Well, it has happened. That which we thought nothing about has happened. JP's has been sold and a new owner will take over the space in October of 2011. Their restaurant will be a wonderful new concept for Cannon Beach and JP's will cease to exist. I have to tell you that while we absolutely LOVE our guests, Bill and I are pretty happy about the changes. We have worked very hard to have the kind of restaurant we could be proud of. We have been blessed with wonderful, wonderful long time customers and life long friends have been made. It is a bittersweet time of saying goodbye and letting go. Our employees have been loyal to the end with a couple of exceptions.


The future brings a plethora of plans and options. We will not be in the restaurant business but we will be staying in the community. We will get little jobs that will allow us to explore other facets of our lives. The kids are grown and most are off on their own adventures. Bill and I are making plans for a month long vacation in Greece thanks to the generosity of our guests. We are selling raffle tickets and three lucky people will win the seafood chowder recipe. We are also selling some of our most popular recipes. We have commemorative glassware and all proceedes will be used to go to Greece and find the home and family of Bill's grandfather. What a wonderful adventure and what a wonderful end to this phase of our life. Thank you all for your love and support. We have loved being a part of your lives. This blog will end but you can find us on facebook if you would like updates. www.facebook.com/jpsatcannonbeach Hope to see you there. Just click "like" and you will receive news, pictures from Greece and updates about what we are doing. Thanks again.

Spring!!!!!

So today it is glorious at the beach. This is the day we take the pictures! I love living at the beach no matter what the weather but today is exceptional. We are baking bread and cookies. We are supporting a fundraiser for our son by baking cookies. He is selling them at his school. Sad thing for school is that mom's can't bring baked goods because of safety concerns. Kids rarely get to taste homemade goodies. We are blessed with a commercial certified kitchen so we help out when necessary. We launched our gluten free menu this weekend. We still have all of our favorites but now many items are available for people with dietary needs. We make pretty much everything from scratch so it is a pretty small leap to change ingredients to fit what people need. Even though it is a wonderful sunny day I know that planting is not ready yet. I have planted starts inside in anticipation of a summer season. Fresh vegies make things better. Herbs are so much more fragrant from the garden than in little plastic packages from the store. Let's get ready for flavor....

JP's on Facebook

I am making every effort to come into the 20th century. Personally I am pretty comfortable with a rocking chair at the General Store as a venue for swapping stories and socializing. I like simple things and the mass social media is not really simple for someone like me. That said, I recognize the benefits of reaching a lot of people quickly. Anyone who knows me, knows I can talk. (Understatement) I love people and I love to hear their stories. If I did nothing else visiting could be my profession. I joined Facebook as a way to keep up with my many children. I could peek at their lives and not intrude. I love seeing what they do and who they are friends with. I have been able to do the same with friends and old schoolmates. You know how it works and how much fun it can be. Now the restaurant gets to participate. Look for us on facebook and "like" us. We will keep you updated on what we are doing and tempt you with new specials. If you have been here...tell us about it. I you have not been here yet...Come on down!!! Soups on!

Award winning blogger

I would like to thank the academy for my award as world's least prolific blogger. I have not worked hard to win this award. I was speaking with a dear guest at the restaurant the other night and she mentioned my blog. I cringed as I thought how little I had posted. She helped me see that the first step was just to write something. So here I am. Today is the perfect day at the beach!! Sun, surf, birds and balmy skies. Wonderful!!! This is the day I gloat because I live here. I had to purchase seeds today. It was just too beautiful to not think about gardening. Peas and lettuce. Yummmm! I was on the radio station KMUN this morning to talk about the formation of the new Cannon Beach Culinary Arts Association. I am VP of this new Association. We want to bring the world news about the culinary arts in Cannon Beach and make us a world culinary destination. Doesn't that sound like fun? Food is such a wonderful addition to this world and we get to be a part of that. I will try to blog much more often and let you know what is going on. Stay Tuned.

Food Glorious Food

As many of you know, food is our livelyhood. That said, I have some very controversial opinions about food. I believe that we need to be connected with our food and know where it comes from and what is in it. Ingredients are more important that any thing else. Fresh, whole food nourishes our bodies and feeds our souls. Mass produced, manufactured dead food will make us sick and contribute to the sickness of society. Taste, texture, appearance are very important but content is primary. If you haven't watched the movie Food Inc rent it now. You will be smarter when it is over. There is a new movie called FRESH that is an answer to the despair felt after watching Food Inc. When you see what has been done that you didn't know about, you feel - what can I eat? what do I do about it? FRESH shows you how to connect with your food and how to nourish your body. We will be showing the movie on June 21st at 7:00 p.m. in the Vineyard at JP's. The cost is $5.00. What a great opportunity to get connected and be smart in your choices. I am not talking about dieting and eating boring food. I am talking about the luxury of good food and giving your body what it deserves and needs. I love the quote "Most people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing" This is so true about food. We at JP's work hard to give our customers valuable food and a value filled dining experience. Not cheap or expensive...valuable. We invite you to come join us!

New Menu for Spring

The best thing about life is how many things change and yet remain the same. I have always heard that the only thing constant is change. I believe this is true.
Our daughter Casey is home from college. Our daughter Jaeda just returned to college. Each of them feel so good when they come home and have mentioned how funny it is that nothing is different. They feel comfortable right away. That is very funny since the house is in uproar most of the time when they are home. It feels very changed to me just having that many hair care products in my bathroom. I love having the girls home. When they are gone, I am the only girl in a house full of men. Not bad, just different. When the girls are home toenails get painted and I am not the only one who likes a clean bathroom.
Now we get to talk about the changes at the restaurant. April 30, May 1-2 is Spring Unveiling. We love this event! I love art and all that encompasses. Artist come to Cannon Beach to show off their new work. Visitors flood the town to see what is new and find what speaks to them. I believe that the food Bill creates is every bit as much art and a painting or sculpture. This is a good time to let him spread his menus out and create some new tastes. We don't do this often since our customers often want what they loved last time. This is the year to learn to love something new. Thai influence, Vegan dishes, lighter dining and always lots of flavor. We have to say good bye to a few fish that have priced themselves out of our market. We get to try the lovely Orzo infused monkfish. I have a newer organic, gluten free, no refined sugar, dairy free dessert that has met with rave reviews. Our gluten free cooking has expanded to include four desserts and chowder....yes chowder. You have to let us know in advance but it is delicious. I love change!!! I hope you will too. See you soon!

Almost Spring

I have been told that I am one of the world's worst bloggers. I think that, while I am a slacker, world's worst is a touch ambitious. I am a better talker than I am a writer. That said...life is great. We have passed through the worst of the winter and are quite looking forward to
Spring. This weekend kicks off the festivities with Savor Cannon Beach. This should be a fun event and one that many people will look forward to in the future.
The annual Cannon Beach Children's Center Wine Walk is Saturday March 13th. We are kicking off our weekend with a Winemaker's Dinner on Friday the 12th at 7:30. We will have Warren Gilstrap of Gilstrap Brothers Winery. Bill has matched seven food courses with six of their wonderful wines. He has had a great time mixing and matching. Fresh wild salmon, succulent lamb, Italian meats and delights from his Greek heritage. We will finish with a refreshing Mango Tequila Lime Cheesecake. Purchase your ticket now. $95.00 Saturday Wine Walk will also feature Gilstrap Brothers wines.
The following week begins Spring Break for many parts of the Northwest. I love it when our guests return "en masse". Winter is a nice time to take it a bit slower but popularity is nice too. I hope our weather is as nice as the winter has been. We have had a lions share of beautiful days. Breathe... it is good for the soul.