I was unpacking the bins of radicchio yesterday from cold storage, cleaning and processing them for the Grange.  I had thrown heads into bins haphazardly in my pre-flooding harvest haste, so they were caked with mud. Lots of leaves were shucked…but the reveal was impossibly pink hearts, glowing in the gloom of the dark rainy day.  Exquisite, open-pollinated BEAUTIES, I gushed!  You are unlikely nuggets to harvest in near-winter light.  Thank you for sharing your rose-colored outlook on life.  

I find it easy to give thanks at the farm because there is a silence surrounding these moments of up-close awe at the natural world. I am lucky and humbled to work with plants, rain, worms, insects, sun, the soil community – my Silent Coworkers.

The Grange World is less silent! My posse here is boisterous and fast-paced and swept up in the show we’re putting on that night.  It is less often I remember to tell the humans I work with how deeply grateful I am for their presence in my life. 

Luke and I own a Main Street biz –  we are party to an entire intricate web of human beings who have conspired to help grow, deepen, enliven, and nourish our restaurant that, in turn, nourishes our guests.  There are SO MANY PARTS to this complex business – and simply no way we could ever do this alone.  We need you, love you, and thrive with you all!  

SOME THANKS ARE IN ORDER, as we wrap up 2025…

Grange Staff

Nate Allen, Chef – you first, Chief.  You are a STALWART. A rock.  A fearless, fair leader. We cannot love and praise you enough. PLUS you slay the brisket, among many other things.  Thank you.

Becky Reimer – HOW ARE WE SO LUCKY to get to work with our BESTIE?!?  We know n love Becky since waaay back when we farmed at Oxbow and she at Tolt River Farm.  Then, our mow n blow stint together (☺). NOW, she runs social media, the store, AND Event Planning for the Grange! Your lovely photos, cheerful countenance, and insane dedication are invaluable.  Thank you.

Riley Chapman, FOH Manager– Luke and I pinch each other…”Where did Riley COME FROM?” we wonder…well, Texas, yes.  But, for us, she came out of the heavens to handle IT ALL for the Grange Front of House.  Thank you, Riley!

Jackson Tobes, Sous – you are a complete, utter JOY to have in the Grange Ranks.  Chops, check.  Devotion, check.  Wonderful human, checkity-check.

Doug Plecher, Brunch – Doug gets a special shout-out cause he’s been around this joint for a while, pre-dating our ownership.  Luckily, Doug came with the biz purchase ☺  Then he left! ☹ Now he’s back, and all is better in our world because of him.

Grange Staff: thank you for keeping the Grange happy and humming!    Bella Fleur, Brian Taibl, Cayley Marshall, Emma Plecher, Faith Boevers, Gratia Zion, Henri Opara, Isabelle Pritchett, Jacoby Matteo, Jaylin Yowell, Reece Taibl, Rose Geiger, Sarah Thornton, Tom Roselyn, Ellie Sivesind, Max Taibl.

Grange Vendors: thank you for keeping us well-stocked!        

NOTE: While listing allllll the myriad businesses we work with, I was pleased but not surprised to see most of them are Western WA local.  Those with an asterisk (*) are independently owned, like ours. 

Hearth Farm* (Carnation)

Puget Sound Food Hub* (Western WA growers coop)

Okanogan Producers Marketing Association/OPMA* (Eastern WA growers coop)

Sno Valley Mushroom* (Duvall)

Macrina Bakery* (Seattle)

Merlino’s* (Seattle)

Charlies* (Seattle)

Fidalgo Coffee* (Skagit)

Corfini* (Seattle)

ValleyHouse* (Duvall)

Valley Wine and Spirits* (Duvall)

Wildness Within Shrubs* (Duvall)

Stoup* (Seattle)

Post Doc* (Redmond)

Volition* (North Bend)

William Grassie Winery* (Duvall)

DeLille Winery* (Woodinville)

Casa Bruno* (Woodinville)

Winebow* (Seattle)

Grape Expectations* (East side)

Sysco

Costco

NW Bev

Grange Service Providers:thank you for keeping us up n running!            

Lulu Mendez, Natural Clean* (Duvall)

AnnMarie Gill, Cascade Valley Designs* (Duvall)

Rod Neldam, HandyGuy MasterFlash* (Duvall)

Tim Murry and Will Shor, Smart Merchants* (Seattle)

Dave Hudson, DEAR neighbor and friend, HVAC (Duvall)

Andy Ruggles, Winemakers Reserve* (Woodinville)

Stillwater Custom Design, tshirts, Grange swag* (Duvall)

Landon Moore, Handyman Services* (Duvall)

Jocelyn Campbell, Alchemilla Services* (Woodinville)

Laura Duffy, Sagebreaker* (Monroe)

Orcas Mechanical, refrigerators/freezers *(Seattle)

Sally Petty, American Insurance (Monroe)

Evergreen Sanitation, grease trap* (Lake Stevens)

All American Fire Protection, pizza vent/hood cleaning and fire suppression monitoring *(Auburn)

Service Linens (Renton)

Tap Man, beer tap cleaner* (Olympia)

Waste Management, garbage, recycling, compost 

Croach

Autochlor

Main Street (and beyond) Biz Neighbors: thank you for sharing your insight, advice, and expertise with us these last 8 years <3

Sara Tharrington and Melissa Barnett, Yogis of Yoga Garden and wonderful Grange housemates – you make life spacious and gracious! 

Andy and Sarah Lapworth at ValleyHouse – love you and that Grange Brew, keep it coming! 

Erik Roberts of Duvall Grill 

Matt Higgins and Liz Schwartz of Duvall Ace

Cindy Blackmore of CC’s

Nancy Coulton/Bill Pritchard/Jules Hughes, Millers Family down south

Ramone and Megan Meija of Ixtapa

Judy Neldam of Grateful Bread, love you sister!

Samantha and Zander at Alveare Winery

Joni at Country Collections

 Shatzi of Duvall Flower and Gifts

Tressa Watanabe of Misty Valley Farm

Siri and Jason of Local Roots Store

The Duvall Chamber of Commerce

Grange Staff Upkeep: thank you for keeping US ticking!          

Dr Brooke Aziz-Rents at Alpine Integrated Medicine

Dr Lingam of Green Valley Dentistry

Dr Alex at Joy of Healing

Dr Sara Low of Duvall Eyecare

Dr Jewel Peot

Farmer Friends: thank you for keeping LOCAL FOOD ALIVE!                      Claire Foster, farm owner and Patron Saint of the Grange’s Hearth Farm

Michaele Blakely, our forever farm mentor

Rowan and Will of Sno Valley Mushrooms

Siri and Jason of Local Roots

Christeena and Darron Marlzoff of Falling River Meats

Andrew Stout and Wendy Munroe of Westwind Organics

 EagleSong of RavenCroft Garden

Vince Caruso and Meredith Molli of Snoqualmie Valley Growers Coop

Sean Stratman of Dancing Crow Farm; Casey Coe and all the Incredibles at Oxbow Farm; Pickerings of Novelty Hill Farm; Chryssa and AJ at Rebel 44 Honey; Ray Keasey; Hollyhock Farm; Sheryl Wiser of Tilth Alliance; Rosy Smit, WSU Extension; Tiffany Cooper, Row 7 Seeds

Grange Art & Music Community: thank you for keeping this valley soulful! Morgan Henley, Valley Gov’nah and MC, BrodieFest; Boomer Hess, Grange Kickass Music Manager; Stacy Powell, amazing Grange Open Mic MC; Bill Roman, Grange WonderSound Man; Todd Powell, Projock keyboardist and ukulelean; Jeff and Karen Coult, the valley’s veteran musicians of jazz and swing;  Jashar Rentz, DJ extraordinaire

March of Vegetable’s Creator Betsy MacWhinney and the MoV Board: Meg Cochrane, Peggy Loomis, Susan O’Malley, Lin McBride, Paula Strobel, Sheila Dearden, Liz Schwartz, Bairavi Vijay, Sara Tharrington, Anastasia Maier, Rachael Witt. Casting magic onto the valley tapestry since 2017

Paula Strobel and Russell Hendricks, makers of toys, scenes, and the fantastic; Dan Cautrell, the valley’s prolific artist; Carol Gould of Terra Nova Studio, maker of our beautiful bud vases; Sarah Hooks at Wooly Bear Knits; Grange Storytelling MC  Elizabeth Hill; Ivey and all at Duvall Improv Social Club; Michelle Marshall and the entire NWAC group.

To all the Grange’s dear friends, regulars and supportive customers:  We are here today because of your kindness, generosity, and participation in our community collaboration. There are too many of you to list, lucky us.  We humbly acknowledge your presence and feel your support in each person who comes through the front door.  You all may not see it, but every night, each of you knit the beautiful weave of our valley, over and over again, in this well-worn joint.  Deep gratitude to you and to this beautiful land we all call home.  

Finally, most profoundly, to our shared foundation, the Snoqualmie Valley: You give us everything we need. Food. Water. Clean air. Deep, rich soil. Forests and grasslands. Ground to walk, run, lie down on. A free river that rises and falls and spreads nutrients. Wild animals who have space to roam. Bees, bats, butterflies and beetles who have food to forage. A unique gathering of community called to your land who live with and learn from your cycles. 

Thank you.