Provisions Restaurant + Market

A dream come true in Yakima

Chef Lindsay Park was ready to run her own show. Amy Park had always wanted to manage retail. Developer Brig Temple wanted to gauge the response to building community in Terrace Heights. Together, they created Provisions Restaurant + Market. And that made the dream of good food in Yakima come true.

Amy (left) and Chef Lindsay

They've been on the cover of Yakima magazine, named best restaurant in Yakima by the Yakima Herald, and received Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for their wine list. "We can't believe the amount of support the community has given us," says Lindsay. "Part of this success is that both Amy and I are from this area. We know what people want, whether it's on the menu or in the Market."

Lindsay and Amy had looked at the location before, formerly a sports bar, and decided against it; too much to fix. Brig was thinking of opening a restaurant in Terrace Heights; everyone told him to talk to Lindsay. Their first meeting ran 4-1/2 hours. "I was working at Gasperetti's and gave notice in December 2016, but didn't leave until June 2017. I'm grateful for all I learned from a restaurant that's been in business for 52 years. Brig offered me creative freedom. I had no idea it would be this big. He challenges me every day in a good way. We're still having 'best' days; a night where we served 100 more dinners than we ever had." Amy adds, "We tripled our brunch numbers in August." They have over 200 seats in the dining room, bar, and patio.

Success is due to a number of reasons. Lindsay's food is amazing-flavorful, interesting combinations, good variety, local, and approachable. "We know people want change," says Amy. "Our all-day menu changes quarterly and we have fresh sheets. Popular items that come off the all-day menu find their way onto fresh sheets. We carry items from Yakima and talk about farms on the menu." They also work hard to meet peoples' dietary needs. Lindsay will come out to talk to people about what they can't have and come up with options for them. "One 11-year-old had tears in her eyes when she found out she actually had choices; she just wanted to be a normal kid. There are only about 12 items in the restaurant that we don't make ourselves. There are so many keys on the menu (vegan, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan optional, gluten free optional) that it's like a map."

Braised beef biscuit and gravy

Lindsay grew up in Yakima in a family culture centered around food. She received a history degree at the U.W., then her Associate of Applied Arts from the Art Institute in Seattle. She worked for nine months at Harvest Vine, a few years at Purple in Kirkland, and came home to open Tony's Steakhouse in 2008, where she met Amy. She opened Geppetto's in 2009 staying until 2013. She moved to Gasperetti's and stayed almost four years. She and Amy met again in 2010-2011.

Amy is the assistant GM in the restaurant and the GM of the Market. Her background is in management consulting; she managed three Starbucks locations at one time and was managing a salon and spa before moving to Provisions. "I loved that job and Lindsay and I thought it would be better not to work together. But I was needed here, and we've found that we love working together. We looked for a manager for Market but realized that no one would care as much as me. We've hand-picked everything and done tons of research to ensure on products." Market opened June 5, 2018. "It's tough to keep things on the shelves," laughs Amy. "We have local cheeses and also imported cheeses, some that take three weeks to arrive, and they sell out immediately." The charcuterie boards on the restaurant menu are very popular, so they now sell the boards and all the ingredients in the Market. They have housewares; ingredients you can't find elsewhere in Yakima; gluten free items, including several kinds of flours; sweets; spices; rubs; a growler station with 12 beers (there are 14 in the restaurant, so 26 options total); wine and other beverages; local t-shirts and caps. They're the second spot in town with nitro coffee. They don't cater, but they will make up large portions and sell wine at a reduced rate; people can pick it all up at the Market.

Charcuterie board

Pacific Northwest University is located behind them and students and faculty are a big part of their business. "There's no food service on campus," explains Amy. "We make fresh takeaway in the Market and price it so it's affordable for students. We have a choice of 48 toppings for salads. People choose greens from the cooler, check off toppings they want, and we toss it for them. There are breakfast bowls with additional toppings as well. They can choose a sandwich and we'll press it on the panini grill."

Staff is another part of their success. "Our team culture is so strong here. It's family. We tell them that we've all worked too hard to have anyone pull us down." Amy adds, "People say the customer is always right, make them happy. We say that if you make the employees happy, they will make the customers happy."

"It's been a wild ride," Amy and Lindsay agree. They opened the restaurant on December 1, bought a house the same day, got married two months later, opened the Market four months later. "The connection I love is people," says Lindsay. "People share their stories with us and it's a privilege. We want to continue to provide for and inspire our team and community and keep moving forward. Whether it seems like it or not, most things we do are intentional." Amy adds, "We might be tired, but we really love this." Lindsay agrees, "Yes, it's a healthy addiction!"

Provisions Restaurant + Market
2710 Terrace Heights Drive
Yakima, WA 98901
509-452-8100

provisionsyakima.com

Photos courtesy of Provisions Restaurant + Market

Connie Adams/November 2018