Since July of 2010, Chef Frank Schuchman and Brian Lee have been donating 100% of their time to operate the cafe on weekends, volunteering about 30 hours a week to make that happen. All of the profits from the variety of creative themed weekends food sales have been donated to Cascade Rail Foundation, while the plans to find and set up a full-time concessionaire at the site are being developed.

With the small volunteer staff, just Brian and Frank, and more recently with prep help from Holly, the Depot Cafe has served up an amazing array of fresh, wholesome tasty favorites in a nearly “can openerless” kitchen, to the delight of  both area visitors and the hometown South Cle Elum crowd for over half a year.

However (and you knew there was a “however” coming here sometime), the impact of the inevitabilities of earning a living, winter colds, holiday family obligations, and catering events (like the Mardi Gras we catered with Cajun food the weekend of Feb. 26-27) on such a small volunteer pool have taken their toll on our days of operation recently.

We have greatly enjoyed and appreciated sharing our enthusiasm for our food with everyone who has supported us, and are sincerely sorry for the weekends that we are unable to cook for you. As the days we are open have become more sporadic of late, we wanted to let you all know the reasons, and that we will continue to offer weekend specials when we are able. Watch for updates both here, and in our local newspaper, the NKC Tribune. You can also follow our Chef Frank’s weekly column there in the paper, called “Frankly Speaking … about good food”.

Or sign up for our email update list with the brief sign-up form in the right column of this website, and we will send you an email with the specials for the weekends we will be open.

In the meantime, we once again extend our sincere and heartfelt gratitude for your visit to our website today, and look forward to the opportunity to serve you again very soon.

Thank you!

Brian, Chef Frank and Holly

We regrettably must be closed again this weekend, due to a bad cold bug biting Brian. He doesn’t want to share! With a volunteer staff of just 3, this puts us too short to offer the roast beef specials we advertised in the paper for this week.

So we apologize for the inconvenience, and ask you to check back with us again to see when we will be open next.

Thank you for your understanding!

Sincerely,

Frank, Brian and Holly (the Depot Cafe volunteer crew)

time to get sloppy…

One day Joe was making hamburgers and they didn’t turn out so great. Not only did his burgers all fall apart when he dumped ketchup and barbeque sauce on them, he made a huge mess.  He simply shrugged his shoulders and said “oh well, I guess I’m not going to have hamburgers, I’m going to have sloppy Joe’s hamburgers!”  Hello Sloppy Joe!

A Really Sloppy Joe – handmade here with farm fresh tomatoes, green & red bell peppers, sweet onions, a rich tomato sauce, a hint of deli mustard and a sweet smooth barbecue sauce… all slow simmered for hours.  Then blend in some lean ground beef and serve over a buttery burger bun!  Classic

“Joe’s Special Plate” – Grab a Real Sloppy Joe sammy and serve it up with house made barbecued baked beans and a bunch of freshly made Cole Slaw!  Sloppy?  yes  Delicious? yes!!!

The Atomic Joe – Not your average Joe…Take our original Sloppy Joe and bump it up with Louisiana hot spices and southern chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  Topped with jalapeno marinated onions & bell peppers.  Sweet & savory meets hot & spicy!

Almost My Mom’s Cole Slaw – I only say that because she never showed me how to make her incredible Cole Slaw.  But mine is the best ever.  Farm fresh cabbage with a hint of fancy mayo, white wine vinegar, good olive oil, a little celery salt and white pepper, yes, a pinch of sugar.

Barbecue Slow Baked Beans – always made the day before serving, this magical mix of wonderful beans will astound you.  Flavors of the southwest combine with tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, onions, brown sugar and smoky bacon…no, I won’t give you the recipe.

The Depot Cafe is going Greek again this weekend

Gyro (pronounced yeer-oh)

Our Gyros are made with a perfect combination of the finest quality, seasoned beef and lamb gyro meat and stone ground whole wheat pita’s from Kronos®.  Our traditional tzatziki sauce (dza-DZEE-kee ) is
home made with fresh cucumbers, lemon, organic Peoh Point garlic and Nancy’s® Yogurt: “Real Food for Real People”. They are a very “Green” company! Check them out at www.nancysyogurt.com

Our classic hummus started out here in our kitchen as dried chick peas (garbanzo beans) and then we added organic Peoh Point garlic, roasted sesame paste and some other goodies to transform it  into a hummus fit for Zeus!!

MENU:

Classic Gyro Tomato, sliced sweet onion, Gyro meat and tzatziki sauce on a warm, grilled, whole wheat Pita

Super Gyro! We’ve heard this was a favorite of Heracles!! Gyro meat, tomato, sliced sweet onion, and Tzatziki sauce with  farm fresh lettuce, crunchy cucumbers, feta cheese and Kalamata olives

New Gyro Burger The Greek God’s of the Depot (Frank and Brian) have utilized all of the traditional Gyro ingredients….Tzatziki, Feta, cucumber, tomato, lettuce and onion on our hand pressed, flame broiled burger  to create this twist on traditional Greek fare.

Depot Greek Salad Fresh and tasty! Cucumber, tomato, Kalamata olives and sliced red onion with a touch of lettuce and topped with feta cheese. Then we drizzle it with a bit of Rosemary and olive oil vinaigrette

Comes in Regular  and Side Salad sizes                 Option to add on a grilled, stone ground whole wheat Pita

“Beanery” Hummus Platter Grilled Whole wheat pita with our home made hummus, created from scratch using chick peas, roasted sesame paste, garlic and other goodies!

Mediterranean Beef Soup Zeus could never get enough of this!! We use fresh ground beef, home made chicken stock, celery, carrots, onion and orzo…..served over fresh organic baby spinach.

Comes in Small, Medium, and Large sizes.    Option to add on a grilled, stone ground whole wheat Pita

Beanery” Hummus and Soup Combo get a half order of our Hummus Platter and a small soup

Frank & Brian will be featuring FRESHLY ROASTED TURKEY BREAST!

Slow roasted, tender and juicy, rubbed with local organic garlic & herbs!

Come taste a REAL … TURKEY SANDWICH

Warm up with a steamy bowl of a winter-hearty CREAMY TURKEY VEGGIE SOUP!

BLUE PLATE SPECIAL: Tender slices of turkey breast piled high on bread, smothered in our hearty homestyle turkey pan gravy, and served with mashed spuds and veggies.

MENU:

• Hoppin’ John – Black Eyed peas, rice and greens
• Creole Pork sandwiches
• Golden Cornbread muffins
• Bubba’s Bayou Bean Soup
• Sweet Peach Cobbler
• Peach Milkshakes
• also a Voodoo Burger….

Happy New Years Y’all

by your chef, Frank Schuchman

Frankly, every New Years Eve you’ll always find me at my favorite spot… in my kitchen, preparing a bunch of traditional Southern good luck in the New Year foods.

It’s a tradition in the South that you prepare a series of wonderful foods to enter in the New Year healthy, happy and prosperous.  Time-Honored dishes include: black eyed peas to make Hoppin’ John, plus collard greens, cornbread, pork and soups with black eyed peas, greens and ham shanks.

Black Eyed Peas – have many positive meanings, first they represent coins! Often the cook will toss in a dime into the bean pot, so when someone discovers the coin, they are blessed with a prosperous new year ahead.  Others stories tell of Sherman’s March to the Sea during the winter of 1864 – when Sherman ordered his troops to strip the lands from Atlanta to the ocean of anything that wasn’t nailed down.  When they saw black eyed pea plants, the soldiers regarded them as useless and were left behind.  Leaving thousands of Southerners with a food source for the long winter ahead, it is said that the “luck” of the Black Eyed Peas…saved the South!

Hoppin’ John, is a wonderful dish made of black eyed peas, and served over rice.  The kids in the old South were said to dance and ‘hop’ around the kitchen when they were lucky enough to get some simple beans and rice.  Rice & beans were also humbling foods available to all. They represent health, nutrition, sustenance, humility and prosperity in the year to come.

Greens – collard, turnip, beet, mustard, even cabbage works, all widely available and represent green dollar bills – another wish of prosperity to all that eat them.

Cornbread and Pork – the golden color of cornbread is another throwback to riches.  But is also a staple in every kitchen, along with the humble Pig… both represent how we all need to be a bit humble in the New Year ahead.

Ah, but there also foods that you do not want to consume fear for of what they represent!  Chickens, scratch while moving backwards, meaning you will have a set back ahead.  Actually all fowl are discouraged, because your hopes & dreams may fly away! Lobster? Yep, they too swim backwards, regret or dwelling on the past!  The color White is considered to represent death in many eastern cultures, so anything ‘white’ is not consumed around New Years!  Including eggs, white sauces, even white rice becomes ‘dirty’ rice to change its color.

I will also be teaching a FREE Southern cooking class on these recipes at the Depot in South Cle Elum on January 18th, 2011.  To register for the class, spaces are limited, please call me (509-649-3864) or email: ukcfoodgardens@gmail.com

For more info on the Café: www.thedepotcafe.com or find us on FaceBook.

I’m Frank Schuchman, local Roslyn resident, executive chef, Southern food enthusiast and an active member of Slow Food.  www.slowfoodusa.org

Looks like more snow coming this weekend. Come on over to the cafe, enjoy a ski or snowshoe trek on the trail and then come on in for a hot meal, a cup of coffee or cider and then maybe follow it up with a hand dipped milkshake or a float! We’ll be open Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – the Rail Museum is also open those hours (free admission, donations gladly accepted.)

MENU:

• Dad’s Chicken Fried Chicken Cutlet – Hey, dad cooked too!  Here is one of his favorites.  A large herb seasoned crunchy breaded chicken breast cutlet is flat griddle cooked to golden brown then topped with a creamy chicken chunky filled gravy!  Yep, it’s served up on a slice of white bread. This one sold out FAST the last time we offered it, so hurry in!
• Grilled Chicken Burger – flame broiled and buttery herb basted chicken breast is sliced onto a warmed French roll with our famous garlic herbed mayo with thick cut local tomatoes and leafy lettuce!
• NEW! Hand Cut Breaded Chicken Strips – we start with fresh premium whole chicken breast – no pre-processed stuff here! We hand fillet them and coat them in our own breading mixture, and then fry ‘em up golden brown and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Pick your housemade sauce – wild or mild! Both our Hiroshima Hot and Heavenly Mild versions start out with a blend of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses combined seasoned up just right for your taste.
• Depot Style Teriyaki Chicken & Rice – Hop a ride on the Orient Express as you experience our tender juicy grilled chicken breast slices marinated in classic Teriyaki sauce and served on a bed of fluffy rice.

MENU:

• Yankee Pot Roast platter with potatoes and vegetables
• The Yankee Doodle Dandy Hot Sandwich
• Plus our Favorites menu of Depot Burgers and 1/4 Pound Hot Dogs will be available

While you’re here enjoying the comfort foods, pick up some holiday gift items such as Rails to Ales Brewfest tickets at a special discount, t-shirts from the Brewfest and Cascade Rail Foundation, souvenir Brewfest glasses and cozy Depot Cafe coffee mugs.