BUSINESS
Wallowa County Chieftain
A6
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Try wood-fi red Mideast cuisine at Gold Room
BIZZ
BUZZ
What: Arab cuisine
Where: The Gold Room,
100 N. Main St., Joseph
By Bill Bradshaw
When: Today 1 p.m. for
pizza; 4-8 p.m. Thurs-
days-Sundays (except
Christmas Eve and Christ-
mas) through January
Joseph eatery
off ers Arab food
through January
Phone: 415-378-1624
After January?
Email: euzumeh@gmail.
com
J
OSEPH —Wal-
lowa County has an
“Euzumeh” to dine on
authentic Middle Eastern
fare for the next month and
a half at the Gold Room in
Joseph.
An Euzumeh is Arabic
for an invitation, particu-
larly to a dinner party, said
chef Tamara Hattar, who is
doing the “pop-up” with the
cuisine she learned from her
Jordanian-born parents and
brought to Joseph beginning
Dec. 1. The pop-up is what
she does to off er her service
on a temporary basis.
“I don’t have my own
‘brick-and-mortar’ restau-
rant, so I go into another
restaurant — like the Gold
Room,” Hattar said. “I was
also doing it in Portland and
I run a service or a dinner
for the evening or, in this
case, I’m doing it for two
months.”
In fact, tonight, Wednes-
day, Dec. 22, the Gold
Room is bringing back
its signature pizza for one
night.
Hattar is babysitting the
Gold Room while the own-
ers take care of their new
daughter, who was born in
October.
“They’re my good
friends, Jo Marie Pitino and
Ross Effi nger,” Hattar said.
green Family Farms in La
Grande.
“We work with Prairie
Creek Farm in Joseph and
Little Hill near Lostine and
we work with local ranches,
so 6 Ranch and Carman
Ranch,” she said. “We try
to source from local farms
and ranches as much as we
can.”
EUZUMEH
Talia Galvin/Talia Jean Photography
Tamara Hattar displays an array of Middle Eastern dishes she’s off ering in December and
January at the Gold Room in Joseph. It’s part of a “pop-up” called Euzumeh.
“That’s why I’m doing this
for December and Janu-
ary to give them some more
time with the baby, and this
is a great opportunity, as
well.”
Born and bred to cook
Hattar, who was born
in California, grew up in a
restaurant run by her father
and cooked alongside him.
Although she doesn’t con-
sider herself fully fl uent in
Arabic, she can understand
it when her parents speak it
to her and speak back — to
a degree.
“My family is from Jor-
dan and I was raised in the
kitchen with my mom, aunts
and grandma just cooking
all the time,” she said. “I’m
fi rst-generation (Ameri-
can). ... I was raised around
cooking. I did go to culinary
school in San Francisco.”
But despite her creden-
tials from a culinary school
that she attended after col-
lege — when she also
worked in restaurants as a
server — it’s the on-the-
ground — better yet, over-
the-stove — experience as
tutored by her parents.
“I grew up in the restau-
rant business. … Profes-
sionally, I’ve been working
in restaurants since 2010,”
she said. “I think a lot of
the skills and experience
just comes from working in
restaurants, just cooking and
getting good experience.”
ing part of bringing this to
the county is I know it’s
all pretty unfamiliar to the
majority of people here,”
she said. “But with the serv-
ers, we did have a meeting
and I printed out a glossary
of terms and they’re well
versed with the menu and
can explain it to the guests.”
Also, there’s a brief
description under each item
on the menu.
There also are items
many will fi nd familiar.
“We have kebabs and all
the dips and pita bread and
falafel,” she said. “I also
make some pickles, which
seem to be very popular.”
Arab cuisine
A quick look at the menu
will baffl e most who are
not familiar with Arab cui-
sine. While there are famil-
iar items like kale, hum-
mus and roasted pepper and
feta dip, less familiar items
have names like Labneh
with Za’atar, Sfeeha and Ful
Mudammas.
But don’t be intimidated.
Not only does Hattar know
what she’s doing, she’s
schooled her staff in the
intricacies of the menu.
“That’s also the excit-
Local produce, meat
Hattar said she doesn’t
import her food all the way
from Jordan.
“I try to do seasonal
(dishes) and see what we
can get from the farms.
One of the major farms is
Hayshaker in Walla Walla
(Washington),” she said.
“They’re incredible, and
we’re so lucky to get pro-
duce from them.”
But she also obtains
food from Wallowa County
Farms, as well as Ever-
& Skylight
Gallery
Once Hattar closes her
pop-up at the end of Jan-
uary, she’ll return to Port-
land where she still keeps
an apartment. She may
return during tourist season
to help Ross and Jo Marie.
But her summer plans are
still tentative.
“I’m still undecided. I
do love it here,” she said.
“I defi nitely fell in love
with the town, but I hav-
en’t decided if I’m going to
come back yet.”
Effi nger said he’s been
glad to have Hattar do her
pop-up and give the county
a bit more variety. He said
they met while working
together at a restaurant in
Portland.
“It’s the best. Wish
we had more options in
the county,” he said. “We
wouldn’t know how to do it
if we didn’t have her.”
In March, the Gold
Room will bring back its
signature pizza cooked in a
wood-fi red oven.
“Pizza will be back in
March,” Effi nger hollered
across the restaurant.
———
Bill Bradshaw is a
reporter for the Wallowa
County Chieftain. Have a
business tip? Contact him
at 541-398-5503 or bbrad-
shaw@wallowa.com.
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CLUES ACROSS
1. Achy
5. Dot on a radar screen
9. Asparagus unit
14. “You said it!”
15. Practice designed to
center the mind
16. ___ Kitty (toon with a
hair bow)
17. *”Goodnight, Irene” singer
(Note: The first words of
the starred clues’ answers
form a sequence)
19. Bothered
20. Some supporters of the
LGBTQ+ community
21. Gross smells
23. Fourth Greek letter
24. *Websites’ waiting periods
28. Extremely dirty room
29. ___ tai
31. Polite affirmative
32. Defective car
34. Soft food
35. *Dish featuring Yorkshire
pudding and sausages
40. Beer ingredient
41. Skeletor’s foe
42. Skilled speakers
46. Wheel groove
47. Droop
50. *”Was I right or was
I right?!”
52. Escape the attention of
54. MLB player whose
mascot is an alien
55. 2004 Will Smith sci-fi flick
56. Elbow or shoulder, e.g.
59. *Kindergartners’ rewards
61. Two tablespoons
62. Abbr. that shortens a list
63. Word before “farm”
or “house”
64. One may pop a wheelie
65. “Auld Lang ___”
66. Forcibly remove
CLUES DOWN
1. They get dressed in
the kitchen
2. Eggy breakfast
3. “Are you serious?”
4. Call off a relationship
Joseph United
Methodist Church
Grace Lutheran
Church
3rd & Lake St. • Joseph
409 West Main - Enterprise
10 AM Worship
Online AND In Person
SUNDAY
WORSHIP
For More Info
541-432-3102
JosephUMC.ORG
at 9am
Pastor Cherie Dearth
Pastor John B. King Jr
phone (message): 541-426-4633
web: gracelutheranenterprise.com
Enterprise
Christian Church
St.
St. Patrick’s
Patrick’s
Episcopal
Episcopal Church
Church
85035 Joseph Hwy • (541) 426-3449
We have ‘In-person worship” @ 9:00 am
(Guidelines observed)
Sunday School at 10:30
Parking Lot Radio/Facebook @ 9:00
100 NE 3rd St, Enterprise
NE 3rd & Main St
541-426-3439
Worship Service
Sunday 9:30am
David Bruce
Pastor, Enterprise Christian Church
Lostine
Presbyterian Church
Summit Church
Discussion Group 9:30 AM
Worship Service 11:00 AM
at the Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise
Childrens program during service
Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com
5. Tournament exemptions
6. Texter’s guffaw
7. Frozen abode
8. What an employee looks
forward to
9. Garments often required for
service
10. Fruit used as a Japanese
New Year decoration
11. Utah’s state animal
12. Drink in a pint glass
13. Reel’s partner
18. Grinned widely
22. Lyrical poem
24. Mane attraction at the zoo?
25. Injure using claws, perhaps
26. Simplicity
27. “Unbelievable,” in a text
30. French pal
32. Inevitable conclusion to a
wedding reception
33. To the ___ degree
35. Fatty sashimi option
36. “Uncut Gems” gem
37. Courageous type
38. Bird on Australia’s coat of arms
39. Unpleasant critics
40. Spicy
43. Pearl producer
44. Total nonsense
45. Intensifies suddenly
47. Forester automaker
48. Loves a bunch
49. “On your mark” follower
51. Like unclean chimneys
53. Numbers game
55. Not doing anything
56. Bank heist, say
57. French homophone of “we”
58. Squid’s defense
60. PC connection
107 E. Main • Enterprise • 541-426-3351
www.bookloftoregon.com
Sundays at 10 am
Pastor: David Pendleton
541.398.0597
Hwy 82, Lostine
www.summitchurchoregon.org
Stephen Kliewer, Minister
Cloverleaf Hall • 668 NW 1st St. • Enterprise, OR 97828
Wallowa
Assembly
of God
702 West Hwy 82
Wallowa, Oregon
541-886-8445
Sunday School • 9:am
Worship Service • 10:am
Pastor Tim Barton
Visit Us on
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Church
Pastor Terry Tollefson
Church Office: 541-263-0505
Family Prayer - 9 AM
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:30 AM
723 College Street, Lostine
Seventh-Day Adventist
Church & School
Enterprise Community
Congregational Church
305 Wagner (near the Cemetery)
P.O. Box N. Enterprise, OR 97828
Church 541-426-3751
School 541-426-8339
Pastor David Ballard 503-810-9886
Join us at the
BIG BROWN CHURCH
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10:30 a.m. - Noon
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Eve 9:30
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301 NE First St. • Enterprise, OR
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