Quality Auto Service at Siskiyou Imports

When Bow DeBey, owner of Siskiyou Import Service (1713 Siskiyou Blvd), was attending Ashland High School in the early 1990s, he was fortunate enough to find himself in the auto shop with Mr. Titus, a teacher who retired last year after 43 years.

"I was passionate about cars and figuring out how to fix their problems," Bow said. "After high school I went to work for a year at Siskiyou Imports for the owners, Butch McCamey and Daniel Bissey. I then moved to Eugene, where I met my wife and moved to Denver to be near her."

In 2003 the DeBeys moved back to Ashland with their two daughters (Bow worked for CarQuest, and Heather for the Shakespeare Festival). He was also looking to get back into automotive repair.

"I spoke with Butch at Siskiyou Imports to see if he was hiring and was given a job on the spot as a technician," Bow said. "After a year Butch announced his retirement, and Heather and I purchased the business. Owning a shop in my hometown has been my dream since high school."

The goal at Siskiyou Imports is to "provide the highest quality car maintenance and repair for import automobile owners." They diagnose, maintain and repair import cars and trucks.

"We have two excellent technicians, Don and Nate," Bow said. "Our service writer, Jason, takes care of customers from the moment they call or walk in to when he hands them back the key."

Bow prides himself on honest service. "We put the customer first and ensure that he or she has a safe, well-maintained car to drive," he said. "That is our top priority. Customers can expect high quality work and parts with excellent customer service and a family atmosphere."

Bow remembers his roots and volunteers at the AHS auto shop and has mentored senior students for several years. And he drives on a race car team in the "24 Hours of LeMons," an endurance car race for $500 cars.

The shop also has a wild honey bee hive living on the back wall of the building. After a Recology worker was recently stung, Bow constructed a passageway so that the bees could only enter and exit from the roof. "It keeps the people using the recycling and trash area safe," Bow said. "And we didn't have to kill the bees."

The phone number is 541-482-8162.

Southeast Asian-Style Restaurant Opens in Ashland

One of the newest restaurants in Ashland is Tot, located at 310 Oak Street in the old Cantwell's Building (where Chun's Palace used to be). Owners Andrew Will and Sean Simpson have opened a "fast-casual restaurant serving lunch and dinner with a focus on Southeastern Asian flavors and ingredients."

Andrew and Sean are brothers-in-law, and Tot is family-owned and operated with other family members pitching in to help. Andrew has been cooking in restaurants his entire adult life. He was primarily trained by Chef Thierry Rautureau in Seattle, and he also spent some time working as Executive Chef at Carmelita in Seattle.

"I've always loved great casual restaurants," Andrew said. "The food can be great even without the white tablecloths and fine china. We serve Asian food mainly because it's what I and my family like to eat. We've been serving it at home and at dinner parties for years."

Sean brings the business side of the restaurant to the equation. "My love of good food and Andrew's ability to make amazing fare made it an easy choice to partner with him," he said.

The regular menu at Tot ranges from more traditional Asian fare to imaginative re-creations of American cuisine with Asian ingredients. "We serve Southeast Asian Barbeque, and people come to Tot for the food," Andrew said. "Regulars tend to enjoy eating food they haven't tasted before, and pride themselves on trying everything on the menu."

There is a focus on barbequed meats, such as beef brisket and ribs, but also include lighter options like grilled seasonal vegetables and a variety of soups. Andrew is continually creating new special dishes like a coconut corn fritter with green papaya salad, or glazed short ribs with rice noodles.

Every Friday at Tot is Pho Friday, where they offer this Vietnamese style beef noodle soup. Another new addition is the Pho Dip—a sandwich similar to a French Dip, with a Vietnamese-style 'pho' broth and toppings.

The atmosphere at Tot is very casual. Customers order at the counter, and staff brings the food to the table, enabling them to keep the prices affordable.

The restaurant also supports local farms, and they work with the community. Their Tot for Tots program raises money for local nonprofits serving youth.

The phone number at Tot is 541-488-7986.

Heartsong Wants to Keep You Healthy

As someone who makes a smoothie every morning chock full of vitamins and supplements, I agree wholeheartedly with the mission of Heartsong Nutrition, which recently opened at 1461 Siskiyou in the Market of Choice Shopping Center.

According to owner Jim Spencer, "The major illness that is plaguing Americans is unbalanced metabolic systems due to sugar addiction and toxins in our food supply. We embrace a 7-step plan to reach Ultra-Wellness. We personally assist our customers in charting a course of lifestyle changes that can result in restoring your perfect body image, internally and externally."

Jim and his wife Anyas opened six health food stores and a number of other retail establishments in 1986 in Alaska. For the last 17 years they have been "promoting naturopathic wellness products, nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle as a means to conquer disease."

Jim has a Bachelors in Business Administration and has started eleven retail stores. Anyas is French and graduated with a degree in languages (she speaks fluent French, English and German).

"We carry many different brands of supplements, including a solid line of Sports Nutrition and deep-healing formulas," Jim said. "We value and respect the divine spirit within each person, and improving your health is our first goal."

Anyas agreed. "Our mission statement is all about living for a higher purpose—loving and serving our fellow earth brothers and sisters," she said. "We view nutritional supplements as keys to finding health. We know that most people suffer from some affliction and there are natural solutions. It is our job to help you find out what there is in nature that can help with your unique problem."

The store also carries inspirational greeting cards, essential oils, candles, and natural soaps, lotions and creams. There is a conference room available for special workshops or healing sessions at no charge. They are open 10am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm Saturday and 11am-6pm Sunday. Call 541-708-0745 for more info.

MILESTONES

• Flower Tyme (on the Plaza below Black Sheep) is celebrating thirty years in business this month. The small, European-style flower shop opened on Nov. 2, 1982, and they will be having an "Anniversary/Holiday Open House" on the weekend of Nov. 17-18, complete with a holiday fairy forest, and silver and white sparkling ornaments adorning purple trees.

Owner LouAnn David is appreciative of all the support for her and her staff's hard work. "A customer said to me the other day that everyone loves the shop because it makes their soul happy. That makes the hard work of surviving 30 years in downtown Ashland worth every minute."

• Winchester Inn (30 S. 2nd St.) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their annual Dickens' Christmas Feast. This is also the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth. The feast consists of an amazing take on a traditional 6-course Christmas feast. A fun and energetic group of festive carolers in Dickens Christmas costumes entertain as they stroll through the restaurant singing traditional carols. You can even look forward to a visit by ol' Saint Nick as he brings presents to kids one to 92.

The Feast begins at 6:30 each evening Nov. 30-Dec 2, Dec. 5-9, 12-16 and 19-24. For reservations, call 5431-488-1113.

• Bug a Boo, a children's store located at 40 N. Main, is celebrating its 14th Anniversary with a sale Nov. 11-12-13. All Smartwool socks will be 25% off.

Business Briefs

• Massage Therapist Mark Rich has joined the staff at Chloe Salon & Boutique (150 Lithia Way). Mark brings 18 years of massage and healing work, which is a perfect complement to Chloe's extensive spa offerings.
  "I first became interested in massage and healing as a way to increase performance in multi-sport events and open swimming in Hawaii," Mark said. "Massage helped reduce recovery time and helped the athletes I was working with swim faster. Over the years I became interested in the subtle aspect of healing, including the Shamanic Energy Medicine I now practice."
  Mark is also the author of Energetic Anatomy: An Illustrated Guide to Understanding and Using the Human Energy System. For more info or to schedule an appointment, call 541-488-7478.
• The Siskiyou Singers will be hosting their 30th anniversary concert on December 7-8-9. All former members are invited to join the choir in singing the piece "Ubi Caritas" on Friday night, December 7, and then join them for a Gala Party afdter the concert. There is one rehearsal which will be held on Tuesday, November 27, hehid the Methodist Church. For more info, call 541-201-0929.
• TC Chevy (2045 Hwy 99 N.) will be hosting a display of "Pictures of Hope" at a "Meet the Young Artists" celebration at 5pm on Thursday, November 15. This past September the dealership sponsored 15 children from the Salvation Army's Hope House to work with renowned photojournalist Linda Solomon to work on photos capturing their hopes and dreams. Their photos are captured on holiday greeting cards and will be available for purchase.