Sara Roth

sara@tsweekly.com
Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

Woman of the Year – Possibilities with a View How Lawnae Hunter is changing Central Oregon's economic future

Sara Roth

When Lawnae Hunter moved to Bend, she wasn't expecting to challenge the status quo. A former waitress and single mother who attended community college in Aptos, Calif., Hunter worked her way up the real estate food chain and developed the largest real estate company in Central California, Hunter Prudential Realty. The company was eventually sold to a subsidiary of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway.
After the sale, Hunter was looking for a change of pace. In 2003, she bought a house on Awbrey Butte and in 2007 moved to Bend full time. She brought her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren and joined one daughter already living here.

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

Riding High: Miki Keller Makes Women's Motocross a Serious Sport

Sara Roth

Motocross, the sport featuring people riding souped-up dirt bikes around a muddy track and flinging themselves off of jumps, doing tricks like the “superman,” has been growing in popularity since it was introduced in the United States in the 1960s. Today, some riders are as popular as rock stars and those at the top of their game are showcased at high-profile competitions like the X Games. But, for the most part, women have been left out of the sport, especially in television coverage and prize pools. That is, until Miki Keller got involved.

Posted inFood & Drink

Lose the Wheat: Gluten-free baking is on the rise in Bend

A few weeks ago, a new bakery called Gotta B Gluten Free that serves only gluten-free products opened on the corner of Hill and Florida streets in the former Pure Skate Shop location.
Sara Roth

A few weeks ago, a new bakery called Gotta B Gluten Free that serves only gluten-free products opened on the corner of Hill and Florida streets in the former Pure Skate Shop location. Gotta B is the latest bakery in Central Oregon to service the gluten-free sector. Call it a fad or trend, but one thing's for certain: the gluten-free foods' sktock is on the rise locally.

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

The Flight Nurse: Deidre Heinrich

Sara Roth

Deidre Heinrich wouldn't label herself a hero. In fact, when we told her she was nominated as a local hero, she spent a few minutes trying to convince us why it's her job, not her, that is heroic. But no matter what she says, Heinrich saves people's lives on a daily basis in a profession that was named the most dangerous in America by the Wall Street Journal.
Heinrich, who also volunteers her time at many local charities, including the Bethlehem Inn, the Red Cross and the Bend Community Center, works 24-hour shifts as a flight nurse for St. Charles Medical Center. Each morning Heinrich heads to work, she is debriefed with her crew, which includes pilots, respiratory therapists and other flight nurses, and prepares her plane or helicopter for the unknown. Depending upon the day, Heinrich and her three-person team may respond to as many as six calls during a 24-hour period.

Posted inSpecial Issues & Guides

The Veteran: Richard “Dick” Gorby

Sara Roth

Richard “Dick” Gorby's office in the Deschutes County Parole and Probation building is lined with pictures. A photograph of his father in military dress, a map of wartime Vietnam and photos of Gorby holding plaques, surrounded by veterans, family, friends and the parolees he works with every day.
Gorby, a Vietnam veteran – he served as a minesweeper from '63 to '65 – has always been active in veterans affairs. But it wasn't until just 15 years ago when he realized he suffered from PTSD related to the war that he changed his profession from marketing to social services, leaving behind what he called his “money years.”

Posted inFood & Drink

Gather Round the Table: Jen's Garden's community table offers wallet-friendly fine dining

Jen's Garden in Sisters doesn't do shtick. Dishes are served without flashy components, such as the now-ubiquitous vertically stacked plate presentation.
Sara Roth

Jen's Garden in Sisters doesn't do shtick. Dishes are served without flashy components, such as the now-ubiquitous vertically stacked plate presentation. Instead, Jen's keeps the focus on quality ingredients and execution. Rather than opt for modern, sleek decorations, Jen's Garden channels a country-style living room. Still, despite the lack of flair, Jen's Garden has carved a name for itself as one of the best fine-dining restaurants in Central Oregon and its $26 entrees are worth every penny.
But recently, Jen's Garden began offering a less-expensive version of their prix-fixe menu Wednesday through Friday, at its ten-seat “Community Table.” Diners pay $19 for three courses, which change on a nightly basis.

Posted inFood & Drink

For Good Luck and Prosperity: Five Fusion's Chinese New Year ushers in goodwill with an eight-course feast

In Central Oregon, the Chinese New Year was a bit quieter than the massive fetes found in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. But at Five Fusion and Sushi Bar, owned by Chinese-American Lilian Chu, the holiday was in full force.
Sara Roth

For anyone who's been to any city with a sizable Chinese population on the Chinese New Year, you know the holiday as an explosion of good luck charms, music, firecrackers, people in dragon costumes crawling through the streets and an abundance of all things red.
It's a celebration of the year to come, calling for prosperity, luck and happiness. Each year is marked by one of twelve animals, each carrying its own set of attributes – 2011 is the year of the rabbit, and those born this year are said to be ambitious, virtuous and financially lucky. Tradition dictates that one sweep his or her house the night before the New Year, but not the day after – the good luck will be swept out. The food is, of course, important as well, involving a lengthy feast, often with eight courses – a lucky number – marking the evening portion of the holiday.

Posted inFood & Drink

Little Bites: Catering To You Gluten-free bakery, wine shop and catering company all slated to open

Quick Bites covers Gotta B Gluten Free, Tate and Tate opening up in Northwest Crossing, and Southern Wine Group.
Sara Roth

The cycle of life continues even in the world of restaurants and retail shops. The fall of one business allows another to open, and while we mourn previous enterprises, we also rejoice in new ventures.
At the end of 2010, the Pure Skate Shop next to the Taco Stand shut its doors and local skaters of the neighborhoods around Hill Street hung their heads. But others, including myself, have been eagerly waiting to see what the recent construction would yield and delighted when kitchen items began to be trucked in. And recently, a sign went up – Gotta B Gluten Free.

Posted inCulture

Chainsaw Art: Carving masterpieces in the Sisters wilderness with Skip Armstrong

Sara Roth

The drive to chainsaw sculptor J. Chester “Skip” Armstrong's house and studio in Sisters is rural, to say the least. Armstrong's home, where he lives with his wife, singer-songwriter Anastacia Beth Scott, is located beyond Sisters Middle School on a dirt road off of another dirt road. When I visited him during the second week of January, it was unplowed and covered in a thick layer of ice. While many might find the location isolating, it provides him with a connection to nature and, as he says, it's as close to urban sprawl as he'll ever be comfortable with.

Posted inFood & Drink

Somehow, it Werks: Great pub food and atmosphere keep Old Mill Brew Werks from blending into its business park surroundings

Bend’s newest brewpub is a little different. First , it hasn’t released any beers yet – in fact, it just started brewing last week, although the restaurant has been serving food for nearly two months.
Sara Roth

Bend's newest brewpub is a little different. First , it hasn't released any beers yet – in fact, it just started brewing last week, although the restaurant has been serving food for nearly two months. And the pub is run by a couple who, until recently, worked in nonprofits.

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