Cascadia Grill, located at 200 4th Ave West in Olympia. Photo by Jack Ottaway.
Jef Dukes and Julie "Juju" Guarino. Photo by Jack Ottaway.
Inspired Burgers, Frozen Custard & Regional Memorabilia ...All on the Same Block! Tasty PNW Treats Offered by Olympia Restaurateur Couple by Jerica Pender
Just 58 steps are all it takes to get from Cascadia Grill, a hip brasserie in downtown Olympia, to JuJu’s Iced Cream & Frozen Custard, a neo-vintage frozen treat shop. Both are owned by husband and wife team, Jef Dukes and Julie Guarino, restaurateurs who know a thing or two about great service, unique flavor profiles, and regional celebrations. “Jef and I met working in Yellowstone National Park at The Old Faithful Inn as servers there,” Julie says. The year was 1999 and “at that point, he was living in Los Angeles and I was living in New York City, and literally, we met in the middle,” she recalls. thurstonchamber.com
And though that season at Yellowstone ended when the weather cooled, Jef and Julie’s relationship began heating up. Jef joined Julie in the east where they worked together yet again, this time it was a fine dining setting in New York City where not only the food—but the way in which it was served—was paramount. A few more stints in Yellowstone and a few more moves and restaurants later, a determined Jef and Julie proclaimed, “OK, the next restaurant we open is going to be our own.” Fortunately, for Thurston County diners, it was not just one—but two—in Olympia. Although Jef and Julie are transplants here, they certainly have their fingers on the pulse of what brings not just the Cascadia region—but their restaurant too—to life.
Cascadia Grill’s decor is an all-out celebration of our bioregion; from hanging the Cascadia flag and displaying Bigfoot and chainsaw art memorabilia, to showcasing over 1,000 framed photographs of Pacific Northwest notables on the restaurant’s walls. There’s even hanging art displays of freeze dried mosses that Julie creates with her brother-in-law that are so popular with patrons, Julie says they regularly try to purchase them. All of Cascadia Grill’s recipes are created by Jef, and the desserts are done by Julie. Not only can you get housesmoked trout, poutine with hand-cut fries, or an Olydelphia Cheesesteak sandwich, but Julie says theirs is "one of the best burgers in town.” Jef is from southern California where perfect burgers reign supreme, and
Thurston County Chamber VOICE
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