, the producer was
unable to restrain the calf for
close examination. On Aug.
31, the calf was restrained
and examined, and ODFW
estimated the injury occured
six days prior.
An examination of the
dead calf revealed bite
marks up to 1 inch deep on
the inside and outside of both
rear legs above the hocks,
near the anus and front right
leg above the elbow.
The second calf suff ered
bites on its hind legs above
the hocks, including a couple
of patches of exposed muscle
tissue.
“These two separate
depredation events are
attributed to the OR30
Wolves,” ODFW reported.
—East Oregonian
H ER M ISTON —
OMG! Burgers & Brew
is opening in downtown
Hermiston on Oct. 1. It is
the second location for the
popular restaurant, which
has operated in Pendleton
for more than three years.
It is a good time to
open a restaurant, said
Rod ney Bu r t, OMG!
owner. COVID-19 has
caused many people to be
isolated.
“People want to get
out,” he said. “They want
to eat at a great place with
family and friends.”
The Hermiston menu
will be the same as the
one at the Pendleton
restaurant. Also, the atmo-
spheres of the two restau-
rants will match.
OMG!’s of fe r i ng s
include a variety of beef,
pork and chicken burgers.
Many of these burgers
have fanciful names, such
as “Gouda for Me Burger”
and “Leggo My Eggo
Burger.” The restaurant
also serves sausage dogs,
salads, sliders, appetizers
and desserts.
The children’s menu
has mini cor n dogs,
chicken nuggets, grilled
cheese sandwiches and
more.
Opening a second
restaurant has been in the
works for years. Burt’s
five-year plan includes
having three restaurants
in the area. For the last
three years, he has wanted
a second restaurant, and
he has been trying to fi nd
a good location for two
years.
COVID-19 slowed his
plan, but continued expan-
sion, he said, remains the
plan.
“We believe we have
found a great place in
Hermiston,” he said.
Burt grew up in Herm-
iston and Umatilla, and he
said he loves the area. The
region, he said, is “boom-
ing.” As such, people
expect great restaurants.
By creating a Herm-
iston restaurant, he said
he believes he will help
improve dining options
in the town. This will
encourage other restau-
rants to open in Hermis-
ton, which has happened
in Walla Walla and contin-
ues happening in Pendle-
ton. If enough restaurants
open in Hermiston, it will
become a destination.
“It benefi ts all restau-
rants and businesses,” he
said.
He added, his new
restaurant also will benefi t
workers, as he is hiring 30
employees for Hermiston.
He also has 30 employees
at his Pendleton restau-
rant, he said.
Getting ready to open
by the start of Octo-
ber, Burt was readying
the restaurant. He was
receiving equipment and
working with the health
department. He also was
hiring employees.
“We also need more
cooks, servers and hosts,”
he said.
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