10 Clark County Restaurants, Farms, Breweries and Coffee Roasters Featured in 2024 Taste of the Gorge

WASHOUGHAL — Ten eastern Clark County businesses are participating in the Taste of the Gorge Festival, which showcases a variety of restaurants and small businesses in the Columbia River Gorge.

“We wanted to be a part of this because it encourages people to come out, travel to this beautiful part of the country and see what local businesses have to offer,” said Andy and Tiffany Regan, co-owners of Camas Cheese Co. It showcases local producers, makers, etc. that reside in the Pacific Northwest. We love to introduce people to new things. It’s a great way to do it.”

Taste of the Gorge offers an interactive digital passport with over 70 participating companies. Visitors can use the passport to track visits and earn points that can be redeemed for prizes, including gift cards to places like the Balch Hotel in Dufur, Oregon, and the Skamania Lodge in Stevenson.

“The more registrations they get, the more likely they are to win prizes,” said consultant Angie Marie Madsen, who worked with the Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance to manage the project. The Alliance is a nonprofit network of businesses and organizations that support arts and culture, transportation systems, local food, small business, climate resilience and community collaboration in the Gorge.

“For me as a designer, that’s the kind of collaboration I want,” said Laurie Reed, owner of Reed Creative, which has designed paper passports for people who don’t want to use an app. “How can we unite people and not separate them? That’s why I liked this project so much.”

The Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance, organizer of the popular Columbia River Gorge walking programs, created Taste of the Gorge to encourage visitors during the slow season and help visitors find places that aren’t well known, Madsen said.

“We wanted to show people living in and out of the city just how incredible our local food and drink businesses are all year round, particularly celebrating those who support local agriculture,” she said. “Also, it’s a fun way to encourage visitors to branch out and try a new business for them. Some towns get a lot more visitors than others, but the Gorge is full of smaller towns with great food and drink.”

Participating Camas businesses include Camas Cheese Co., Grains of Wrath Brewing, Hidden River Roasters and Lane Cellars. Participating from Washougal are 54-40 Brewing, Danglicious Vietnamese Kitchen, Get To-Gather Farm, Recluse Brew Works, Trap Door Brewing and Washougal Coffee Co.

“The whole purpose is to let people know we have these great places and also support the local economy,” Reid said. “Danglicous just opened and that gives them a lot of exposure that they can afford to be able to advertise as a startup.”

The owners of Camas Cheese Co. said that “several people who came specifically because we were in the passport” came to them, Rigany said.

Recluse Brewing General Manager Richard LaRue said he hasn’t seen many passport holders, but is excited about the program’s intent and potential.

“We love this area, so any time we can be a part of something that highlights the great and deep food and beverage community in Washougal and Washington, we’ll go out of our way to help,” LaRue said. “From the conversations we’ve had, it seems like the potential for prizes is a big advantage, rather than exploring new locations.”

To qualify for the program, companies must demonstrate that at least 20 percent of their materials are locally sourced.

“That means they grow their own stuff or brew their own stuff or whatever,” Reid said. “To be a part of that, you have to source locally, and that makes us feel better as users because we’re supporting local people and we’re also supporting local people who are sourcing locally.”

As of October 16, 557 people have registered, and the vast majority of enterprises have completed at least one registration. Jacob Williams Winery of Goldendale had 70 registrations, Reed said.

“Taste of the Gorge” has already become a hit, Madsen said. “Commercials are enjoying the added buzz both on social media and in person. Customers have shared that they love the opportunity to try a new place to eat.”

According to Madsen, the Gorge Alliance plans to make Taste of the Gorge an annual event “with even more participants in the future.”

The event will last until November 15.

To learn more about Taste of the Gorge or to download a digital passport, visit the website gorgefoodtrails.com/taste-of-the-gorge.

Paper passports are available at participating businesses, as well as the Two Rivers Heritage Museum, Washougal City Hall and the Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce office in Camas.