January 2017
January 6 marks the grand opening of Sweet Beet Station in the old Talent Train Depot. The new owner, Awna Zegzdryn, has been a Talent resident for five years, and involved in food service since she was 15.
“The Talent Train Depot has so much history for our area and town,” Awna said. “After much negotiation and waiting, Talent finally received their Depot in 1900. Its addition to the area helped to literally put Talent on the map. The current building at 100 E. Main is an exact replica of the original Depot, and I am so excited to be operating our business out of this historic site.”
Described as a gathering place for locals to enjoy delicious food in a beautiful and comfortable atmosphere, Sweet Beet will offer coffee, classic espresso drinks, and fresh baked goods for that coffee-house vibe. “We will also provide a rotating selection of soups, salads, hot sandwiches, grilled cheese and shareable platters, along with local wine, beer and ciders,” Awna explained. “We’ve been approved for our full liquor license and once we get rolling, will also offer specialty cocktails. We’re also excited to serve a prix-fix brunch on the weekends – fun! Think Mimosas… Think Sweet Beet Bloody Mary’s.”
Awna moved from Palmer, Alaska, to Southern Oregon in 1998 to attend college at SOU. “I loved it here, and decided to make the area my home. I bought a house in Talent five years ago, with the specific intent to build a licensed commercial kitchen in the garage for my catering business. I’ve worked in food service since I was 15, and have always known that my life would revolve around this passion.
She’s worked in all facets of food service (both front and back-of-house) in a variety of different settings and forms and has most notably been in the catering industry for over a decade. She’s owned her business, AZ Catering & Event Planning, for 8 ½ years full time (www.azparties.com), focusing on large-scale events, parties, weddings and non-profit fundraisers. “Catering is an extremely challenging job (lots of heavy lifting) where you literally re-create a staging kitchen at a different venue for every event. I’ve been craving consistency for a long time, and began formatting a plan for a café-style restaurant a few years ago.”
So when her good friend Clea Arthur decided to sell Cantina Vida and move on to new ventures, she came to Awna first. “The answer was immediately YES,” Awna said. “One of the challenges of the space is the limited kitchen facility on site. The solution: using my beautiful, large and well-equipped catering kitchen as an auxiliary space to prep food for the new restaurant – hurrah!”
She will also offer a pickled vegetable & jam line called Sweet Beet’s Best: beets, carrots, green beans, peppers as well as fruit jams such as marionberry, strawberry, raspberry, fig, etc. “We’ll definitely have a pickled vegetable platter on the menu and fresh jams for the baked goods, so guests can ‘try before they buy.’
“I love small towns, and I love that everyone you see walking down the street in Talent actually lives here. Talent is the definition of local; you don’t see too many tourists in our town. I love the idea of creating a space where our community can come together, and that the people who actually live here have a beautiful and comfortable place to hang out. No need to drive to Ashland… delicious food is here!”
Eventually she plans to also start a Soup Subscription Service where you can sign up for a weekly soup service, and can pick up your dinner to-go at the restaurant. Look for that feature in February.
The Beet will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, 8am – 8pm and and is located at 100 E. Main Street in Talent.
