It all began in 2005 when Zoe and Ryan Lehmann opened Zoey’s Cafe and Artisan Ice Cream a half block down Main Street from Pangea, which was located across the street at 272 E. Main.
“When we opened as the new kids on the block, we had a friendly rivalry with Pangea,” Ryan said. “We admired their style and success from across the street, and we acquired Pangea from the original owners, Mark and Roanna Rosewood, in 2018. Mark and Roanna opened Pangea in 1998. In addition to starting this Ashland Institution, the Rosewoods raised a family of three kids. When they sold the business to us, the eldest Rosewood child, Avram, was already working at Pangea. In 2020 Jonah, the middle son, joined the crew, and then in 2021 their daughter Dahlia, the youngest, came on board. As new owners at Pangea, we were so happy to take the torch and carry forward this family tradition with all three Rosewood kids working in the family business they grew up in.”
Ryan and Zoe both have extensive backgrounds in the restaurant industry. Zoe, who grew up in Australia, is a chef and Ryan was a server with a head for numbers. Both are very entrepreneurial, and at 17 Zoe began her chef’s apprenticeship at an Italian restaurant in Brunswick Heads, Australia. At the same time Ryan was washing dishes and bussing tables in New Braunfels, Texas, working his way up through the ranks.
“Before landing in Ashland, we spent several years looking for a small charming art town with a walkable downtown and forest trails to hike,” Zoe said. “It turns out there aren’t many around, but Ashland fit the bill perfectly.”
Pangea specializes in eclectic world cuisine with an amazing selection of vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and omnivore wraps, paninis, soups, and salads made from scratch.
“We have a rotating selection of unique soups made from scratch daily,” Zoe said. “We offer tofu, tempeh, hummus and vegan aioli on our wraps and paninis to provide vegans and vegetarians with a variety of choices. We’re right next door to Bloomsbury Books in the Enders building built in 1914. Our high ceilings and exposed brick wall make for a great downtown vibe. We feature local artists on our walls with a new artist every six weeks. And we bake cookies from scratch and make a vegan and gluten free Ginger Rice Pudding for dessert.”
Pangea also provides large catering style orders to-go with platters, large salad bowls, and soups by the gallon, plus you can find espresso and a selection of Oregon beer and wine.
“We are an inspired café offering vibrant, uncommonly fabulous food,” Ryan said. “We use humanely raised, hormone free meats, seasonally organic and locally grown foods, and exotic global ingredients.”
For more info, the phone number is 541-552-1630. You can also see them at pangeaashland.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
