The Applegate Store and Café, next to the green-steel Pioneer Bridge where Oregon Highway 238 crosses the Applegate River, is a diamond in the rough in an idyllic valley.
In 2002, Jeannie and Jackie Inman bought the rustic landmark, with Chef Jeannie running the Café, and her mother Jackie managing the connected convenience store. In 2004, Jackie’s sister and brother-in-law, Maryanna and Neal Reynolds, purchased the business. Fourteen years later—they’re still going. Little changed, because the Reynolds’ son Patrick had been in the kitchen from the start. Both Patrick and Jeannie had learned from Maryanna and Jackie’s sister, Candee. Patrick just kept cooking everyone’s favorite “homestyle” meals.
Jeannie continued to bake confections for the Applegate store. She branded the cookies and biscotti “Annie Mac’s,” in honor of Jackie, Candee, and Maryanna’s beloved Gramma, Anna McDuffy. Eventually, the Reynolds bought the baking business; you’ll find the delightful treats in the store—and several markets in Jackson and Josephine Counties.
Patrick still runs the kitchen. It’s obvious that he enjoys his work. “I’ve been cooking since I was a kid, because eating is what I like to do!” he says, flashing a smile. “Eating’s always held a special place in the heart of this whole family. I soaked up whatever I could about how to cook. I learned in the fire!”
“We make everything from scratch, including the biscuits and gravy, and the soups,” notes Neal, who ran a restaurant in Mendocino County before the family relocated to the Rogue Valley.
“We have homemade soups seasonally,” Maryanna adds. “Patrick makes a great kale, sausage, and potato soup, and I make clam chowder on Fridays”
“We smoke all of our own meats,” Patrick offers. “We cure our pastrami and hams up to two weeks, and then keep them in the smoker for six hours.”
“People always say to us, ‘This is the best ham I’ve ever had,’” Neal says proudly. The breakfast menu includes a dozen tempting omelette choices, including a “Country Omelette”, and an “Ortega Chiles Omelette.”
“But it’s our burgers that we’re famous for,” adds Maryanna. The menu includes sixteen specialty hamburgers, six specialty sandwiches—plus Patrick hand-slices New York cuts for his chicken fried steak.
Step out the front door and you’ll find Patrick’s sister Karna selling burritos from a well-positioned food cart. Down the road, the Reynolds also own Horsefeather Farms Ranchette B&B. “Five generations of us have worked in the café, grocery and lodging trade,” Maryanna says cheerfully. “My grandkids Hunter and Wyatt work here, and Wyatt also works for Jeannie at The Mustard Seed in Jacksonville.”
Clearly, it’s a family affair.
APPLEGATE STORE AND CAFÉ
15095 Highway 238 • 541 846-6659
Breakfast: Monday-Saturday 7-11am,
Sunday 7-11:30am
Lunch: Monday-Thursday 11am-2pm
Friday-Saturday 11am-3pm
Sunday 11:30am-3:00pm
Store: Seven days a week: 7am-7pm
Paula and Terry identify as writers, with an ever-increasing number of published works to support the supposition. They live a primarily pastoral life in the enchanted town of Jacksonville.