DONE Washington Grown Magazine - March 2025 by wa-potatoes

Walla Walla irresistible charm the of magazine

BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE FRENCH TOAST RECIPE INSIDE

Walla Walla's legendary breakfast spot isn't slowing down

Walla Walla Sweet Onions are a global hit – but they take a lot of work

How did this tiny farm town evolve into what it is today? Find out inside.

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If you’re a fan of Washington Grown, then you know that for 12 years, we’ve been all about one thing: highlighting the extraordinary farm–to–table dining experiences found in Washington and the wonderful people that make it happen. As a state, we are blessed with an incredible agricultural bounty, and our creative citizens have founded some of the best restaurants in the country. When you combine great local ingredients with creative and passionate chefs, what you get is millions of great meals served at thousands of great restaurants, and it’s all Washington Grown.

The farms and restaurants we love are scattered all over the state, in every small town and big city. But if you really want to get a concentrated dose of the Washington Grown experience, you need to make plans to visit Walla Walla in the southeastern corner of the state.

Walla Walla is a hidden gem full of small–town charm and offering an array of delights for visitors and residents alike. Known for its world–class wineries, vibrant culinary scene, rich agricultural heritage, and stunning natural surroundings, this small town has managed to maintain its quaint appeal while drawing in adventurers, foodies, and wine enthusiasts from all over the world. In short, your experience in Walla Walla will be quintessentially Washington Grown. The Washington Grown team has been enchanted each time we’ve visited Walla Walla, and we wanted to share some of the highlights that we’ve experienced over the years.

The story of Walla Walla begins with agriculture (which you can read more about on page 14). The fertile soils of the Walla Walla Valley have supported farming for centuries, with early settlers cultivating wheat and onions, including the famous Walla Walla Sweet Onion. Today, the town continues to embrace its agricultural heritage with thriving farms, orchards, and vineyards that produce some of the finest crops in the Pacific Northwest.

Music and food festivals are frequent in Walla Walla. If you're looking to slow down, Echolands' new tasting room (right) overlooking Mill Creek is stunning and serene.

With warm summers, cool evenings, and an average of over 200 sunny days per year, Walla Walla offers the perfect conditions for growing a variety of crops, particularly wine grapes. This ideal climate, combined with the valley's unique terroir, has helped put Walla Walla on the map as a premier wine destination. The region is home to over 120 wineries and more than 2,800 acres of vineyards, producing a diverse range of award–winning wines. From bold Cabernet Sauvignons to elegant Syrahs and crisp Rieslings, Walla Walla offers something to please every palate.

Many of the wineries are family–owned and -operated, creating an intimate and welcoming atmosphere for visitors. Wine tasting in Walla Walla is more than just sipping and swirling; it’s an opportunity to learn about the winemaking process, meet the passionate individuals behind the labels, and experience the unique character of each vineyard. Even if you don’t know much (or anything) about wine, spending a weekend wandering around the Walla Walla Valley will give you a great education.

Some of the must–visit wineries in the area include L’Ecole No. 41, a historic schoolhouse–turned–winery; Pepper Bridge Winery, known for its sustainable practices and panoramic views; and Echolands Winery, celebrated for its biodynamic farming and distinctive wines. These and many others have gorgeous tasting rooms right at their vineyards, so plan to drive around and try a few (with a designated driver, of course).

Complementing its wine scene, Walla Walla boasts a culinary landscape that rivals those of much larger cities. Compared with other small towns, Walla Walla is practically packed with farm–to–table restaurants, cozy cafés, and gourmet eateries that showcase the region’s bounty. Local chefs take pride in sourcing ingredients from nearby farms, ensuring that every dish is as fresh

and flavorful as possible.

For fine dining, TMACS (featured on page 10) offers a welcoming, homey environment that belies the fantastic quality of the food. The Marc Restaurant, in the Marcus Whitman Hotel, offers a menu that highlights Pacific Northwest flavors with a creative twist. Or just down the street, Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen serves up delectable dishes inspired by Mediterranean cuisine. For breakfast, don’t miss the giant skillets at the Maple Counter Cafe (featured on page 6) or the incredible kouign-amann (a flaky, caramelized pastry) at Colville Street Patisserie.

Food festivals and farmers markets are also integral to Walla Walla’s charm. The annual Feast Walla Walla event brings together local chefs, wineries, and breweries for a celebration of the region’s culinary treasures. Meanwhile, the Walla Walla Farmers Market offers a chance to sample fresh produce, artisanal goods, and handmade crafts in a lively, community–oriented setting every Saturday in summer and fall.

One of Walla Walla’s most endearing qualities is its sense of community. The town’s residents are known for their friendliness and hospitality, making visitors feel right at home. Community events and festivals are a regular occurrence, bringing people together to celebrate everything from music and art to food and wine.

Walla Walla may be a small town, but it offers big experiences. Whether you’re savoring a glass of wine at a vineyard, indulging in a farm–to–table feast, or exploring the great outdoors, Walla Walla has a way of capturing hearts and creating lasting memories. A visit to Walla Walla isn’t just a trip; it’s an invitation to experience the best of what it means to be Washington Grown.

Find more great stories at wagrown.com

"Their family came to Red Mountain on a coin flip. But their success here has nothing to do with chance."

Watch the show online or on your local station

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"Her parents were farmworkers. Now she owns the farm."

fresh WALLA WALLA

IN THE MORNING

start a

Like many of the restaurants around Walla Walla, dining at the Maple Counter Cafe often comes with a wait. Especially on sunny weekend mornings, the line can stretch out the door and spill out onto the sidewalk. "It’s a classic American diner," you might think as you drive past and see the long line. "What’s all the fuss about?"

But if you endure the wait and get a table, you’ll quickly find out – maybe even before you get your food. Just watch as the waitresses walk past carrying huge plates of blueberry cobbler French toast, or mugs of hot chocolate heaped with fresh whipped cream, or gigantic apple pancakes over 3 inches tall and the width of a dinner plate.

"Anytime anyone talks about breakfast in Walla Walla, this place is always mentioned on the list," said one customer when the Washington Grown TV team visited in Season 12. "It’s one of those quintessential breakfast places where you just kind of feel like home cooking but elevated. All of the traditional dishes you love, but more."

Maple Counter Cafe is perfectly, delightfully familiar, which is part of its charm. But every single dish on the menu has been amplified in some way. They have pancakes, for instance, because all diners must have pancakes. But their pancakes are impossibly fluffy and buttery. You can order an eggs Benedict, certainly, because it’s a classic. But their homemade hollandaise is perfectly rich and tangy. They have savory scrambles, obviously, because a plate of potatoes, sausage, and eggs is a perfect way to prepare for a day of wine tastings. But their scrambles are huge and are made with an expertise that produces crispy potatoes and fluffy, creamy eggs.

MAPLE COUNTER CAFE WALLA WALLA

"There was already such a great food culture, and the agriculture around the area means that people are using local and fresh ingredients," said owner Kory Nagler. "When you know where something came from and you have an emotional connection to it, it does make the food taste better. But, when the food actually does taste better, then it’s a winwin."

The beauty of a place like Walla Walla is not only the natural bounty of the agricultural land around the city, but also the small-town connections and relationships between businesses in town.

"During the spring and summer, we get a huge influx of different vegetables and fruits. We’re in a big wheat area, and we actually hooked up with a local wheat farmer," said Nagler. "Also, one of our neighbors is a butcher here in town, and we get all our chorizo from him. It’s just a guy walking over from the butcher shop with a (box of meats), waving to the folks in back. There's a great small town feel."

Nagler comes to the restaurant business as a third–generation restaurateur. His parents own the popular Oak Table Cafe in Sequim, Washington, and his grandparents owned a diner in Chicago since the 1970s. Nagler says that they share a lot of recipes, and several of the Maple Counter Cafe’s most popular dishes come from his grandmother’s recipes. Their batters and doughs use those authentic recipes and an old-fashioned sourdough barrel to make fine, fluffy breads and cakes.

"Honestly, the pancakes are some of the best I’ve ever had in my life," said one customer. "Ultra decadent, rich, amazing – it’s hard to beat. It’s like home cooking, but better than mom can even do."

Complexity:

Maple Counter Cafe in Walla Walla should be on your short list of restaurants to visit in the city, and this dish is part of the reason why. The decadent, caramelized granola that sticks to the French toast pairs so nicely with the bright acidity of the blueberries.

Now you can make this signature dish at home! Pro tip: fresh whipped cream is so easy to make, and it really elevates this dish. Just combine a cup of heavy whipping cream with a tablespoon of vanilla extract and a tablespoon of powdered sugar and mix with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

Ingredients

Granola

• 4 Cups Rolled Oats

• 3 Oz. Salted Butter

• 1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

2 Tbsp. Cinnamon Sugar

• ¼ Cup Sliced Almonds

• ¼ Cup Pecan Pieces Pinch of Salt

• Honey (about 1 cup)

Blueberry Syrup

• 1 ½ Cups Sugar

• 2 Cups Frozen Blueberries

• ½ Cup Water

French Toast

• 5 Eggs

• ¼ Cup Whipping Cream

• 2 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

• A Dash of Freshly Ground Nutmeg

• Loaf of Sourdough Bread (sliced ¾ inch thick)

Toppings

• Fresh Blueberries

• Whipped Cream

• Powdered Sugar

Granola

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter, vanilla, cinnamon sugar, and salt together. Spread oats on a baking sheet and drizzle with the melted butter mixture. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle on pecans and almonds. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Gently mix with a spoon and allow to cool.

Blueberry Syrup

Thaw berries and blend with ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer and add sugar, whisking until granules are totally dissolved.

French Toast

Whisk together eggs, cream, vanilla, and nutmeg.

In a large, nonstick pan (or griddle) over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter (clarified if available). Dip two pieces of bread into the egg mixture, being sure to cover every surface of the bread. Place the dipped bread in the pan and sprinkle with granola. Fry until the underside reaches a golden brown, then flip both pieces over and cut both in half with a spatula while still in the pan. Continue to cook until the granola side is golden, then plate the pieces granola side up.

Add 1 cup of blueberries (fresh if available), a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of blueberry syrup, a light dusting of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of granola. Serve with warm blueberry syrup and a smile.

MAPLE COUNTER CAFE'S

BlueberryCrumble

French Toast

TMACS

WALLA

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WALLA WALLA AT NIGHT

Affectionately known as "Walla Walla's living room," there's no better place to find dinner after a day of wine tastings around Walla Walla than TMACS.

Before Jose Mesa arrives at the Walla Walla restaurant he co–owns, he stops at Castoldi Family Farms and picks some spring onions for a special dish. Thirty minutes later, in the kitchen of TMACS, he begins sautéeing the small, bright white bulbs in butter.

"This is the beginning of the season," says Mesa, who is also the restaurant’s executive chef. "These potentially will become the Walla Walla Sweets. They’re a lot milder, sweeter than the actual onions."

After the onions have finished sautéeing, Mesa plates them alongside steak, fingerling potatoes, and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, topping it with a special demi-glace and garnishing the dish with pea shoots. Mesa and his co–owner, Tom Maccarone, work with local farms as often as possible to source the ingredients for the restaurant’s seasonal dishes.

"Everything on this plate is all locally sourced," Mesa says, adding that even the steak comes from Washington. "I started working on a farm, so I know what it is to cultivate, to harvest all this stuff."

Maccarone says Mesa works with local farmers to determine what produce to grow for the restaurant each year, and the farms sometimes grow specific crops just for TMACS.

"Anything we can get local, we get local," says Maccarone. "That’s what we’re all about."

Maccarone opened his first restaurant, T.Maccarone’s, in 2005, and in 2019 moved the restaurant to a new location in Walla Walla and renamed it TMACS. But even before becoming a restaurateur, Maccarone always loved entertaining and cooking for people in his home, introducing new friends to each other, and making connections.

He wants that same atmosphere in his restaurant.

"I want everyone to feel welcome," he says. "I want them to feel like they’re at home — this is my home."

Customers recognize that quality when they dine at TMACS.

"It kind of feels like you’re coming into someone’s house," says one patron. "The service is really attentive; the food is delicious. It’s just a very comfortable place to be."

Another diner says TMACS feels like a city restaurant, but with a hometown feeling.

"You can come here dressed up, or you can come here wearing jeans," she says, "and know that you’re going to get great food and a great cocktail, a great glass of wine."

Maccarone is a third-generation Walla Walla native, and he loves his community.

"We have a great arts scene here," he says. "We have a great wine scene here. Our culinary food program is like no other. You don't have this in a lot of small towns between here and Seattle."

And, of course, he says, Walla Walla is also a farming community: "Whether it’s the grapes for the wine, whether it’s the wheat, whether it’s the produce, it’s always going to be a farming community."

And the restaurant’s incredible dishes reflect that dedication to representing these local farms.

"When you’re using really fresh produce, you don’t have to manipulate; it is what it is," says a customer dining in the restaurant. "It’s beautiful on its own."

When you think of the most inviting aromas of summer, your mind probably goes to flowers in bloom, the forest after a rain, or freshy mowed grass. With all those great smells, you may not typically think of the smell of onions. But walking through a Walla Walla field in July that is practically buzzing with harvest workers, the aroma of onions is hypnotic: unmistakably sweet and surprisingly pleasant.

Luke Hamada and his family have been growing Walla Walla’s signature sweet onions for decades here, in small fields close to any of the dozen or so rivers and streams that meander through the valley. Walla Walla Sweet Onions are renowned around the world for their aroma, sweetness, and mild flavor, and it all starts right here in fields like this.

"What makes the difference is the soil around here in the area," Hamada said when Kristi Gorensen and the Washington Grown TV crew visited in Season 12. "When we search for fields, we usually look for fields that are near the rivers, because that is usually land that has been flooded over the years. We find that those fields raise better onions than others. My uncle always told us, ‘The places where it’s harder to make a crop are the places where you’ll end up growing nice onions.’"

Luke and his team at Pacific Agra Farms have certainly succeeded in growing nice onions. Pacific Agra Farms is one of approximately 20 growers that cultivate Walla Walla Sweet Onions, the official state vegetable of Washington. Walla Walla Sweets are special for several reasons. Their signature sweet flavor comes from the soil of Walla Walla Valley – its low sulfur content means the onions develop less pyruvic acid (the chemical that makes onions pungent). All that natural chemistry results in a milder, less sharp taste that goes perfectly on a burger or fried as an onion ring. And because they have a higher water content than most onions, they are relatively short–lived, meaning consumers have to snag

them while they’re in season. During their peak season in summer, they’re shipped around the country, where a hungry public happily pays a premium for Walla Walla Sweets.

The other peculiarity of Walla Walla Sweet Onions is that they have to be harvested by hand due to their delicate flesh and large size. That explains why there were nearly 50 seasonal farm laborers in the field when the Washington Grown TV crew visited. They were bringing in the harvest by hand, one onion at a time.

"Without the people we have working here, we couldn’t do this," said Hamada. "They trim off the tops and the roots, put them into rows, then load them into bins, and we take them off into storage for curing. (The workforce) is very important."

Hamada and his team are vocal proponents of drip irrigation — a method by which water is delivered directly to the roots of the plant through a network of tubes that lie on the soil. Tiny holes in those tubes drip water onto the soil in exactly the right place, minimizing water waste and ensuring that the plants get just what they need.

"When we water (with drip irrigation), it goes directly into the soil, so we save a lot on evaporation. When you’re watering overhead, you can lose a lot of water, especially on the really hot days we can have around here sometimes," said Hamada, kneeling down to show Gorensen an irrigation line. "Keeping as much water as possible in the rivers is really important for all the other parts of the ecosystem — for the fish and for the other things that people depend on. So the more that we can conserve … we’re just trying to do our part."

The next time you pick up a Walla Walla Sweet Onion, take a big whiff of its pleasant aroma and think of all the hard work and precision farming that went into growing it!

PACIFIC AGRA FARMS

WALLA WALLA

There's only one place in the world to grow true Walla Walla Sweet Onions –so farmers go the extra mile to produce the highest possible quality crop.

sweet

spot

"Agriculture is the center of life in this community."

A

Celebrating

In the late 1880s, a soldier named Peter Pieri found a sweet onion seed in Corsica, Italy, and brought it to Walla Walla. Pieri and his neighboring farmers cultivated the onion to create

bigger, sweeter version

Walla Walla has been formed by both ancient traditions and modern innovations. Every crop tells a tale of community, resilience, and a deep connection to the land.

Walla Walla is known for its amazing crops, whether it’s the plentiful wheat sprawling on the rolling hills, the Walla Walla Sweet Onion — Washington’s official vegetable — or the local grapes that produce delicious wines. With all this bounty, one thing is for certain: Walla Walla’s farms are something to be proud of.

"Agriculture is the center of life in this community," said Mike Denny, the former president of the Fort Walla Walla Museum board of directors, as he led Washington Grown host Val Thomas–Matson on a tour of the museum’s grounds and a step back into history.

The name "Walla Walla" comes from a Nez Perce word meaning "running waters" or "place of many waters," and for thousands of years before the first onions were planted and the first vineyards erected — "since time immemorial," according to the City of Walla Walla’s website — the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes lived here. They lived off the land, in harmony with its resources, as they fished for salmon in the Columbia and Snake rivers, hunted for elk and deer, and gathered roots and berries.

In 1805, the Corps of Discovery, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, arrived in the area, inspiring fur traders to expand their business into the Pacific Northwest and build a trading post in 1818 called Fort Nez Perce (renamed Fort Walla Walla) near present–day Walla Walla. In the 1830s, New Yorkers Marcus and Narcissa Whitman built a religious mission near the fort, which included an orchard and a wheat farm — the first major inland farm in the region, according to HistoryLink.

In 1855, local tribes and the U.S. government entered into a treaty that opened up the territory to an influx of settlers, which accelerated after the discovery of gold in Idaho in 1861. Walla Walla was officially incorporated as a city in 1862 and continued to grow, with thousands of acres of farmland in operation within a few years. Dryland wheat farms were the most prevalent during this time, and "wheat became the backbone of Walla Walla’s economy," according to HistoryLink.

In the late 1880s, a soldier named Peter Pieri found a sweet onion seed in Corsica, Italy, and brought it to Walla Walla. Pieri and his

CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

neighboring farmers cultivated the onion to create a bigger, sweeter version that would be less likely to make you cry than other onion varieties. In 1900, the first Walla Walla Sweet Onion was harvested.

"They started selling like mad, and it was like, whoa, give us some starts," said Denny. "And before it was all over, there were 92 Italian onion farms here."

In 2007, the Walla Walla Sweet Onion was designated the state’s official vegetable, and an annual festival in Walla Walla celebrates the vegetable every summer. Today, according to the Walla Walla Sweet Onion website, approximately 20 farms grow these onions on roughly 500 acres in the Walla Walla Valley.

At the Fort Walla Walla Museum, Denny walks to a display garden that shows visitors some of the crops grown here. He points at rows of delicate green shoots growing from the ground.

"These are Walla Walla Sweet Onions," he says. "You can eat them like an apple."

By the 1950s, Walla Walla County had become one of the country’s highest-earning agricultural areas, according to HistoryLink, producing crops like onions, wheat, barley, corn, potatoes, asparagus, peas, and grapes. But while grapes had likely been grown in the area

Marketing Director

Brandy Tucker

Editor–in–Chief

Kara Rowe

since the 1820s, commercial winemaking didn’t begin in Walla Walla until the 1970s. The first commercial winery, Leonetti Cellar, was founded in 1977; now the valley boasts more than 120 wineries.

Winemaker Kate Derby’s family has been around for most of the area’s agricultural history. Derby and her family own Spring Valley Vineyard north of Walla Walla, and her great-great-grandfather, Uriah Corkrum, began farming wheat here in the 1800s. In an effort to make sure the farm would stay in the family, Derby’s grandparents began growing grapes for local wineries in 1993, and they started making their own wine in 1999.

"We planted 45 acres of grapes, and they were getting really high acclaim," said Derby. "And so we were like, hmm, maybe we should try making this wine. It was really because of my grandparents saying, what else can we do to keep this in the family?"

Derby celebrates how far Walla Walla has come, even in her lifetime. She remembers when she could walk down the middle of Main Street and only see a few cars.

"I loved Walla Walla then," she said, "but the fact that Walla Walla has embraced this new-to-us industry but kept the character that Walla Walla has always been — it is so fun to see, and it’s really fun to be a part of."

The Washington Grown project is made possible by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program, through a partnership with the state's farmers.

Assistant Editors

Trista Crossley

Elissa Sweet

Writers

Elissa Sweet

Editor and Art Designer

Jon Schuler

Images

Tomás Guzmán

Jon Schuler

Library of Congress

TMACS

Maple Counter Cafe

Shutterstock Washington Grown

Executive Producers

Kara Rowe

David Tanner

Chris Voigt

Producer

Ian Loe

Hosts

Kristi Gorenson

Tomás Guzmán

Val Thomas–Matson

WGTV host Kristi Gorensen (right) sits down with winemaker Kate Derby, while host Val Thomas-Matson walks around the Fort Walla Walla Museum with Mike Denny (far left).