FARMERS MARKETS AND U-PICK Cooking with fresh, local ingredients is easy in Hood River County. Both the Farm Stand in the Gorge and Treebird Family Market include a cafe and grocery store stocked with local produce, meats, baked goods and local wines. Gorge Grown Food Network runs a farmers market on Saturdays in downtown Hood River and twice a month during the summertime in Odell, where local chefs do their shopping alongside other residents. For farm-fresh produce in season, the Fruit Loop offers many farm stands and markets, bursting with Hood River’s famous orchard fruit, berries and vegetables — and a wide range of jams and pickles for gifts. Stenn says not to miss the valley’s largest U-pick orchard at Kiyokawa Family Orchards in Parkdale, with over 150 varieties of apples and pears. The third-generation orchard is a thriving reminder of the Japanese immigrant families who were instrumental in establishing the Hood River Valley fruit industry in the early 1900s. Fresh and Local With Chef Ben Stenn, Celilo Restaurant Chef Ben Stenn — the creative force behind Celilo Restaurant — is one of Hood River’s biggest local-food supporters. Long committed to sourcing ingredients from nearby farms, he’s growing more and more deeply focused on plant-based cooking and seafood. His cozy, downtown farm-to-table spot with a warm wood interior and Oregon-focused wine list offers seasonal dishes that might include Columbia River coho salmon or pasta with just-picked spinach. “At Celilo we’re celebrating first-person relationships,” he says. “You grow it, you tell me what you’ve got, you bring it to me and I cook it.” Just like when neighbors share the bounty from home gardens, local producers elevate what comes to the table for Stenn’s guests. “They make us look good,” he acknowledges. Stenn recommends several ways to experience Hood River County’s amazing, farm-fresh cuisine: BUYING LOCAL SEAFOOD Fishpeople Seafood in downtown Hood River — a supplier Stenn relies upon to provide fresh Oregon seafood — sells fresh or flash-frozen fish like chinook salmon or albacore tuna and takeout options such as Dungeness crab cakes. Brigham Fish Market in downtown Cascade Locks is a Native American, family-owned business selling freshly caught Columbia River fish and prepared favorites such as sturgeon fish and chips, as well as salmon chowder. Nearby you may find Native fish stands set up under the Bridge of the Gods. AUBRIE LEGAULT Celilo Restaurant 26 Visit Hood River Travel Guide
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